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Neighbors say proposed youth camp involved unpermitted clearing, wetlands disturbance and habitat harm
Summary
Neighbors and conservation advocates told the board that the applicant undertook unpermitted land clearing, reservoir expansion and road-building on the site, cited an active code-enforcement order, and said the parcel cannot meet timber-conservation criteria for a youth camp.
Several neighbors told the Polk County Board of Commissioners that the applicant's work on the 7425 Gold Creek Road parcel included significant unpermitted clearing and wetlands disturbance and that those activities have already harmed deer and elk habitat. "There was a significant amount of ground disturbance and vegetation removed adjacent to Gold Creek," a neighbor testified during the hearing opposing the conditional use permit.
Speakers cited the file history—multiple applications and withdrawals since 2022—and said the hearings officer found the site failed to meet multiple review criteria, including lack of a forested setting, inadequate visual and audio buffers, potential impacts on surrounding farm and forest operations, and failures in deer and elk habitat protections. One speaker said an active code-enforcement order exists related to unpermitted activities on the property.
Opponents urged the board to adopt the hearings officer's order denying the application and asked that the applicant be required to remediate environmental harm on the site. The board ultimately ratified the hearings officer's denial at the meeting.
