Park board denies Kallenbergers' request

The Hill County Park Board, after receiving a recommendation to do so by its grazing committee, rejected a request by Ray and Debbie Kallenberger to be granted a portion of grazing land on the park used by them in years past.

After discussion between board members and the Kallenbergers, the board voted 5-2 to reject the request with members Diane McLean, also a Hill County Commissioner and grazing committee member, and Shawn Keeley voting against denying the request and all others voting for the recommendation.

This decision comes after several months of conflict between the Kallenbergers and the board, with the Kallenbergers arguing that their treatment by the committee is the result of an "good ol' boys club" attitude that ignores present conflicts of interests and keeps most from having a fair chance to use the park for grazing.

Debbie Kallenberger said she's been disappointed by the committee and board's response to their request and their handling of the issue, especially considering how many of their members they considered friends.

"To our disappointment, we have seen quite another side," she said.

In previous meetings Kallenberger said that, after a cancer diagnosis in 2009, her family sold the cattle they had been grazing on the park and they requested then that the board's grazing committee let them keep the lease but let someone else use it.

Kallenberger said the committee allowed this at the time, but after three years, when the couple still didn't have cattle on the land, the allotment was terminated.

She said once they had built their herd back up in 2016 or 2017 they asked to be put on the waiting list for land, and when they called last year to see where they were on the list, she was told they were at the bottom.

A year ago, she said, they heard a family member of theirs was moving and would be letting his grazing lease go, and when they inquired about this land they were told to call the family member for permission to use it.

Kallenberger said that under board policy, when existing grazers sell, retire or die their family members may apply for grazing in that area no permission necessary, but when she inquired about an application she was told there wasn't one and they only needed to get permission from the family member.

She said the parts of the allotment they were interested in were then divided up among area grazers without any consideration of them, or anyone else on the waiting list.

Kallenberger said the leaser of the land in question, upon leaving that area requested that part of it be given to specific family members, but not them, and the rest be returned to the park.

The Kallenbergers have argued that the handling of this issue was done in violation of board and committee policy, an accusation that has been denied by the committee in their recent recommendation to the board, which stated that because the Kallenbergers were not immediate family members they are not elligible.

Policy has been a major point of contention within this conflict, with the Kallenbergers, as well as others including a few Hill County Park Board members, pointing out that they do not have an application process in place, one that may have allowed the Kallenbergers to apply for use of the land in question.

McLean and fellow board member Nick Siebrasse implored the rest of the board to get an application process set up as soon as possible and the later also raised concerns about the fact that so many members of the committee are grazers who use the park.

"We have some conflicts of interest," Siebrasse said.

These apparent conflicts have been another consistent criticism leveled by the Kallenbergers and others who say that committee members cannot be making decisions and recommendations that have a direct financial impact on them.

Siebrasse also said the waiting list should be made visible to those on it so they can see where they are on it and ask questions.

"I think we need to be more transparent with the whole process," he said.

The Kallenbergers are not the only area grazers who've raised these criticisms at the meeting. Keith Raty was another who said he's been treated poorly by the committee in the past, alleging that his requests for land usage have been dismissed with practically no consideration by people who stand to directly benefit by keeping new people out.

Raty also said he's been excluded by name from changes that benefited all other grazers.

He said the committee seems to be applying its rules unevenly and he is not the only one who thinks so, with many others like him asking him to speak at the meeting for them.

Lee Morse also attended the meeting and criticized the committee for its conflicts of interest.

He said he understands that the committee should have people who understand the issue, but having so many grazers on the committee that are already using the park is unfair.

McLean has been largely supportive of recent efforts to reform or at least better codify the policies and rules of the grazing committee, and, before the vote was taken on the Kallenberger's request, suggested perhaps working toward a compromise, allowing them to use at least part of the requested land.

The committee's recommendation argues that because the area the Kallenbergers are requesting has already been dolled out to other grazers, at the request of its previous leaser upon his leaving the park, taking it back would have a finical impact on them.

McLean argued that the board should still try to do something for the Kallenbergers.

"It might be a way to at least show some good faith," she said.

In the end, however, the Kallenbergers' request was denied.

Other park business

After voting on that issue the board discussed at number of other issues going on a the park including what the next year will look like for grazers.

Retired rangeland management specialist Lou Hagener said the prospects for the coming year are pretty grim in terms of precipitation and he asked the board to make it clear to grazers that the park will likely be unable to meet their needs in the fall.

He also said operators applying for land usage need to be reasonable in their requests, given the situation.

Beaver Creek Park Superintendent Chad Edgar said park usage has been low but the roads have seen increased traffic to and from the ski bowl.

Edgar said he's been working on renumbering the campsites on the park, dividing the park into districts that will be reflected in maps, signage and the new campsite number plates that welding students from Montana State University-Northern are working on.

He's said that a more clear numbering system on the park will make the lives of campers easier, and make things easier for emergency services.

Edgar also talked about the potential of adding a new road to the Hagener campground to make it more easily traversable by recreational vehicles.

He said the quote for the project was $4,070 and Friends of Beaver Creek Park has committed $3,000 to the project. He said he's hoping to have a meeting with them soon so see if they're able to fund the remaining $1,070 as well.

Board Member Ursula Brese said Friends of Beaver Creek Park is also putting together a number of events in the coming months including a vendor show at the end of this month.

Brese said tickets will be $20 or six for $100. She said they've also got a booth for the Great Northern Fair and a table at Festival Days.

Edgar also told the board that Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks is looking to carve a new trail between second lake and a nearby shelter to provide more easy access to the water, something that has been requested by park goers, and the organization was looking for their blessing.

During the meeting Jeff Torano said he's working with the Central and Eastern Montana Invasive Species Team to promote their Pull Your Share Program, which asks Montanans to pull invasive weeds when they come across them, and he was wondering if the board would be interested in having signs put up to encourage that.

Edgar said as long as the signs are durable and not aesthetically intrusive he'd be willing to talk about it.