Some workers live cheap in forest camps
By GREG STAHL
Express Staff Writer
Living on public lands while working odd jobs in the Wood
River Valley is nothing new, and more people are doing it than one might
guess.
During summer, when weather and the camouflage of abundant
foliage make it easier, between 75 and 150 people take up residence on
national forest land in the valley, Sawtooth National Forest law
enforcement officer Joe Griffin said.
That’s as much as 5 percent of Ketchum’s population
(3,000) or .008 percent of the county’s population of 18,000.
"It’s a problem that fluctuates with the
construction trade and the economy in the valley," Griffin said.
"It’s mostly service-oriented folks and people working for the
contractors. It never seems to go away."
Griffin and Bureau of Land Management outdoor recreation
planner Rick VanderVoet speculate that the Wood River Valley’s
affordable housing shortage, as well as the demand for menial wage
earners, help fuel the demand for long-term public lands camping.
"When you can essentially set up camp for free, that’s
obviously attractive to people," VanderVoet said. "It has to do
with the booming Wood River economy and affordable housing (shortage).
That’s a common and legitimate assumption."
VanderVoet couldn’t estimate the number of people taking
up residence on BLM land each summer, but said his agency gets, on
average, about six complaints a season concerning long-term campers in the
Wood River Valley.
Griffin said that while the Forest Service "keeps
pretty close tabs" on the illegal, long-term campers and "catch(es)
quite a few of them," some may never be discovered.
The BLM, VanderVoet said, also looks for the long-term
campers, but "generally the public notices before we do."
Policing camping limits can be difficult, he said.
The BLM imposes a 14-day maximum stay limit, while the
Forest Service imposes a maximum stay of 16 days. Anyone camping at
undeveloped campsites on Forest Service land must leave that forest for at
least 14 days before the counter is reset.
Some areas, however, have considerably shorter stay
limits. In Warm Springs Canyon and Trail, Coral, Lake and Eagle creeks, a
three-day camping limit is imposed.
Those wishing to "play the game" can jump
between National Forest and BLM land and not overstay their limit on
either agency’s land, Griffin pointed out. Campers could also hop
between different national forests.
Griffin said there’s no one generalization or stereotype
that fits those who attempt to camp long-term on public lands.
"Some have long criminal histories, but some are
upstanding citizens," he said.
The impacts of long-term camping to the land, however, can
be extreme. Some long-term campers have left formidable amounts of trash
at their sites, and some have trampled delicate riparian vegetation.
"We don’t have adequate facilities to take care of
full-time recreationists," he said.
Disposal of human waste can also be a problem, VanderVoet
said.
"The concern we have more than any other is people
keeping a clean camp, and health and safety issues," he said.
So, while rents continue to rise and demand for service
industry and low-wage personnel continues, long-term camping on public
lands will likely continue, despite rules designed to prevent it.
"But that’s just life in a resort town,"
Griffin summarized.
