Cattle to arrive on Beaver Creek Park Tuesday

Starting Tuesday, cattle will be grazing on Beaver Creek Park which, along with the Montana Department of Transportation, is advising people driving through the area to exercise caution and pay attention to the signs being put up.

Beaver Creek Park Superintendent Chad Edgar said the transportation department will be putting up a reader board to indicate that the speed limit on the roads through the park have been reduced to 35 miles per hour at night.

Edgar said the park itself is also putting out blinking signs to make sure people are aware of the fact that there are cattle on the park as well.

He said he understands that that is a low speed for the area, but it is necessary for the safety of the drivers and the cattle.

"It's slow, but you've got to use caution when there's black cattle on a black highway," he said.

Edgar said, this time of year, park employees make sure they've been getting all the fences repaired in preparation for the cattle and are putting salt out for them high on the hills so the cattle are drawn to it and stay away from the roads as much as possible.

He said he sees crashes more than he would like and encouraged people to follow the rules for the sake of their safety.

"Cow versus vehicle happens more than we would like," he said. "I mean ultimately we'd like to see no cattle get hit on the park or in the roadways. But inevitably people drive to fast and they're not able to see those critters on the road."

Edgar said he's confident that people will be able to stay safe if they are alert and following the speed limits, but driving like it's a normal night doesn't allow people enough time to stop even if they remain alert.

"I've been out here for 17 years, and in my experience, if you're driving slow and you're being aware there are cattle that could on the roadway, you're prepared for that situation. But if you're driving and it's like a normal day and you're exceeding the speed limit, 55, 60 is too fast at night and by the time you get to that cow on the roadway it's too late to hit your breaks."

He said most people are used to cattle being out there this time of year, but there are still people who aren't familiar with the situation and they are typically the ones who get in the most trouble.

"Most people are used to these cattle being out here, so it's generally people that are not accustomed to them that are hitting them," he said.

Edgar said, even during the day, however, people should have their eyes open for the cattle and keep in mind that there are places on the road that can be tricky when trying to spot cattle.

"Always be aware that there are situations that are going to occur on that roadway, at night mostly but you know there's cattle in the daytime too, different situations exist out here that make it a little more difficult to see the cows for instance a rainy night can make them harder to see," he said, "And sometimes when you're coming up over a hill, or you're coming around a corner just right, your headlights aren't hitting the roadway. Those are places you have to use a little more caution."