County board approves conservation easement for Red Dog Ranch
A public hearing was held to discuss the sale of five lots in Bayard.The board approved the sale to be held November 26, at 9 a.m. at the west entrance to the Morrill County Courthouse. (See notice of sale on page B6.)
A second public hearing was held to discuss approving a perpetual conservation easement with Ducks Unlimited Wetlands American Trust for Red Dog Ranch LLC, owned by Jon Pardew.The property is about six miles east of Bridgeport.The property consists of 332 acres, of which 138 acres are noncultivated with grasslands, and 96 acres are wetlands, basically river ground. There are 96 acres of cultivated land and there are two acres where buildings can be put on this conservation easement. Mr. Pardew desires to preserve the property not only for the hunting and recreational use, but for the current agricultural use. Commissioner Jeff Metz expressed concerns about the easement’s potential effect on property values before making the motion to approve the easement and voting no. The motion to grant the easement request passed.
