Nudity Exposes Faeries to Act 250 Hearings
Planning Commission Charges Camp Will Lower Property Values, Burden Town Services

By Bennett Law

     For five years, the Radical Faeries have been crafting plans for the development of their Faerie Camp Destiny on 150 acres off Route 103 along the Grafton-Chester town line. This spring the Faeries applied for an Act 250 permit to build a septic system to accommodate up to 75 people, extend the driveway into the property, expand the parking lot, add a well, build a kitchen building and meeting hall, and to clear-cut five acres. Citing concerns over what they called “public decency,” the Grafton Planning Commission challenged the Faeries’ permit request and forced a public hearing.
     At the April 23rd hearing, Harold Igoe, Chairman of the Grafton Planning Commission, raised objections to the proposed project over public nudity, the potential for violation of the “scenic rural character” of Grafton, noise from drumming events, and the potential subsequent devaluation of surrounding properties.
     At the hearing, Faerie spokesperson Jim Jackson declared that Camp Destiny is not a nudist colony, rejecting Igoe’s characterization that the Camp is “all about public nudity.” According to testimony, the nudity charge stems from the use of Hall Brook, which borders the property, by Destiny campers for bathing, with or without bathing costumes. Gabriel Q, another spokesperson for the Faeries attending the hearing, outlined a distinction between “public nudity” and “skinny dipping,” a recreation he suggested is common around Vermont. “Are we all about going down to the stream to display ourselves to the neighbors? No. We believed we weren’t being seen.”
     Brattleboro Attorney Richard Gale, retained by the Grafton Planning Commission to represent the Commission at this hearing, noted that the Grafton town plan makes specific reference to preserving the “scenic rural character” of the town. He quipped that the designation of Route 103 as a “natural scenic corridor” was apparently not intended to include men “au naturel” among its scenic wonders.
     No part of the proposed Camp Destiny improvement site is visible from either Route 103 in Chester or Eastman Road in Grafton (a full 300 yards from the proposed camp site). The entire property is currently forested, and Jackson asserted that the trees are so thick in the area that he believes that the drumming included in some late night parties becomes inaudible just 100 yards away.
     The Faeries said they had worked closely with officials of the Department of Fish and Wildlife in developing plans for Camp Destiny, as much of their acreage is considered prime deer habitat. Gabriel Q suggested that the Camp project protects the land from far more invasive development, noting that at the time the Faeries purchased the land it was weeks away from being logged under a current use plan that would have both significantly impacted an existing deer yard and been visible from the road.
     “There is some concern on the part of abutters and the planning commission of the deleterious effects of nudity on property values,” stated attorney Gale. The Planning Commission’s Igoe offered his perception “that any type of activity that is not normal will result in economic depreciation.”
     However, Thomas Durkin, Chairman of the District II Environmental Commission, responded by noting that a long-established nudist beach on Harriman Reservoir in Wilmington has had no negative effect on property values in the area, and challenged Igoe to provide evidence that local property values would be damaged by the improvement of the camp. This challenge seems unlikely to be met: since the Faeries purchased this parcel of land in June of 1997 property values have actually gone up along Eastman Road.
     To receive their Act 250 permit, the Radical Faeries were also obligated to prove that development of this property would not create an unreasonable burden on town services. At the hearing, Faeries spokesperson Jackson essentially asked what services these might be: “The town of Grafton provides almost no services that would affect this project – there are no children using the schools, no (town) water or sewer system, and the town of Grafton has told us that Chester would be the first responders in the event of an emergency.” Environmental Commission Chairman Durkin also noted that the project does not affect any Grafton town roads, as access to the Camp is off state Route 103 in Chester.
     The Chester Fire Department, which is responsible for emergency coverage to that portion of Grafton, focused their concerns on access to the site and water availability. Fire Chief Harry Goodell noted that it is approximately 2,000 feet from Route 103 to the parking area, and an additional 1,800 feet to the proposed building site. “We’d like [the access] built to Town of Chester standards. If we’re going to bring our trucks in, the road has to be able to handle them.” Grafton Fire Chief Stanley Mack recommended that a fire pond be established, but subsequent discussions with Goodell suggest that with planned improvements to the driveway, the need for a fire pond is lessened.
     The Faerie representatives said the group’s progressive philosophy was at least in part responsible for their Act 250 woes. Faerie Camp Destiny was established as a non-profit collective in an effort to “interrupt the cycle of patriarchy,” explained Gabriel, in hopes that “if we all own the land collectively we will all act as conservators of it.” If a single landowner had proposed to make the same property upgrades, he or she would not have had to apply for an Act 250 permit for these changes, the Faeries maintain. It was only because of their land ownership and management philosophy that the Faeries were forced to comply with Act 250 requirements.
     While the relatively modest scope of the Camp Destiny proposal meant that a public hearing would not have been required, the hearing was held at the request of the Grafton Planning Commission. The Grafton Selectboard, also represented at the public hearing, did not join the town Planning Commission in opposing the Camp improvement plans. And while the Grafton Planning Commission raised concerns, James Matteau, Executive Director of the Windham Regional Commission, was on hand to sign off on the proposed improvements to the Camp Destiny property. “I would recommend that this conforms to the Windham Regional Plan,” Matteau said.
     A decision on the petition for an Act 250 permit is due 30 days from the date of the public hearing, but the decision may be delayed as both opponents and proponents submit requested additional information and documentation supporting their positions.
     The proposed improvements to the property that were the subject of this Act 250 hearing represent phase one of a two-phase project planned by the Faeries. Among the projects deferred to the second phase of construction will be a retreat center and year-round residences for about a half-dozen people.
     Gabriel Q said in an interview he believes two things resulted from this experience that will benefit Camp Destiny in the future. First, it provided an opportunity for the Faeries and their Grafton/Chester neighbors to share their visions for the neighborhood and their concerns about how each group might impact the lifestyles of the other; second, it has publicized the existence of the Camp and its ideals, making the project available to Vermonters.
     The interaction with neighboring land owners has been “an interesting lesson in sensitivity for us,” noted Gabriel. “We’ve done this amazing thing in getting together to buy this land and create this place.” But such success may be intimidating to some of the locals who know little more than that an unknown entity has purchased the entire side of the mountain. “We own one whole side of the road. As gay people this is an interesting challenge – to recognize how powerful we might appear to our neighbors. We want to build community with our neighbors and are talking about how to do this,” said Gabriel.
     “Privacy is as important for us as it is for our neighbors,” Gabriel Q declared, while noting that there are circumstances in which the neighbors will inevitably interact. Many of the neighbors hunt on the Destiny property during the winter months, bringing them into contact with remnants of the past summer’s activities. Among the likely finds are an altar to nail polish that was established and retained in the woods, and numerous cairns and standing stones left by campers.
     Gabriel concedes that these finds might be either amusing or slightly spooky “in a Blair Witch Project kind of way” for the locals. “We’re looking for ways to put our neighbors’ minds at ease, so our difference is no longer frightening. Ideally, they will find us entertaining.” As a result of the interaction the Act 250 hearing generated, Gabriel Q reports that “some of the neighbors are already friendly and supportive, and even happy that we’re here.”
     Gabriel Q continued, “People are finding out about us, and we hope that as a result Faerie Camp Destiny will become more of a resource for Vermonters.”
     Is that resource likely to include continued skinny dipping in the Hall Brook? Gabriel would only go so far as to say, “We recognize that Hall Brook is a resource for the whole neighborhood, and will remind our campers of this in the future.”