HAVRE, Mont. (NMB) – The Hill County Park Board met for their regularly scheduled meeting on Monday night at the Hill County Courthouse.
The board approved the hiring of Soulstar, a local company, to redesign their website. This will cost the board around $1,000 and should have the new website operational by mid-March. It will also allow people to reserve campgrounds online through a separate online platform.
Both the board and members of the public discussed the possibility of moving the start of cattle grazing season back about two weeks. This would allow people to camp in early September without dealing with cattle. Many proposals and potential compromises were suggested, including fencing off around an acre of land to prevent cows from accessing it. The item was tabled and will be on the agenda at the next meeting.
A trapping report was presented by Montana Trappers Association Education Coordinator Fran Buell. Since the MTA began funding two trappers to remove problem beaver in the park back in October, a total of 25 beaver have been removed. Only 3 total beaver were removed in December and January because of factors including weather, a lack of ice, and previous removal. The MTA will continue funding beaver removal until May, when the Park Board and MTA Board of Directors will discuss whether to renew their agreement.
The board stated that there had been seven applicants for the two rancher positions on the Grazing Committee. Three were selected as finalists and will be interviewed by the County Commissioners.
Havre Trails unveiled their new pamphlet that displays all of the hiking options in Beaver Creek Park. These will be distributed throughout town in the near future.
At the end of the meeting, it was brought up that ranchers were missing a total of around 20 head of cattle. Board members said this was highly unusual, and nobody could figure out what the cause was.
