Dirty Shame RV park plan draws ire of Yaak locals

A proposed RV park in the Yaak brought dozens of residents to the Jan. 25 Lincoln County Commission meeting.

A public hearing was held in which the commissioners, Brent Teske, Josh Letcher and Jim Hammons, voted to approve the preliminary plan for the Dirty Shame RV Park.

The plan calls for 18 recreational vehicle sites, 10 cabins and six tent sites on the 5-acre chunk of land located just north of Yaak River Road. A camp store is also planned as well as the installation of a well, storage tanks and a system to serve all of the RV and cabin sites. The plan also indicates the RV and cabin sites will have a connection to a sanitary collection system with multiple septic tanks.

Developer Darren Smith explained why he believed the park was a good idea.

“When we bought the Dirty Shame and Yaak River Tavern properties, we wanted to see if there was a chance to develop it and add an amenity,” Smith said. “We’ve been in the Yaak for nearly nine years and we believe it will allow for better management of visitors.”

Smith also said the intent of the park is not to just make money.

“I can tell you there’s no way to have a financial windfall in the Yaak,” he said.

In addition, Smith said the intent of the park is for visitors and not for a mobile home park.

“We don’t want a mobile home park. We believe it’s best as a transient location where people spend some time there before moving on,” Smith said.

But some Yaak residents had other thoughts.

Sandy Beder-Miller said she’s lived in the Yaak for nine years.

“I moved there seeking peace and quiet,” Beder-Miller said. “RVs and campgrounds are not new to the Yaak, but I see potential for problems.

“I disagree with the planning board’s stance that there will be little to no impact. I think fire danger is a major concern because people don’t follow the guidelines. I think there is a potential for criminal behavior such as drunk and disorderly incidents to increase. They do have a right to develop, but what benefit does the public get?”

The plan does indicate that year-round access is available as well as acceptable.

Smith, also the CEO and owner of Compass Health, a California-based company which recently bought the former Asa Wood School, said he believes the park will give people a place to be as opposed to parking out in the woods or off a dirt road.

“There’s a responsibility to people, especially when you are serving alcohol,” Smith said. “And we believe it will only be used seasonally. We don’t see it being used much during the winter.”

Mike Sanders, former chief of the Upper Yaak Fire Service, is a 16-year resident of the Yaak.

“Yaakers don’t feel good about this,” Sanders said. “Campfires shouldn’t be allowed there because we don’t want DEQ up there. They should have a year-round water pump and a designated smoking zone.

“Fire season is serious up there and I’d prefer if the park was at the Overdale Lodge property. There’s more acreage and it’s out of sight.”

Smith said he has as much concern for the fire danger in the area “as anyone in this room.”

“I don’t want to endanger my land. We’d have campground hosts and noise wouldn’t be good for our business,” Smith said. “It’ll be managed and if they don’t follow the rules they’ll be asked to leave.”

Craig Johnson, the current chief of the Upper Yaak Fire Service, wrote a letter to county planners requesting that a dry hydrant with fire department access to water year round be provided. He also asked that "during high fire danger with county-mandated restrictions on open burning that the management of proposed RV park be responsible for ensuring compliance."

Larry Miller said he has been a full-time resident of the Yaak for nine years. He had several concerns.

“As someone who has been called out of bed at midnight to deal with an illegal fire, there has to be a plan in the park to deal with them,” Miller said. “What about quiet hours, the county Sheriff’s Office prepared to deal with? What about light pollution and there must be bear boxes.”

Glenn Gibson, Lincoln County Fire Risk Assessor, wrote a letter that was included in the planning document.

Dated Sept. 22, 2022, Gibson wrote that he believed the site should be exempt from a Fire Risk Assessment. He wrote that he visited the site of the proposed park.

"Wildland fuels on the property are very light. Surface fuels are primarily short grass, needle litter and weeds. Ladder fuels have been pruned to a height that would not support torching or crown fire and trees on the lot are far enough apart to not support crown fire."

Gibson also wrote that "Fire may occur on the property due to human causes or natural ignition but there is a very low probability that a wildland fire would threaten the RV park lots."

Another Yaak resident, Mike Zwiebel, said he grew up near the entrance of Rocky Mountain National Park and he is concerned about what outsiders will do when they come to the area.

“City people love to go up in the woods and shoot off fireworks,” Zwiebel said. “I’m also concerned for ATV riders driving too fast and littering.”

Seth Moore, a local guide and hunter who runs the Overdale Lodge, said he believes camping in a more regulated way would be better for the area.

“We find a fair amount of campers at gates or kelly humps without much monitoring. We’ve seen black water dumped in the woods. It’d be much better to have it regulated at an organized site.”

Some also spoke of concerns with wildlife. The general consensus was bear-proof garbage boxes needed to be available and that any plantings be of species that would minimize drawing wildlife into the area.

To see the entire application, go to https://lincolncountymt.us/planning-homepage/ and click on Current Subdivision Applications In Review. Then select Dirty Shame RV Park.