Cabin owners report tree cutting at park

Several cabin owners say they are seeing live trees being illegally cut down at Beaver Creek Park.

Blanche Kellam, who finalized her purchase of a cabin during the Hill County Park Board Monday, said she is seeing trees near her cabin cut down, generally cut into about 5-foot sections and left lying on the ground.

"Maybe you need to bring this to the sheriff's attention, " she suggested, adding later that the trees being cut down are live trees.

After a board member jokingly suggested it could be beavers, Kellam said it is not.

"It's not a beaver, it's a chainsaw, " she said.

Board member Robbie Lucke also said he has seen some trees cut down, as did cabin owner Rose Cloninger and Cabin Owner Association President Lynn Heggen.

Park Superintendent Chad Edgar said the trees are being cut down so close to the park offices, that he is not even certain whoever is cutting them down realizes it is illegal.

Cloninger said she never sees anyone cutting the trees down over the weekend.

Kellam said she had seen some trees cut down and then found more when she was back out a few weeks later.

"They have been busy, whoever they are, " she said.

In other action, the board heard from Edgar that the federal disaster money is starting to come in for work on the park.

President Barack Obama declared a federal disaster in Hill County and for Rocky Boy's Indian Reservation last July after a heavy June rainstorm created a devastating flood.

Edgar said the county has received $100,000 so far for work on the park, and will start setting up projects.

He said Sletten Construction has donated steel beams to replace the flood-damaged walking bridge by Rotary Pond. Board Chair Steve Mariani said he wants to make sure thanks go out to the Erik Sletten and the Sletten bridge crews who got the beams to the park.

"You know the cost of that is huge, " he said.

Edgar said several possible new outhouses also are being considered at the park, including at a campground the Doney family is working to make a memorial campground.

He said Havre Jaycees may make a contribution to help with a new outhouse, and the local Kiwanis may also help with one of those projects.

Another item discussed at the meeting is an automatic external defibrillator the park will share with the local ski patrol. Edgar suggested the item, used for people experiencing heart problems such as sudden cardiac arrest, be placed in the lodge at Camp Kiwanis, to be taken out as needed.

The cabin owners and campers should be notified that the item is available in case someone experiences heart problems at the park.

Havre Boy Scout Nadir Greytak also told the board that work is progressing on his Eagle Scout project, refurbishing a North Havre Park.

Greytak said he expects new park and playground equipment to arrive within five weeks, and he will install it then.

He said he still is about $1,000 short of the total amount needed for the equipment, but expects more fundraising to solve that problem.

He and his mother, Diana Greytak, thanked park board member Dave Wilson for his help on the project, with Diana Greytak saying they could't have done what they have so far without Wilson's help.

"So kudos to him, " she said.