2/14/2025

ONTONAGON - The 2024-25 Winter recreation season has seen a number of deaths on trials in the U.P. and the Michigan Department of Natural Resources reports that the known cause in three of the four deaths in the state have been connected to alcohol use and speed. Ontonagon County Undersheriff Charles Pantti says the office is waiting for toxicology reports on the fourth death. Pantii says that there have also been 8-10 injury crashes involving snowmobiles so far this season. To his recollection, the last snowmobile fatality in Ontonagon County was back in 2018. There is a need for more full time officers in the department, right now, they have one full time officer to cover more than 350 miles of trails. DNR Upper Peninsula Trails Coordinator Ron Yesney, folks come to the western U.P. from Wisconsin due to a lack of snow back home. That makes for congested trails and overly enthusiastic riders trying to get their snowy rides in. The bottom line of it, Yesney says, it that folks are riding too fast on trails.