WE Need to Stop Them : Funding the Appeal

Under Canvas Inc. has received a Conditional Use Permit (CUP) to begin development of a 95 tent “glamping” resort off of Oak Ridge Road along the White Salmon River near Husum, Washington.

Despite a groundswell of objections, logical opposition and fact-finding against the Under Canvas (UC) glamping project from neighbors and the surrounding community over the past year and a half, the Klickitat County Hearings Examiner ruled in favor issuing the permit on August 17, 2021. The next step and only hope of stopping this incompatible development is filing an appeal in Superior Court. We are asking for donations from neighbors and other concerned citizens to support the legal fees associated with this appeal.

Following the CUP issuance, Under Canvas will now be allowed to set up shop; bypassing logical safety, zoning and fire mitigation standards that would surely apply to them if they were a similarly sized and priced hotel. (Click here to see how some of UC’s existing sites operate in other locations.)  Tourism dollars and lodging tax revenue are surely the drivers of this decision, but at what cost? (Click here to see county records of the written public comments submitted during the environmental and use permit processes).

The potential hazards to the environment and lives of people who pay taxes, live, and recreate in the Gorge are huge and don’t just affect the residents of Husum, but have a broader impact on the surrounding communities of Bingen, White Salmon, BZ, Glenwood and Trout Lake. Bottom line: WE need to stop them, and we need your help!

Major Risks and Dangers Posed by Under Canvas and Klickitat County’s Irresponsible Development of the Area:

Wildfire Risk: 

● With an estimated 40,000 additional trips on Oak Ridge Rd during the 6 month season (May-Oct) from tourists and employees. This large influx of people, uninformed about local fire danger, creates a very high likelihood of an unintentional wildfire that the local fire district is ill-equipped to handle it would only take one discarded cigarette to spark a major wildfire. 

● Each of the 95 miner’s tents on the UC site are to hold real wood burning stoves. The amount of smoke generated by these 95 stoves will obscure any hope of early fire detection in the area during the months that Under Canvas is in operation.

● Oak Ridge Road is the only evacuation route for visitors, residents and livestock in the event of a wildfire. This single route is not adequate to accommodate an evacuation of local residents and livestock along with a potential 250 guests and employees of UC. It also brings into question how local fire crews would reach the fire if the only road is crowded with those trying to get away from it. 

Road/Traffic Hazards and Maintenance: 

● Oak Ridge is a curvy, partially graveled road with sharp turns, blind spots and steep drop offs. The total travel surface for both lanes is just 17 feet (8.5 feet per lane) in places. The WDOT requirement for a road with this volume of traffic is a minimum of 20 feet (10 feet per lane). A huge increase in traffic on a road that is inadequate to handle the speed and volume associated with unfamiliar drivers will make accidents involving, open range livestock, and other vehicles an inevitability.

● Under Canvas will bring a 460% increase in daily trips on the southern portion of  Oak Ridge road. This additional traffic will also affect the surrounding connectors of Hwy. 141 and 141 Alternate as well as those coming from the north possibly using the BZ/Glenwood Hwy.
The two main intersections (141 / Oak Ridge and 141 Alt / 141) that feed Oak Ridge are already highly congested during tourist season and pose the risk for heightened accidents and loss of life with the increased traffic from UC. The intersection at Hwy. 141/141 Alternate has had numerous accidents this year alone - one resulting in the need for multiple life-flight rescues. What will this look like with the proposed 460% increase in traffic?
● If Klickitat County decides to ‘fix’ the road, it will be the tax payers, not Under Canvas who will foot the bill which would likely run into the millions. 

click here to read more concerns about UC

We understand tourism and development are an inevitable part of living in a beautiful and scenic area. However, the precedent that this project sets for unplanned and incompatible development in Klickitat County and the Gorge as a whole is concerning.

Under Canvas has somehow found a way to set up their 95 room “luxury-hotel-masquerading-as-a-campground'' next to orchards, vineyards, forest land and residential property in the Columbia Gorge. We cannot let a project of this kind set the tone for future development in Klickitat County.

The costs associated with filing this appeal to the Superior Court are estimated to be at a minimum of $36,000. We believe as a community, this is a small price to pay to keep this irresponsible and dangerous development out of our area.

Any donation large or small will help us fund this effort.

Pease help us keep irresponsible development out of Klickitat County and the Gorge! Keep our community a safe and sustainable place to live and recreate!

This fundraising effort has been organized by concerned neighbors and citizens known as Friends of Oak Ridge. All funds will be used to pay for the appeal of the Klickitat County Hearing Examiner's decision to the Klickitat County Superior Court. The attorneys representing Friends of Oak Ridge in this effort are: Bryan Telegin of Bricklin & Newman LLP and Jennifer Calkins of Western Environmental Law Center

The appeal process was initiated this week (9/1/2021) through a generous donation by one of our members, but the additional funds will
be needed to complete the appeal.