Maciol Talks Snowmobile Safety As Season Gets Ready To Kick Off

As the snowmobile season gets ready to kick-off, Oneida County Sheriff Rob Maciol hosted his annual snowmobile safety news conference at the Deerfield Firehouse on Thursday.

Maciol says the Sheriff's Office Snowmobile Patrol Unit will be strictly enforcing the laws, including operating a snowmobile while intoxicated, speeding, registration violations and exhaust modifications.

All of New York’s laws and regulations regarding snowmobiling can be found at parks.ny.gov.

Maciol also stressed the need to respect the landowners that make nearly all of the groomed trails possible.

"Snowmobiling is a major component of the tourism income generated in Oneida County," Oneida County Executive Anthony Picente said. "Thousands of people come each year to enjoy the natural beauty of our area, and in turn, purchase fuel and equipment, eat in our restaurants, shop in our stores and stay in our hotels. We are grateful for the opportunity to host these visitors, and it is of the utmost importance that we ensure their safety, and that of our local snowmobilers whenever they hit the trails."

The Sheriff's Office also unveiled two, 2019 Arctic Cat Snowmobiles that will be put into service to patrol the nearly 650 miles of groomed snowmobile trails throughout the County.