WWROA 2017 Yearly Meeting Notes
Twenty-seven members were present at the meeting.
Upper gate combination as of July 1 will be XXXX. Please be sure to keep the gate closed and locked. Guest speaker: Dennis Brandt, IDFG Conservation Officer, Southwest Region, McCall Office
The most important deterrent to illegal hunting owners can take is to mark their property correctly if they do not want to allow general hunting on their lot. Appropriate marking means a 100 square inches of fluorescent orange square every 660 feet or the fluorescent orange sprayed top 18 inches of a metal fence post every 660 feet, or posted with “No Trespassing” signs every 660 feet.
Excellent reporting from an eyewitness is critical to a successful prosecution. If you see someone hunting illegally(if you believe the person is on property without permission, call the owner to check before you file a report), note the license plate of their vehicle, a description of the vehicle, the direction of travel and include specific written notes on what you observe(where the event took place, time of day, what you specifically observed — for example: “shooting out of a truck window”) and get this information to Dennis Brandt(work number: 208-634-8137 or cell 208-371-2869 or email ) as soon as possible. Dennis indicated that 99% of the time when confronted with detailed information, the hunter will admit to the violation. However, be prepared to go to court if the person says he is not guilty. If the Conservation Officer has not seen the violation personally, or the hunter does not admit guilt, a ticket can’t be written unless the eyewitness is willing to testify.
If a hunter shoots an animal that crosses onto land for which he has no permission to enter, that landowner can refuse entry, even to retrieve a dead animal. Dennis advised that people be very careful about who you give permission to hunt on your property. Do not assume they will make good or ethical hunting choices. If you do not know the person, do not give them permission to hunt on your property. On the ranch, we hope owners will accompany guests. Guests do not know where property lines lie and may or may not understand trespass. If your neighbor doesn’t have a house on his/her property, please call them and ask if you can help by marking their property for them if they don’t want people hunting on it.
If you know where deer and elk typically cross your property or graze or bed down, Dennis recommended putting the appropriate “no hunting” sign in that area as well.
Barbara Hawkins presented the 2016-2017 financial review, which showed we are within our budget and have sufficient funds in the reserve account to handle most emergencies that might arise.
Barbara Hawkins presented the 2017-2018 budget, with most categories remaining the same with the exception of an additional $3K in equipment maintenance to so we can get the brakes on the old grader replaced.
Ray Petersen reported on road maintenance. We added 30 plus loads of gravel this spring grading to the road segments that were showing the most “base rock”. Kern Construction will no longer be the road maintenance contractor due to the grader operator being verbally harassed by a member.This is not the first time road workers have been yelled at. Over the past 12 years there have been numerous inappropriate complaint incidents from members. It happened every time JI Morgan from New Meadows did the grading and it has happened to every grader operator working on these roads, including member operators. We must now find a company to carry a payroll and insurance, haul rock, grade, service machines, order parts, provide diesel, clean ditches, remove slides and handle snow removal.
Ray Petersen reported that due to threats of lawsuits by members who refuse to mark their property boundaries we have lost the licensed spray company as well.Members are now solely responsible for spraying weeds along their portion of the road. The roads are our main firebreaks, so member cooperation is essential. If you have a neighbor who doesn’t live here, please call them and volunteer to spray for them. As always, members, not the association, are responsible for weeds on their property. It was noted that the email sent by Mike Wald to the membership regarding the herbicide the licensed sprayer was going to use had out of date information. An email sent to members on May 4 clearly stated the contractor would be using Brash, a broadleaf killer, with the Material Safety Data Sheet attached for members to review. It was chosen for its good kill rate and very limited residual life. If you have questions about weeds, call Connie Blyth at the Idaho County Courthouse. She is the county Weed Supervisor. She can be reached at or by calling 208-983-2667x233
Election of new board members and votes received: Ed Emmel – 61 David Garman -50 Mike Wald – 15
New Business:
Jim Beamis handed out information he had written about road maintenance and the issues he has concerning it. He has agreed to work with the road committee and board on finding a new contractor.
Moe and Don Een wondered if there is a mechanism within our by-laws that would allow for special assessments if we ever needed one. There is and it has been used in the past when the association took the original developers of the ranch, Blue Green Corporation, to court for breach of contract due to poor road construction. We won this lawsuit. The money awarded was used to rebuild the roads (although nothing can be done about the grades) and reopen the Pollock Road entrance.
Moe Een also provided information that Frontier Communications currently does not have the capacity to add Internet services to new accounts and that the service is super slow.
Moe and Don also asked about the possibility of returning to the fire hall for the yearly meeting. The new board will discuss this and chat with the appropriate Fire Department personnel.
Your new board is:
Ed Emmel, David Garman, Barbara Hawkins, Ben Sarles, and Barbe Turner
A new roster of members and contact info will be sent out in August or September after dues have been collected as many people provide new information at that time.
REMEMBER DUES MUST BE PAID IN ONE PAYMENT OF $375 NO LATER THAN JULY 31.