Utah man fined for dirt bike race that damaged field in Grand Teton National Park

A 39-year-old Salt Lake City man pleaded guilty last month to destroying about 4,000 square feet of property at Grand Teton National Park.

In July 2020, the man held an “organized” dirt bike race in a field within the boundaries of the Wyoming national park, court documents state.

Footage posted to social media showed the man guiding riders around a course and also depicted “significant damage” to the field, which is located along the park’s “Mormon Row” area, according to court documents.

Mormon Row was established in the 1890s as a clustered, homesteader community of Latter-day Saint settlers from the Salt Lake Valley, according to the park’s website. The Mormon Row Historic District is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The damaged field was also part of a decade-long project to restore the area to a native sagebrush steppe habitat, which provides “vital forage” for elk, bison, moose and other park wildlife, according to court documents.

A ranger with the National Park service determined that the man in question had reserved a nearby campground, and the ranger positively identified the Salt Lake City man by his driver license photo.

Instagram posts also indicated that the event was organized by the man, and that the race was planned to celebrate the 11th anniversary of a company he co-founded.

The damage caused by the event consisted of over 1,000 feet of dirt track approximately 2-10 feet in width, amounting to over 4,000 square feet in total. Assessment and restoration costs were determined to be $3,690.96.

Witnesses told a ranger that the group had previously operated drones and motorcycles in the area in 2017, 2018 and 2020. In 2015, the man’s company also filmed a commercial where footage “identified as occurring in the park” showed bikes driving on the wrong side of the road, motorcyclists standing on their seat while in motion, and people throwing machetes into trees at the campground.

The man pleaded guilty on Sept. 26 to one misdemeanor count of damaging property and one misdemeanor count of operating a motor vehicle off-road. The Salt Lake Tribune generally does not name defendants charged with misdemeanor crimes.

The 39-year-old was ordered to pay $3,690.96 in restitution along with $6,000 in fines. He was also placed on probation and banned from entering the boundaries of Grand Teton National Park for 18 months.