Committee approves lease of Avalanche property to Parkers

Vernon County's Land and Water Conservation committee voted to accept a bid from the Parkers to lease the Avalanche property for cropland use. Committee members recorded that the accepted bid equates to $181 per acre, for a total of $3,710.50, and that the parcel comprises about 20.5 acres.

A motion to accept the Parkers' bid passed on a voice vote; no roll-call tally of named members was recorded in the meeting transcript. Committee members discussed whether the lease should include explicit conservation requirements such as cover crops or buffer setbacks. Staff reported that the prior lease allowed cutting in the buffer area but that the committee had removed that allowance in the new lease because mowing and other maintenance often did not occur under the prior arrangement. One staff member noted the buffer area had been used for hay in the past and that the county had removed the “matching plan requirement” language from the draft where enforcement had proven difficult.

The committee identified the following particulars on the record: the current lease term runs 2025–2029 (four years), the leased acreage was stated as roughly 20.5 acres, and the land contains both crop land and a stream corridor. Committee members asked staff to confirm the final lease language, particularly any conservation or buffer requirements, before the lessee begins cropping.

The committee's motion and outcome were recorded in the meeting minutes as acceptance of the Parkers' bid; no additional conditions or amendments were recorded during the vote.