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Park Board hears complaints on proposed fence

The Hill County Park Board addressed concerns during its monthly meeting Monday about a cross fence it has been planning to have built in the southern potion of Beaver Creek Park.

Community member Lowell Alcock said he didn’t know what the purpose of the fence was and had questions about its necessity.

“I’m not against the grazing or haying, which is a good deal but, I don’t think there’s a need for a cross fence,” Alcock said, “… I guess my question is who actually wants this and why?”

Hill County Park Board Chair Tony Reum said the Grazing Committee is the cross fence’s primary backer. He said there has been a persistent problem of cattle grazing one side of the area in question almost exclusively leading to an over grazing problem.

He said they have tried every alternative, but the fence is the only viable option they can see at this point to maintain the health of the grass.

Cabin owner Rose Cloninger said the fence would look terrible and would be too expensive at its current estimated cost of $30,000.

Beaver Creek Park Superintendent Chad Edgar said he’s hoping the board will have a more precise cost next month.

“I don’t like having another fence,” Cloninger said.

Edgar said the location he is looking at for the fence is as out of sight as possible while still serving its purpose and would not cross any campground road except for the highway.

Hill County Commissioner Diane McLean said she spoke with someone who used to graze cattle on the park and they told her that, in their experience, fences like the one proposed by the board are incredibly effective and beneficial for preventing over grazing.

“These cross fences have so many advantages to be able to separate cows, disperse herd and help in multiple ways,” McLean said.

Cloninger said she spoke with someone else with a similar background who told her that there was no need for such a fence.

Reum said the board would take their concerns into consideration as they move forward with the plan.

The board also discussed a number of committee application recommendations and unanimously approved those recommended.

Steven Parker was appointed for one open seat on the Finance and Planning Committee.

“He was very well-qualified to sit on that committee and he interviewed extremely well,” McLean said. “That was a pretty easy choice.”

She said Parker is excited to contribute and appreciative of the park having been a long-time resident of the area.

McLean also provided a recommendation for Katie Kuhr to take a seat on the Rules and Regulations Committee.

“Tom (Farnham) has done a very fine job for us, but there does seem to be the opinion that it’s wonderful to involve younger people and she grew up here, she came back here she wants to be involved, and she does have some legal background,” McLean said, “She is a lawyer, she’s worked in law enforcement for a while… just her enthusiasm as a young person was refreshing.”

Bill Bradbury and Leon LaSalle were also recommended to fill two seats on the Grazing Committee.

The board also unanimously approved a number of improvement projects proposed by current cabin owners as well as some ownership transfers that would bring new people into the park as cabin owners.

“I think we’ve got a good group of cabin owners coming into the park,” Reum said.

The board also heard from Jake Rodgers who has offered to work on the installation of a folf course around the Rotary Pond area of the park including new removable baskets, which Rodgers said, there is already a grant for. He said the nine new baskets would cost $3,000 in total.

The board also discussed the park’s website which is officially up and has taken its first online reservation.

Later in the meeting Edgar provided a report on Beaver Creek Park’s recent level of usage, which he said, has been amazingly high.

“Park usage, it’s been huge… The Fourth was the busiest I’ve ever seen,” he said.

However, he said, the park’s increased usage might necessitate the implementation of more patrols, which he said, have begun to take an immense amount of time.

But he said compliance has been relatively good and no major incidents occurred over the whole month or over the holiday weekend, which he said, was pretty amazing.

Edgar also said the grass in the park looks very good, partially as a result of recent precipitation.

However, he said, the park’s usage has made keeping up with mowing somewhat difficult.

“We are a little behind,” he said.

Audience member Lou Hagener had a pair of letters he said he hoped the board would listen to. The first, which he specifically asked to be accepted into the record, was regarding non-native and invasive species in the park.

“Several times in recent years some have questioned if there is a need to pay attention to the expansion of non-native invasive species,” the letter read. “… There continues to be calls to introduce or expand non-native plant species and suppress native species.”

Hagener said some of these species have become to widespread enough that they are tolerated regardless of their effects.

“Some we purposefully brought in for specific reasons which might still be valid, but is a divergence from managing a healthy ecosystem,” the letter said.

He said such introductions can result in these species competing with native plants for water and nutrients, suppressing them and resulting in simplified and less healthy plant communities.

“We have a stated mission to maintain (the park) for its natural resource value. Ignoring or introducing non-native species is not consistent with maintaining natural resources values,” the letter said.

Hagener said properly managed grazing is an alternative for vegetation control that is consistent with their mission.

The letter was unanimously approved to be included in the record for the meeting.

The second letter he read from regarded recent efforts by private citizens to revisit the idea of introducing non-lethal alternatives to beaver trapping in the park.

The letter said because the board chose to decline to participate in a demonstration workshop of these alternatives there is an organized effort by private land owners to bring Skip Lisle, inventor or the Beaver Deceiver, out to the park for a similar consultation including a tour of the park and possibly demonstrations of non-lethal beaver control methods on private land.

Hagener said the proposed time for this workshop and consultation is the first week of August, but depending on the COVID-19 situation at the time that may change. He said the board will be given more details when they become available.

 

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