Dirt bikers do ‘significant damage’ to historic area of Grand Teton, NPS says

A dirt biking event is not something visitors expect to see at Grand Teton National Park.

Park officials said Wednesday that at least 50 people took part in an “organized dirt bike event” Saturday that left behind 1,000 feet of tracks between 2 and 10 feet wide.

“This event was not authorized and caused significant resource damage,” National Park Service officials said in a news release.

Grand Teton is located in Moose, Wyoming.

A caller reported the event to the Teton Interagency Dispatch Center at about 8:45 p.m. Saturday, NPS said. The person reporting the incident said people were riding dirt bikes in an open field near historic Mormon Row and were operating a drone.

“The historic hay fields along Mormon Row are part of a 10-year project that started in 2014 to remove the non-native grasses and replant the area with 37 species of native plants to restore the site to sagebrush steppe habitat,” NPS officials said. “The investment in the habitat restoration represents several years of effort to collect native seed and treat invasive plants prior to seeding the native species.”

Elk, bison, pronghorn, moose and more wildlife depend on the sagebrush steppe habitat, and the dirt bikes damaged the area, park officials said.

Bikers who drive ride off the roadways could be fined up to $5,000 or spend six months in prison, NPS said.

Anyone who damages or destroys any National Park Service resource “is liable for response costs and damages.”

This story was originally published July 22, 2020 at 5:05 PM with the headline "Dirt bikers do ‘significant damage’ to historic area of Grand Teton, NPS says."