Final vote on Beaver Creek Park haying and grazing policies Thursday

After lengthy review and work by Hill County Park Board and its grazing committee, Hill County Commission is scheduled to take a second reading and a final vote on a proposed ordinance setting haying and grazing policies in Beaver Creek Park.

The commission unanimously approved the ordinance on its first reading May 16.

The commission now is taking public comments on the proposed ordinance, which is available for review in Hill County Courthouse in the Clerk and Recorder’s Office and the Hill County Commission Office, and can be downloaded online in the “Current Happenings” tab of the Beaver Creek Park website at https://bcpark.org/.

The ordinance puts review of both haying and grazing policies under the a committee with duties of inspecting forage conditions in the park and overseeing grazing, haying and weed management in Beaver Creek Park.

The board and committee are still working on weed management policies and at the Hill County Park Board’s last meeting said it would draft specific weed policies to submit to the commission at a later date.

The grazing policy includes having the committee make recommendations each year to the board on how many grazing allotments should be allowed each year based on available forage and recommendations on removal dates for the entire park or specific areas as well as the grazing policies and procedures and any emergency conditions related to grazing.

Any policy and procedure recommendations would be subject to approval by the board and then by the county commission.

The proposal sets penalties for both unauthorized haying or grazing, saying it would be treated as a trespassing violation. Trespassing stock may be retained for damages and reasonable charges imposed, the document says.

Unauthorized haying is prohibited and could lead to results up to and including criminal charges, the document says.

The general grazing season is continued as from the first Tuesday after Labor Day through Dec. 31, with earlier removal possible of ordered by the committee and approved by the board.

Cattle may not be placed on or removed from the park without notification of the park superintendent, the document says.

It sets policy on how cattle must be placed on and moved from the park, and sets how allotments are computed.

The document also requires notification be provided by July 1 if someone is not using their allotment so it may be distributed to other users.

The document also sets procedures for paying for and the superintendent distributing salt and procedures for using mineral supplements.

Feeding of hay on the park is prohibited unless in an extreme emergency and with notification of the superintendent.

The haying portion says the haying season will be determined by the committee based on forage available with approval by the board.

Authorized hayers and people requesting access to haying will send a request in May to state their intent, where they would like to hay and so on, which must be returned to the park office by June 1.

The committee will meet to review requests before June 15, and the superintendent will send notification of the committee decisions by June 15.

Hayers are required to cut a “reasonable amount” as determined by the committee in the assigned area in the time allotted or face penalties up to and including losing their access to hay on the park. Failure to cut an allotted area two years in a row will result in a loss of the haying allotment, which will be assigned to someone from the waiting list.

A hayer will not be penalized if the grazing committee determines the area was not worth haying.