PORT ANGELES – The Clallam County Board of Health decided to hold off allowing camping in County Parks until at least the time when we enter Phase 3 of the state’s “Safe Start” plan. Health Officer Allison Berry Unthank said that would be, at the soonest, June 29.

At their Tuesday meeting, the Board heard first from Makah Tribe Chairman Timothy Greene, who made his case for keeping camping closed for as long as possible. The Makah Reservation is currently closed to visitors to protect the population from covid-19, but Greene said there are already people camping illegally in the area every week and he doesn’t want to see that get worse.

Unthank reversed her previous position of a few days ago on opening camping, and she told us why.

“You know, really the the increase in camping being allowed in other parts of the state was the main reason why we were considering allowing camping as well. But I think after we heard from some of our neighboring tribes about how concerned they were about the visitors, and certainly looking at the local data about how we’re starting to see an uptick in cases, the decision of the Board was just make the most prudent decision we can and really hold on any changes until we reconvened to consider Phase 3.”

So far in Clallam County there are no public campgrounds open for camping, county, state or federal. Anna Gill, Communications Director for Washington State Parks and Recreation told us her agency is waiting on direction from county officials and will open state parks here as soon as the county does.

Two ideas raised yesterday as possibilities for consideration were opening camping only east of a certain spot away from the Makah/Neah Bay area, and whether opening camping only for county residents would be feasible.

The Board of Health has their next meeting set tentatively for June 30.