The beautiful spring weather is bringing everybody out to enjoy the sun. On April 18th it was a great day to enjoy the day at Lewis and Clark Park. My niece had come to Stevensville from Belgrade to have her son’s “family birthday party” at Lewis and Clark Park.
We, the whole family with several small children, were enjoying the park, the kids were having a great time playing in the sand, playing on the slide, the tires and the swings. We noticed a big blue tractor, which I have to admit my grandson (age 3) was very excited to see pull up on the other side of the fence. A man and woman from the Fort Owen Ranch proceeded to burn the weeds right next to the fence separating the park from their property. A big plume of black smoke proceeded to take over the park causing everyone in the park to leave. The birthday party was ruined and the enjoyment for anyone else that wanted to spend the day at the park was also ruined.
My question is: Why did the burning have to be done on a weekend when the park was sure to be full of kids and people? I am sure if they (Fort Owen Ranch) were to burn that area on a weekday, there would not have been so many parents and kids in the park. In my opinion, it was very rude and unnecessary to burn right next to the park on a beautiful Saturday afternoon knowing that the park was being used by several residents of the community. Shame on the owners of Fort Owen Ranch!
Sandy Woldstad
Stevensville