Snow machine season opens Nov. 21

  • Published
  • By compiled reports
  • 354th Civil Engineer Squadron
EIELSON AIR FORCE BASE, Alaska --  Snow machine season officially opens Nov. 21 within areas on Eielson Air Force Base. Safety training and enrollment in PACAF Cares is required to operate machines on base.

Training is planned for 2 to 3 p.m. Dec. 11 , Jan. 8 and 29, Feb. 12 and 26, and March 12 and 26 at the Yukon Club. To sign up for training, contact Ken Russell at Kenneth.Russell@Eielson.af.mil, or 377-3707. For additional information, contact the 354th Fighter Wing Safety office at 377-1351.

Tied to observance of base quite hours, which are 10 p.m. to  7 a.m. Sunday through Thursday and 11 p.m. to 7a.m. Friday and Saturday, respect fellow base residents and do not operate machines in their lawns or in any vacant housing areas. Traveling across base lakes and streams is not recommended and is done at the operator's own risk. Personnel operating on the Trans Alaska Pipeline areas must secure a Right of Use Guideline permit from the pipeline authority.

Complete operating rules for snow machines are available in 354th Fighter Wing Instruction 32-7002. Failure to follow these policies may result in loss of snow machine operating privileges and possibly overall base driving privileges. For any additional questions or comments, contact the Natural Resources staff at 377-5182.

As a reminder, snowmobile use is prohibited in the following areas:

a. The airfield.
b. Firing range and impact area.
c. Asbestos landfill, soil remediation area, and fire training area.
d. Engineer Hill Munitions Storage Area.
e. Quarry Road Munitions Storage Area.
f. Explosive Ordnance Disposal controlled area.
g. Ski slope and sledding hill next to Ski Lodge.
h. POL tank farms.
i. Sewage lagoon and treatment area.
j. Parcours and Self-guided Nature Trail.
k. Arctic Survival Training Area and Command Post.
l. Det 460, AFTAC, Remote Operating Facility. Beaver Creek Road which goes through the Det 460, ROF can be used for access to open areas on either side of the ROF. Anyone using Beaver Creek Road as an access route is restricted to the road.
m. School grounds to include the high school football field and track.
n. Area bounded by Central Avenue, Transmittal Road, Garrison Slough, north base boundary, and Old Richardson Highway. This area includes the main gate and Alaska railroad tracks north of Transmitter Road.
o. The cross-country ski area near the Ski Lodge bounded by the ski slope, Quarry Road, east and south boundaries of Eielson and including the 160 acres in the Yukon Maneuver Area permitted to Eielson by the Army for ski trails.
p. The cross-country ski area between French Creek, the Youth Center, and cooling ponds.
q. Archery practice and field ranges.
r. Trap/skeet ranges.
s. The forested buffer zone around Manchu Ponds.