Effort underway to discourage drinking and snowmobiling

Talk about it

The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources is introducing a special sticker for snowmobilers in hopes of getting them to pledge to avoid drinking while snowmobiling.

The “Zero Alcohol” campaign isn’t law, it’s more of a hope. DNR Snowmobile Safety Administrator Gary Eddy hopes that their “zero alcohol” stickers will use peer pressure to get snowmobilers to have no drinks while driving.

Last year, 23 people were killed in Wisconsin while snowmobiling, and 70 percent of those cases involved alcohol. Eddy says they’ve heard from snowmobilers who don’t go out on weekends or at night. He says it’s a shame people are afraid to snowmobile on a public trail because of problems with alcohol.

But at least one up north bar owner thinks a zero alcohol campaign may send the wrong message to snowmobile enthusiasts. Sue Slominski of Slo’s Pub at Big Arbor Vita Lake says the Northwoods economy depends on snowmobiling, and campaigns like this one may discourage people from coming to the area.

Slominski says they sponsor an annual poker run requiring snowmobilers to stop at five bars, although not necessarily on the same evening. She says they don’t push booze, they’re just as much restaurants as pubs. And they encourage safety, she says.

Conservation wardens will be distributing the Zero Alcohol stickers to snowmobilers who pledge not to drive with John Barleycorn or Jack Dan

Tags: news, superior, wisconsin, alcohol, snowmobiling, dnr