Thurston County fights camp over lack of permits

Jon Pettit sees his 28 acres of rural Thurston County property as the public’s access to nature. He says the county overstepped its bounds last month when it posted a stop-work order to keep him from allowing people to camp there for free.

In response to the county’s order, Pettit filed a claim for damages against the county for $3.8 million. The county rejected it July 26.

Now not only is Pettit continuing to allow public use of his property without obtaining permits, his Deschutes River Ranch is slated to host the Thurston County Summer’s End Music and Comedy Festival 2012 on Aug. 11-12.

The county served Pettit with a lawsuit this week, and Pettit says he’s looking forward to taking the issue to court.

“It’s an important thing that I fight this battle for property rights,” Pettit said. “If somebody who has the ability to stand up against the county and doesn’t, particularly when I believe they are very wrong, then who can stand up against the county? The small person has no chance at all.

“This is a battle I am prepared to get into.”  

County officials say Pettit has been given plenty of chances to obtain the required special-use permit since the issue surfaced a year ago.

“We have bent over backwards with Mr. Pettit,” said Cliff Moore, the county’s director of Resource Stewardship. “He continues to violate. We’d just like him to get the permit.”

LAND USE

Pettit’s Rich Road property once was a horse ranch owned by his parents, Del and Verna. It follows a section of the river shaded by tall trees and surrounded by thick grasses. Trails lead to campgrounds with picnic tables and fire pits.

Pettit said he has had as many as 400 people camping, floating on the river and picnicking on his acres of mowed grass on nice weekends. Visitors must sign liability waivers.

Boy Scout troops have outings on the property, and schools use it to access the river for science projects. He also makes his property available for special events such as the upcoming music and comedy festival, slated to have 55 booths and 55 performers. The festival, a fundraiser for high school music programs, is expected to bring at least 300 people per day, according to organizer Mary Ann Byrn.

Pettit lets the public use the property for free as long as people respect his rules.

“It is not a business; it’s my home, it’s my property,” Pettit said. “It’s something I do in my relationship to God. I consider this His garden, and I just take care of it.”

A sign reading “Deschutes River Ranch” sits atop a small building at the bottom of the long gravel driveway on the property. The building has posted rules and regulations for those who wish to stay.

Pettit said some campers have asked to donate. He has provided a black donation box for such requests.

What he collects “is so little, it’s hardly worth mentioning,” Pettit said.

“People do donate, but it’s never requested,” he said. “They never have to do it. What I do get goes towards upkeep. I spend a lot of money to take care of it in the summer.”

Pettit collects 2 cubic yards of garbage each week and pays to have his six on-site portable bathrooms serviced. He also takes care of landscaping the large fields.

Mark and Jennifer Wallace come to the property almost daily to kayak on the river.

“We used to climb down the Rich Road bridge with the boats, which was dangerous,” Mark Wallace said while picnicking with his wife on the property in July.

Jennifer wouldn’t accompany Mark then because of the danger. But now, in addition to kayaking with her husband in the evenings, Jennifer occasionally comes to kayak on her own before work.

“We’ve talked to other people and everyone appreciates it,” Wallace said. “There is way more trash at the state parks than you see here. … I can’t see there is any harm being done here. Where else can you access the river like this?”

LACK OF PERMIT

The stop-work action the county posted July 2 cited Pettit’s property as an “unpermitted campground.”

Pettit doesn’t consider Deschutes River Ranch a campground that requires a permit because he does not accept compensation.

The county says otherwise.  

“He’s running a campground and taking donations,” Moore said. “We told him in the zone where his property is located a campground is allowed … it just requires a special-use permit.”

A permit is required to ensure campers have proper access to clean water and sanitary facilities, that any concessions have proper food-handling permits, and that the proper steps are being taken regarding the river shoreline, Moore said.

The special-use permit would cost $6,440 and require a hearing before the hearings examiner.

Pettit also would need either a $1,010 shoreline exemption permit or a $2,640 shoreline-development permit because of the access to the Deschutes River, Moore said.

Alex Callender, shoreline and wetland specialist with the state Department of Ecology, has visited Pettit’s property numerous times at Pettit’s request.

He is impressed by Pettit’s willingness to give the public access to the river.

“We wish more people were like that; it’s hard to get access to the Deschutes,” Callender said. “My thing was that he does make that property available to educational use, too.”

Callender’s son was among a class of students who did water-quality testing along the Deschutes using Pettit’s property as access.

“I never see trash there; it’s always nice and clean,” Callender said. “I haven’t seen him destroying the vegetation or anything. … I don’t see any major erosion problems.”

NO HISTORY OF PUBLIC USE  

The property was purchased by Pettit’s parents in 1992 and operated as a horse ranch, according to Pettit’s brother, Dale.

“There were people there who would come to ride their horses, close friends and family members would go camping, but it wasn’t an open public campground,” Dale Pettit said.

Jon Pettit said his parents intended to allow public access along the river, but they “feared they would make a mess” and only gave permission to close family members and friends.

“Back 20 years ago, my parents intended to be doing what I am doing,” Pettit said.

It wasn’t until Pettit took over the property in 2010 that it was fully open to the public.

SOME COMPLAINTS

Several of Pettit’s neighbors have filed complaints with the county about trespassing, garbage and excessive noise.

Sheriff’s Lt. Ray Brady said deputies have been called to the property a handful of times since 2010, including for one disturbance call in 2011 and three noise complaints in 2012.

David Rayment lives across the river from Pettit and recently filed a letter with the county saying he had issues regarding campers yelling and being up “at all hours of the night.”

Rayment wrote that he had spoken with 10 families with property surrounding the ranch, and “not one of the people I talked to were happy about the campground.”

The letter also expressed concern with the way the county is handling Pettit’s case.

“People who border the ranch property should be able to have their concerns addressed before a campground is allowed to be opened next door,” the letter said. “This is a rural residential area and should not be used for the purpose of a public campground.”

ckrotzer@theolympian.com
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