Priority for our Beaver Creek Park

At recent Hill County Park Board meetings it was requested that livestock grazing be adjusted in our Beaver Creek Park during September to accommodate recreation, primarily in the south end of our park. As stipulated in our patent for Beaver Creek Park recreation is the priority use of our park.

With haying and grazing, commercial private agricultural use of our park is occurring from June through December, six months. The most active traditional recreational period has been Memorial Day thru Labor Day, just over three months. In our park’s history, there was a time when “The Park was only managed for recreation for three months and the rest of the year all bets were off.”

Waning days of summer — September— are a pleasant time of year for outdoor recreation. With declining insects, moderating temperatures, green vegetation, leaves still on trees, less competition, “Indian summer” is a great outdoor recreation season. The most desirable area for camping is the south end of our park.

With retiring “baby boomers,” “empty nesters,” cabin-fever afflicted, anticipating winter and “get the kids out of the house” weekends for the last time; the outdoor recreation season is expanding nationwide both before and after the traditional season of Memorial Day to Labor Day. We have the opportunity to accommodate this demand that many other parks cannot, especially for our local residents.

Currently, cattle are put on our park the day after Labor Day and can stay until Dec. 31. Adjusting grazing use to accommodate recreation per this request could inconvenience a few grazers’ current operations, however it does not necessarily have to be a hardship. Though income from grazing makes up slightly less than half of the revenue our park generates, with minor adjustments in grazing operations there does not have to be a change in revenue for our park. Not adjusting grazing in this instance will favor grazing operations of a few over recreation for several.

Additionally, adjusting grazing use has potential to help with weed control, ecological health of plants, land, water and stream all of which will benefit our Park and could improve income.

Let’s get our heads together and work together in the interest of the future of our park and community.

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Lou Hagener of Havre worked in range management for the U.S. Bureau of Land Management and is a long-time user of Beaver Creek Park.