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Residents urge Douglas County not to allow primitive camping at Sandstone Ranch; staff says proposal is only exploratory
Summary
Multiple Perry Park residents told commissioners they oppose permitting primitive camping on county open space at Sandstone Ranch, citing wildfire risk, wildlife impacts and cost; staff said the idea is a concept under study and no board decision has been made.
Several residents from Perry Park and neighboring communities told the Douglas County Board of County Commissioners on Feb. 11 that they oppose a staff proposal to study primitive or overnight camping at Sandstone Ranch open space.
Dale Ferg, a Perry Park resident, told the board: "I think that's an extremely bad idea" and warned that overnight camping would increase the risk of fires, illegal fires, trash and other disturbances. Pamela Wood, another Perry Park resident, said she opposed camping specifically at Sandstone Ranch and noted the neighborhood’s limited evacuation routes during large events such as the Renaissance Festival. "If you have a heart like you say you do for this magnificent gift of Douglas County, don't add a layer to it that doesn't need to be added," she said.
Other speakers repeated fire and safety concerns. Christine Hashimoto cited last year’s Wiens Ranch fire and said a permitted controlled burn later re‑ignited, spreading to 153 acres; she described that incident as a cautionary example. Carson Baumann provided a fiscal critique of a county estimate posted on the county website, saying the county’s projected first‑year cost for five to ten primitive campsites was about $379,400 and concluding the per‑site cost was high relative to likely occupancy.
Dan Dirts, Douglas County’s director of Open Space and Natural Resources, responded at the meeting that staff is in the “very beginning stages” of considering camping as an added amenity and that outreach to neighbors started one to two months earlier. "This is a concept right now that this board has not had the opportunity to weigh in on at this time," Dirts said. He said Sandstone was identified by staff because Open Space already conducts mitigation and operations there and because staff has a regular presence on the property; he emphasized that any plan would be returned to the Board for a thoughtful determination and that staff was compiling additional information requested by fire districts, risk management and neighbors.
Commissioners thanked residents for comment and said the discussion is at an early stage. No policy change or permit was approved at the meeting; commissioners reiterated that citizen input and additional staff analysis will inform any future decision.
Ending
Staff said they will continue outreach and return with more information to the Board; the county requested additional written comments and email submissions for the record.
