Scouts' firing range irks residents

Neighbors say clay shooting events disruptive

Ivan Moreno, Rocky Mountain News

Published July 7, 2007 at midnight

Text size  

• 0 Comments
• Email
• Print

ELBERT - Neighbors say the Peaceful Valley Scout Ranch is anything but that.

The realization came after an explosion of shotgun blasts from the camp in May, when Boy Scouts held a two-day clay shooting fundraiser.

"It sounded like Hamas had a training camp next door," said Elbert County Sheriff William Frangis, who fielded numerous calls from people who live near the ranch.

The Scouts say no one complained to them.

Although the camp has had a shooting range for rifles and shotguns for years, noise has not been an issue until now.

Neighbors say part of their frustration is that the Scouts only notified them of the event with the sound of the guns, and they never applied for permit from the county.

"They didn't talk to anyone; they just did it," said 75- year-old John Dunn, a former Elbert County commissioner and 44-year county resident who lives about a quarter mile from the Scout camp.

"The noise was unbelievable," Dunn said, adding that it was enough to scare the elk, deer, and birds in the vicinity. "We haven't seen them since."

The Scouts have planned five more fundraising events from July through August, but they're waiting for a permit from the county commissioners to continue using the clay shooting range. The commissioners will hear their case Wednesday.

But while there's a cease-fire for now, residents fear more events like the one held May 19 and 20 will not only disturb their peace but will bring down the value of their properties.

And Dirk Bird, director of the J BAR CC Ranch Camp, a Jewish summer camp across the road, said he's worried that if fundraising events persist on weekends they will "adversely impact our religious services."

Then there are safety and environmental concerns.

Frangis said in a letter to commissioners that the fundraisers the Scouts planned this year potentially could scatter thousands of pounds of lead from shotgun shells. He also said people have been seen smoking near stockpiles of ammunition at the camp.

Jeff Herman, executive director of the Denver Area Council of the Boy Scouts of America, said he met with neighbors Monday and he's trying to reach a compromise. He also learned at the meeting that residents' frustration had been pent up for some time.

"Many of them told me that they had been unhappy for a long time, but to be good neighbors they simply didn't tell us," he said.

Dunn said he can't put up with the shooting because it's become a commercial operation in the form of the Brighton-based Colorado Clays shooting club.

But Herman denied any affiliation with the club, even though the Colorado Clays' Web site in May boasted the grand opening of the Scouts' new shooting range surrounded by "pines, mountain valleys, lakes, and meandering streams."

Richard Miller, director of Elbert County's Planning Commission, said the May event involved the Colorado Clays, and so do future events, which were also posted on the group's Web site in May.

Herman said the Boy Scouts contacted Colorado Clays and asked them to remove the information from their Web site "because it was inaccurate."

Herman said neighbors are asking the Boy Scouts to stop all shooting activity at the range.

He said he's willing to accommodate the times when shooting can take place, but won't agree to stop shooting altogether.

"This certainly cannot be an all-or-nothing proposition," he said.

morenoi@RockyMountainNews.com or 303-954-2895

Featured

• Mount Crushmore

  

  Which four Broncos greats should be immortalized on Mount Crushmore? Vote here.

• Winter Escapes

  

  Your insider’s guide to the copious joys of the coolest season.

• Rocky Multimedia

  

  The news comes alive in our videos and slide shows. Catch up on what's happening today.

• Broncos Video

  

  More Broncos videos. Get the latest from Dove Valley

• Weekend plans?

  

  Figure out things to do this weekend with the help of our entertainment calendar.

• Season To Share

  

  The Post-News Season To Share campaign provides grants to area nonprofits.

• The Rocky @ 150 Years

  

  The Rocky was there when Colorado became a state in 1876. Read our coverage.

• A Dozen on Denver

  

  And the winner is... Robert Ziegler! See the whole fiction series by clicking here.

• Rocky Mountain Music

  

  Mark Brown blogs on the new Guns N' Roses album