• Zoning: The biggest single bar to acquisition of a piece of land has turned out to be zoning. This was something of which we were unaware when we started the search, but it is now the first question we ask about land. The zoning of the land will determine whether or not we will be able to obtain a conditional use permit to do what we want to do with the land. Specifically, we have discovered that Agricultural Reserve zoning is next to impossible to change and is a bar to the uses we want to put the land to in most counties. On the other hand, zoning for a campground would be ideal.
• County Politics: We will have to obtain a conditional use permit from the county in order to hold events on the site. Some counties have already indicated to us that they are unwilling to issue new permits for our kinds of activities (i.e. large group camping).

Anything that would make it difficult-to-impossible to hold an enjoyable tourney on the site and which cannot be corrected. There are several things to watch for. Some of the more important items include:

• Modern Intrusion: Railroad tracks with trains, the ability to hear or see a freeway, being under an airport landing pattern, other unpleasant aspects that are unavoidable reminders of the modern age.
• Accessibility: Excessive driving time on poor roads, inability to get to the land at certain times of the year (i.e. regular road closure), access only across someone else's land unless the access is invisible to the land owners.
• Terrain: Some up-and-down-ness is reasonable; mountain sides are not. We want to camp, not ski. Fighting and camping cannot be done on a slope. We probably cannot afford extensive terrain modifications, although we can probably do some minor leveling. Terrain will also affect our ability to make certain improvements such as leach-fields for grey-water disposal, and other sanitary improvements.
• Soil and vegetation problems: Extremely bad soil which would make camping on the land uncomfortable (one piece we rejected had ground that was covered with broken obsidian!). Enough star-thistle growing that it would be hard to eliminate it could be a bar. Scrub brush is not a problem; we can clear brush.
• Bad drainage and the like: If the flat area turns into a bog when it rains, then that would not be a good place to put the camp. If the access road will be subject to flooding with every rain, that's not a good idea either. Regular flooding of a significant portion of a site next to a river would also bar the purchase.
• Extremes of weather: If it is regularly very windy, or if it's too hot during the summer and/or too cold during the spring and fall to use the land, we probably don't want to buy it. (We know that we probably won't find a true year-round site, but a site as close to that ideal is what we are aiming for.)
• Neighbors: A site too close to residences. If houses are within sound range, the piece is probably unusable for our purposes. Again, a piece of land larger than the minimum (60 acres) would provide a buffer zone especially if the usable portion is near the center.
• Cost Limitations: If it costs more than $300,000 we could not afford that particular piece of land at present, no matter how ideal it is. We need to be able to put down enough money so that we are not carrying back a large mortgage, and we will need to keep some money for improvements and a reserve. (If someone wins the lottery and wants to donate the money to KHTI, please see us!). Please note, however, that some parcels for which the asking price is greater that $300,000 may be considered if the owner might accept a lower offer. (For instance, if the land has been on the market for some time, or if the owner is sympathetic to our purposes, the cost might be brought down.)