Hunting lease idea nixed

CLINTONVILLE – The property owned by the School District of Clintonville that is used for the district’s outdoor lab and school forest won’t be leased out for hunting but instead will be available for district taxpayers to hunt on.
That was the decision of the Clintonville School Board when it met for its July 28 meeting. The motion that was approved at the meeting calls for the district to continue to allow taxpayers of the Clintonville School District to utilize the property for hunting in the same way it has in the past, with a limited number of people in a lottery-style system. Those chosen would have to sign a waiver and acknowledge the rules of the property. Educational opportunities for students would take precedence over hunting.

Public comments
During the Public Comments portion of the meeting three individuals urged the board not to lease the land out for hunting and to keep it available to the public for hunting. Those speaking included Gerald Plumb, Jim Schoenike, and Ross Bielema. Those three shared with the board many of the same remarks that they told the board at its June 9 meeting.

Board discussion

Before beginning the discussion, Clintonville Superintendent Troy Kuhn told the board that the property in question should not be referred to as the district’s “hunting land.”
“It is the outdoor lab and school forest,” Kuhn said.
Kuhn also told that board that when he became superintendent, he did redo some things regarding the property because he was “frustrated” with some aspects of the property concerning safety on the property.
“It was a free-for-all,” Kuhn said.
One change he made required individuals who signed up to hunt on the property to specify what they would be doing on the property. This was meant to minimize the risk and increase safety for everyone who wanted to utilize the property.
Kuhn acknowledged that at a district Land Use Committee meeting, a discussion was held in which the committee agreed that the use of the district property had shifted from an outdoor lab and school forest setting to vacant land that a couple of teachers use when they can.
Prior to the Navarino Nature Center having the number of educational programs it has now, the district’s property was used for professional development more often.

Land Use Committee
Kuhn confirmed that the district had discussed issuing one hunting lease for five years. But that it had also discussed planting trees on the property for the purpose of a Christmas tree farm. It also discussed planting red pines for the sake of creating a sustainable forest. He said not allowing hunting on the property was also discussed.
Other possible uses of the property that were discussed included using it for farming, as well as redoing the prairies.

Based on those discussions, Kuhn said the committee decided that leasing the property for hunting would be the best option if the district wanted to try to receive some income from the property. After discussing leases that would span five, three, and two years, the committee decided it would be best to start slowly and lease the property out for only deer hunting.
To accomplish this, Kuhn said the district would need to request bids, determine who submitted the winning bid, and make sure they have the proper funds and insurance.
“Right now, we don’t require any insurance to hunt that land,” Kuhn said.
He added, “That is all in this lease that I have spent multiple hours with our legal attorneys on what we should be doing if we are allowing hunting out there in a lease.”
Board member Chistopher Hoffmann asked how often students use the land for educational purposes.
Kuhn said Greg Rose, a teacher in the district, has students on the property for forestry units.
“The majority of elementary teachers now take their students to Navarino (Nature Center) because it’s canned curriculum set up with instructors who are experts in their field,” Kuhn said.
Since the property isn’t used often for education, Hoffmann asked why the district keeps ownership of the property.
“Should we be the owners of it, or are there better people that could give it a better home?” Hoffmann asked.
Kuhn said ownership of the land was discussed by the Land Use Committee. He said there was hesitation about selling the property at this time because it doesn’t cost the district anything to own the property.
The property would be worth $4,000-$7,000 per acre, Kuhn said.
Board member Ben Huber, who is also the chairman of the district’s Land Use Committee, said the property isn’t used enough for educational purposes.
He also told those who addressed the board about not leasing the property out that he appreciated the work they did in the past in harvesting deer from the property. He added that nothing would prevent them from pooling their money together to lease the property.
Board Treasurer Jason Moder said he had a problem with leasing the land out for hunting, adding that portions of the lease document could be used to create a waiver.