Board again stops effort to assess Beaver Creek Park resources

It happened again for at least the third time since 2014. The Hill County Park Board or the Hill County commissioners have squashed an effort to secure an up-to-date natural resources assessment for the Beaver Creek watershed or Beaver Creek Park. This time it was voted down to even look into arranging some support to do an assessment.

The reason offered this time seems to be fear of undefined “strings attached” or “free money.” Yet, Beaver Creek Park regularly goes after grants and funds for infrastructure and other projects that do have strings attached. Concern about strings attached is a legitimate concern and should be understood so we know why to be afraid. Funds granted for project developments, need to have strings so it is clear that the funds are used for what was intended and did accomplish.

We don’t need funds for operations, routine maintenance or small projects because we have the ability to raise money for these activities and we should be proud of this. However, for large infrastructure investments we need entities like the Friends of Beaver Creek Park for assistance. For outside objective professional services we may need assistance. When we have a credible more complete long-term monitoring program, resource assessments may not be necessary. Several citizens and organizations are cooperating to establish a more complete resource monitoring program to better understand what has, is and is likely to occur, so we can better manage our park for the future.

Why would we be opposed to having current and objective natural resources information? Some are espousing things are great in the park and the natural resources are in good or better shape. However, the same folks go on to complain about weeds, flooding, fish habitat, poor quality forage, undesirable plants, poor fishing, feared future conditions, etc., etc. Some are fearful of what an assessment or resource monitoring might show or where it might lead.

Several times in the past three years the park board has refused to establish a Natural Resources Committee that would be tasked with looking into and objectively evaluating and developing recommendations for the management of our park’s natural resources. One of the reasons for not wanting a Natural Resources Committee was that there are too many committees already and board members and park management don’t have time to be on committees, yet a primary reason for having a committee is to take a burden off board members and management. Another reason offered is that the board will handle the natural resource issues, yet board members don’t have time or expertise and only meet for less than two hours once a month for a business meeting. Another offer is the grazing committee handles natural resource issues; yet it doesn’t. The latest version of the ordinance of this past spring still limits the grazing/haying committee to grazing, haying, weeds and no other natural resource issues.

It was suggested at the Dec. 17, 2018, Grazing Committee meeting that we at least change the name of the committee to the Vegetation or Forage Management Committee to show we are trying to progress from a user group committee to the wider responsibility of vegetation management of the park. The result was that the Grazing Committee will be the Grazing and Haying Committee. Grazing and haying are uses of natural resources and not resources. Plants, wildlife, habitat, water, land and air are natural resources.

There are good things to be proud of that happened in the past.

However, there have been times when things that were going on in the park were kept from the citizens because some did not want the citizen owners of the park to know. What was in the past is the past. What is happening now and in the future is what we need to be concerned about and need to make decisions about.

Unfortunately, some things went poorly at the recent park board meeting. Conspicuously, there was a fair amount of misleading talk, misunderstandings, and eroding of and lost trust. Any organization must have understanding and trust to function effectively.

We need to commit ourselves to managing for our next generations. It is time to put our heads together, work together, and tackle the larger issues and get beyond short term problems and fixes.

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Lou Hagener is a Havre resident and long-time user of and advocate for Beaver Creek Park.