Proposed tweaks to activities at Devil’s Gulch Ranch in Nicasio came before the Board of Supervisors last week, in response to an anonymous complaint that prompted a recent county code enforcement investigation. Supervisors delayed a vote on staff recommendations in order to further evaluate a potential length limit on vehicles transporting campers and guests to the ranch, but they generally seemed on board with the recommendations. Those include clarifying that the YMCA camp held at the ranch should be “predominately related to agriculture,” as should the 12 tours and open houses allowed annually. Staff also recommended eliminating two annual special events in light of the outcome of litigation between ranch owners Mark and Miriam Pasternak and two neighbors, Kathleen and Joe Jolson. The suit led to a Marin County court ruling this year that, while largely favorable to the Pasternaks, said the two events posed too great a burden on the neighbors’ shared road. People who showed up to last week’s hearing differed on the proposed modifications. A lawyer for Mr. Pasternak, Peter Prows, said he believed any tweaks could spur new litigation. Mr. Pasternak himself said he didn’t have a problem with the recommendations, though he disagreed with staffs’ statement that he appeared to have violated the terms of his use permit, such as by holding tours or events not related to ag. “I don’t agree with the characterization that I was in violation,” he said. A member of the Nicasio Land Owners Association criticized Devil’s Gulch and asked supervisors to either revert to an old use permit or revoke the permit entirely, citing one event, a fundraiser sponsored by Jack Daniels, that he called a “striking violation.” Mr. Pasternak argued that the event in question was legal and featured products from the local foodshed. Mr. Jolson said his primary concern was the “road safety issue,” citing the dirt road that winds its way to the ranch. Opponents also objected to a retaining wall recently built on the ranch, about which Mr. Pasternak said there were “ongoing discussions” with the county. The staff report said the county had investigated many other allegations, such as Mr. Pasternak’s method of getting rid of gophers: filling rodent holes with propane and oxygen and blowing them up. But the county determined that there are no rules prohibiting that strategy in this case. “The land use restrictions established by the county’s zoning for the property cover a number of activities and developments,” county code enforcement specialist Christy Stanley wrote in a letter to complainants, “but do not extend to practices used by property owners and residents to eradicate gophers.”