LAKE VERMILION — The battle over the Rough N It campground on Black Bay showed no sign of ending at the Sept. 9 meeting of the St. Louis County Board, where commissioners voted to keep legal action in play even as owner Christine Wyrobek began advertising free reservations this past week for veterans for the 2026 season.
St. Louis County commissioners moved at their meeting on Sept. 9 to preserve the county’s option of taking legal action against Wyrobek over the Lake Vermilion campground, following a renewed debate over whether the site can legally be used to host free camping for military veterans.
Wyrobek appeared before the board in an effort to persuade commissioners to step back from litigation and instead explore ways to support the program she has developed.
“We have done this to offer this all to the veterans for free,” Wyrobek told the board.
Wyrobek said she and her family have invested personal funds for tents, furniture, boats, and equipment for the campground, and that the site has given veterans an affordable place to experience the outdoors.
“This lawsuit drawing swords like this, it’s costing taxpayer money. The veterans and the taxpayers lose,” she said. “That’s it. It hurts taxpayers, and it hurts the veterans. If you guys are comfortable doing that, I guess that’s your perspective. I’m hoping you come to the table, and I hope you really discuss how we can make this a reality for a long time.”
She expressed frustration with what she described as a lack of cooperation from the county.
“We have always believed that we have been in compliance with the laws the way they are written,” Wyrobek said. “That is questioned by St. Louis County. If there’s ever something St. Louis County staff probably shouldn’t be spending a lot of time on, it should be a program like this.”
That statement appears to be at odds with Wyrobek’s initial actions in 2023 to apply for rezoning of her property from residential to shoreline multiple use so that the campground would have the proper zoning in which to operate, with an alternative interpretation claiming that tent camping was allowable under residential zoning regulations coming after the applications were rejected.
Wyrobek read a statement emailed to the county attorney the prior day in which she assured commissioners that campsites would no longer be offered for a fee and that all associated advertising for such had been removed, to the best of her knowledge. Having addressed the concern of a “commercial campground” mentioned in the board’s original resolution approving legal action, Wyrobek indicated that the issue of the lawsuit should now be moot.
Assistant county attorney Nick Campanario recommended commissioners approve a revised resolution authorizing legal action if needed which removed the term “commercial campground.” He said Wyrobek’s claims that she had ended rental activity on the property had not been independently verified.
“Given the time constraints, we just haven’t been able to verify that this has in fact stopped rental activity on these parcels,” Campanario said. “If you have a program, you have to run the program in accordance with law, or you have to stop.”
The Timberjay confirmed that as of Tuesday there was still a glamping rental listed on Airbnb, although no attempt was made to make a reservation and requests can be denied by the property owner.
Campanario said keeping the authority in place would avoid a cycle of enforcement and withdrawal.
“I don’t want to be in a position where we are playing Whac-a-Mole … we start down the path, we take a step back, and then commercial camping use restarts, and we’ve got to go back through the process,” he said.
Commissioner Keith Nelson acknowledged Wyrobek’s intentions but said the issue comes down to zoning rules and the will of neighbors.
“We can fill this room three times with the neighbors of this property that absolutely totally object to the fact that it can be used as presented,” Nelson said. “The fact is this board does support veterans camping and getting access to the outdoors. That’s been proved by our support of Veterans on the Lake. It is not what is happening, it is where it is happening that is our issue. She has ignored our planning rules, our planning department, and the planning and zoning board.”
Nelson said he had heard “30 different versions” of how the campground was operating but maintained that county zoning staff and the planning commission had already ruled the use was not allowed.
“This is complicated, but it is not something that we can afford to back off on,” Nelson said. “The truth is it has to come into compliance with the ordinance that is currently in place. (If not) we should take the planning and zoning ordinances and just tear it in half and throw it away and start over.”
The board ultimately voted to approve the revised resolution, leaving open the possibility that the county attorney’s office could initiate court proceedings if the property remains out of compliance.
Wyrobek moves forward
While Wyrobek expressed the desire to work with the county on finding a solution to the issue, it appears that solution in her mind would be to continue to let the campground operate, now that they allegedly don’t offer camping for a fee anymore.
Last Friday on the Rough N It campground Facebook page, Wyrobek posted an announcement that she is taking free reservations for veterans and their families for the 2026 camping season and suggested expanded operations.
“With new tents!!! And more open spots,” the post said.
The announcement did not sit well with many Raps Rd. and Black Bay area residents and landowners, among them Bob Ahlberg, whose family owns property at 3063 Black Bay Rd. Ahlberg brings more than a typical landowner’s perspective to the zoning dispute – he’s had nearly 50 years of experience as a municipal planning professional dealing with land use and zoning issues.
A confirmed opponent of the Rough N It development, Ahlberg sent an email to the Timberjay and concerned residents last Friday. Ahlberg took a deep dive into the St. Louis County zoning ordinance and developed an extensive analysis of the issues related to the campground’s operation.
His conclusion wasn’t a surprise.
“Whether Christine (Wyrobek) chooses to charge or not charge for her campground use, the use is not allowable in a residential district,” Ahlberg wrote.
In prior correspondence last June, Ahlberg emphasized an essential aspect of the intent of zoning regulations.
“A major tenet in zoning is that it regulates the ‘use and not the user,’” Ahlberg wrote. “To repeat, land use impact arises from the use itself and not the identity of the user. Furthermore, rezonings (map amendments) are long term decisions that generally run with the land and ignore ownership. While the nonprofit status of the applicant’s organization and stated identity of users of properties are laudable, neither of these is particularly relevant in this proceeding.”
Multiple residents have indicated they have contacted either the county attorney’s office and Planning and Zoning Director Ryan Logan, or both, to register their objections about the continued operation of the campground.
The Timberjay reached out via email to both Campanario and Logan asking for comments but did not hear back from either prior to press time.