Conservation district presents $20K to Beaver Creek Park for fire repairs

Havre Daily News staff

Hill County Conservation District presented Beaver Creek Park $20,000 in grant money Tuesday to pay for repair of fences burned in a 2017 fire that brought in a federal-level emergency response team.

HCCD was able to sponsor Beaver Creek Park in securing money to assist in the extensive repair and replacement of 4.25 miles of boundary fencing damaged during the East Fork Fire. This enabled the park to rebuild, utilizing a local contractor to complete the project.

The fire started Aug. 27 on Rocky Boy's Indian Reservation in the Bear Paw Mountains. Extremely dry conditions, high winds, difficult fire-fighting conditions, as well as a lack of resources during one of the busiest fire seasons in the state and nation in more than a decade made the fire spread. Th fire spread into Beaver Creek Park, burning some structures there along with fencing, and east onto private land into Blaine County.

At one point, the East Fork Fire was ranked the eighth-highest priority fire in the United States and a top-level federal fire management team came to the area and helped get the fire under control. A record-setting October snowstorm helped finally extinguish the fire after it burned 21,896 acres.

The conservation district soon stepped in offering to help Beaver Creek Park apply for funds to help with repairs.

"Conserving our soil, ensuring its health, and educating the public to preserve our way of life is our goal," the district said in a press release. "Working as a community to assist one another by building a stronger, more resilient bond and legacy for our youth; to serve those in our community, is our honor."