Public pushes back on Hailey campground proposal
By Eric Valentine
Who says we live in a polarized society? If aliens landed upon Monday night’s Hailey City Council meeting, they would have come to the clear conclusion that mostly all folks here believe a campground in Croy Canyon is a bad idea, especially now—and probably forever.
A number of opponents cited environmental concerns and one cast heavy shade on the idea that a couple dozen campers would provide a spark to the local tourism economy. The strongest pushback, at least in quantity of comments, came from residents who fear that adding campfires, RVs and other vehicles to the area during a two-year drought would spell potential doom if one of those things ever provided a spark to vegetation.
The vocal majority opposed to the 29-acre, 33-site camping spot with toilets and picnic tables made their opposition so clear that mayor Martha Burke cut off public comment on the matter 45 minutes into the hearing.
“We hear you,” Burke said. “You don’t have to ‘come at’ us.”
Burke had shown some support, at least initially, for the campground after the city garnered a use-it-or-lose-it $710,840 grant from the Idaho Park and Recreation Board on June 4. That gift horse comes with a 60-day expiration date for the city to find a park/recreation project that does the following:
• Fits within the scope of the state grant
• Fits within the guidelines of the Hailey Greenway Master Plan
• Fits within the expectations of a community that has expressed clearly its concerns about protecting local wildlife and protecting locals from wildfire.
After the public comment period was closed, the council gave their own comments and ultimately directed city staff to work with the Wood River Land Trust to develop a different way to use the grant money. Among the other options council members said they could support were improvements to the Bullion Street bridge and restoration of the Lions Park river and floodplain reconnection there. Mayor Burke also pushed for the area to be preserved from development in perpetuity.
The Backstory
In January 2021, the City of Hailey applied for a grant from the Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation Recreational Vehicle Fund for the construction of a 33-site municipal campground located on their property adjacent to Croy Creek. The intent of the campground was to provide a developed campground for RVs and tent campers that is within walking distance to downtown Hailey that will help stimulate economic development and prevent ecosystem damage caused by informal, unstructured campsites near town and the Big Wood River. In addition, some proponents noted that an additional camping site was necessary to help offset the housing crisis in the Valley.
It soon became clear the community desired more time and opportunity to provide input on the proposed project, and the Wood River Land Trust expressed a desire for further collaboration on the campground design and to explore other options that could protect wildlife habitat and the Croy Creek wetlands and floodplain. The city and the land trust jointly contracted with Harmony Design and Engineering to conduct additional public outreach.
- The projects proposed during these workshops included:
2. Separated multi-use pathway along Croy Creek Road
3. Develop walking trails connecting to the Draper Wood River Preserve
4. Install interpretive signage on bench overlooking canyon
5. Support Bullion Street bridge improvements
a. Redesign the campground
b. Relocate the campground off-site
6. Develop city facility/public works yard
7. Lions Park river restoration and floodplain reconnection
Wood River Weekly has created the following URL linking to the full report presented Monday night: tinyurl.com/3hfv3ah3