WATERFOWL REFUGE: Committee votes no

Hoeven will have last word on land purchase in Cavalier County

North Dakota's Natural Areas Acquisition Committee unanimously disapproved Crosslands Inc.'s attempt to purchase 480 acres of land in Cavalier County for a waterfowl refuge.

The seven-member committee will forward its recommendation to Gov. John Hoeven, who will have 30 days to decide whether the land should be sold to the nonprofit.

State law requires nonprofits to get approval from the governor before purchasing land in the state.

The half section and quarter section of land is in Storlie Township, about 10 miles west of Nekoma.

Crosslands, a Minnesota nonprofit that gets most of its funding from a Minneapolis-based gold and silver bullion and coin trading company, was formed to acquire land for wildlife habitat.

No county support

The North Dakota advisory committee held a hearing in Langdon on Nov. 17 to allow comment from the County Commission and the public.

At that hearing, some area farmers and landowners voice their objections, and the County Commission recommended to deny Crosslands' proposal.

Ray Rollness, chairman of the Cavalier County Commission, said the board had several reasons for recommending the sale be denied. First, commissioners didn't think the county needed another refuge. Also, hunting wouldn't be allowed on the land, and farmers in the area already have problems with crop damage from blackbirds and ducks, he said.

"Thirdly, if there was some local interest in the land, which there seems to be, we decided that that would be a better way to go," Rollness said.

State forester Larry Kotchman, a member of the advisory committee, said he opposed the sale because it wouldn't benefit the public.

Crosslands president James Cook, a former North Dakota resident, was on the conference call during the committee meeting. Cook didn't comment after the committee made its recommendation, but he wanted to know why a hearing was held Nov. 17 when the Cavalier County Commission had already decided the day before not to approve the land sale.

Deputy Agriculture Commissioner Jeff Weispfenning, who sat in for commissioner Roger Johnson, said that there was nothing in the process requiring the County Commission to make its decision after the hearing.

Cook said he was concerned because county approval weighed in heavily when the nonprofit wanted to buy land earlier this year in Griggs County. Hoeven ultimately denied its attempt to buy 950 acres north of Cooperstown, N.D.

Patrice Lahlum, policy and communications coordinator for the ag department, assured Cook that the County Commission has only one vote on the advisory committee.

Crossland does own 320 acres in Ward County in North Dakota and 4,000 acres in Minneso