FIGHT the Man, SUPPORT the Ranch
Help Us Tell Bonner County: Follow Your Own Laws
We're an Idaho nonprofit serving veterans, youth, and families through mountain biking. Bonner County is trying to shut us down by ignoring their own laws—but our donation-based model allows us to stay open while we fight this in court. We need your help to keep it that way.
We invested our life savings to build Panhandle Bike Ranch on 170 acres in Sagle. We followed every rule, obtained every permit, and built a facility to serve our community—veterans healing through outdoor recreation, kids building confidence, families connecting on trails.
After elected commissioners approved our permit in June 2024, a judge vacated it on a procedural technicality. We restructured as a nonprofit and discovered we actually qualify as a "park" under county code—a permitted use requiring no special permit.
Bonner County Code § 12-816 defines a "park" as: "A noncommercial facility designed to serve the recreational needs of the residents of the community." We meet this definition exactly:
We're a Idaho nonprofit with NO shareholders, NO owners taking profits, NO dividends. 100% of revenue is reinvested in trails, safety, and community programs.
Veterans programs, youth camps, first responder access, adaptive cycling, women's clinics, school partnerships—all serving Bonner County residents.
Trail systems, shuttle service, safety equipment, environmental conservation, and community gathering spaces.
Under their logic, Girl Scout camps and Bonner General Hospital would be "commercial" too. That's not how the law works.
The Planning Director denied our park classification, claiming we're "commercial activity" because we charge fees. But their own code defines "commercial activity" as "a business use involving retail or wholesale marketing of goods and services."
We're not a "business"! We're a nonprofit serving community recreational needs—the exact definition of a park.
On January 20th, 2026, our attorneys at Givens Pursley filed a Petition for a Judicial Review in the First Judicial District Court.
Asking the court to declare that our operation qualifies as a "park" under Bonner County Code § 12-816.
Asking the court to declare that Planning Director determinations ARE appealable to the Board of County Commissioners.
They're ignoring the words in their own code and creating definitions that don't exist in law.
This isn't just about a bike park. It's about fundamental rights:
Funding our ongoing appeals and court case with Givens Pursley attorneys.
Land use and nonprofit law testimony to support our case.
Filing fees and administrative costs for the legal process.
Evidence preparation and case documentation.
We've invested everything—not just financially, but emotionally—in serving our community:
We're not giving up. We won't let government overreach destroy what we've built for our community.
SUPPORT the Ranch.
Thank you for standing with us in this fight for fairness, property rights, and the future of community recreation in North Idaho.
Donate Now— Jennifer & Scott Kalbach
Founders, Panhandle Bike Ranch