Feds to Rainbows: Move gathering

By CHRIS MERRILL
Star-Tribune staff writer Friday, June 20, 2008 2:05 AM MDT

PINEDALE -- There may be a new era of cooperation dawning between the Rainbow Family and the U.S. Forest Service, but it's getting off to a rocky start.

More than 20 "influential" participants of "The Rainbow Family of the Living Light" met with dozens of area residents and several U.S. Forest Service representatives at the Sublette County Library here Thursday evening. It was an attempt to reach a new level of collaboration, and to address some of the more pressing issues for local communities and federal law enforcement.

The meeting was occasionally contentious, yet civil, and it will most likely change nothing about the designated location for this year's national Rainbow gathering in the Bridger-Teton National Forest July 1-7.

Mark Rey, the federal undersecretary who oversees the U.S. Forest Service, came 3,000 miles to this little town not to play games, he said, but to urge the Rainbow Family to move its gathering to one of four sites in the Bridger Wilderness his agency had previously identified as better suited to withstanding the impact of 15,000 to 20,000 simultaneous campers.

He told the Rainbow participants if they stay in the spot they've chosen near Big Sandy, it's going to conflict with a Boy Scout project scheduled for the same general area after the Rainbow gathering, and set to begin before the Rainbows are finished cleaning up their site.

"A gathering of this size has a very large footprint," Rey said. "The imprint of 15,000 people is going to be significant."

The Forest Service's request, Rey said, is for the Rainbows to consider leaving Big Sandy. He said he went into his meeting with representatives with the Boy Scouts of America with the assumption that some sort of compromise could be reached, but he's come to understand otherwise.

"I came 3,000 miles to tell you that this is not a reconcilable difference," Rey said. "We made a commitment to produce a particular kind of experience for the Scouts, that we cannot if you hold this gathering there."

He told the Rainbows that he understands they have the numbers to "occupy" the site if they desire, and in that sense they will "win."

"But if you win, the Scouts lose," Rey said.

The Scouts are in the midst of a five-year, multimillion-dollar project to improve portions of the wilderness, Rey said.

Several Rainbow Family participants argued that they weren't given sufficient notice about the so-called conflict with the Boy Scouts, and moving the gathering from Big Sandy is all but impossible at this point.

A Rainbow participant who goes by the name Dia said participants have already laid four miles of water pipes and assembled and dug in over a dozen kitchens.

Another participant, Gnosis, said, "I don't see people leaving even if they wanted to. There are 500 to 1,500 there already."

The problems of moving, cleaning up and setting up all over again at another site would be too difficult to overcome at this point, he said.

If they were given more notice, it might have been possible, he said, but everybody out there is of their own minds, and there's no way they could be convinced to leave now.

Rainbow Family members have assembled on public lands every year, somewhere in the United States, since 1972, and the events occasionally draw up to 25,000 participants. The gatherings generally have been held without formal approval of the Forest Service.

The assembly is intended to be a celebration of peaceful living and love for the planet earth, and there is no formal leadership structure.




http://www.casperstartribune.net/ar.../wyoming/f1657ed41234b0778725746e00108f9f.txt

 

here we go again..

well well,, so much for mark rey turning over a new leaf..

wow this is even a shorter time line than WV aint it??

so if folks decide to stay on the land,,i hope everyone knows the federal martial law strike force has been training in denver all week,.. its just a hop skip an a jump up to the land..

although it does read like they will let the family stay,,something tells me it just aint gonna be that simple..

 

Read some have already making the move to Snyder (Snider) Basin area...

'shrugs'

 

where did you see that at? on agro?

 

I don't see why the Scouts can't move to another site on their own. These Rainbow plans have been in the works for a long enough time as to guarantee the "pre-eminence" of the land to the Rainbows. Like was stated, sufficient notice wasn't provided and it should have been if the Scouts needed the land necessary to them. First come, first serve, if some sort of compromise can't be reached. In this case, the Rainbows *should* win this one. So to my brothers and sisters, stand your ground! Do it Peacefully! and have a kick-ass blast of a time for those of us who can't make it down there!! And while you're at it, start talking up ideas on reaching out to our Native relatives on the Reservations. There are plenty out in the western part of the country. There's no doubt we'd make excellent allies on our quest for peace and truth!

 

There are a few folks on agr (both e-mail & board) who say they are headed to Snyder but I still haven't heard much coming from the actual site.

In response to HHB...Do 'they' ever keep their treaties? The way I see it, the problem with the current situation is that there are about 500 ways to make the Rainbows look bad and only a few to make the FS look bad. I know how much the situation sucks from the perspective of those on the land; been there other years where the FS tried to get us to move, plus there's Solstice & folks streaming in from all over at phenominal rates...And what really sucks is that no matter what the Folks on the Land choose to do, Rainbow as a whole won't 'win'....if the Gathering doesn't move, the Gathering will be deemed 'Illegal' and the leos will have a bigger excuse to use their tazers, Rainbow will get bad press, and the Boy Scouts (who are innocent pawns in the movie) might not be able to do their service project. If the Gathering does move, the FS will know that they can manipulate the Gathering site and will likely use similar tactics in the future.

 

I think it was stupid to go to a spot that has already been used for a national.

Isn’t that one of the old rainbow rules.. Never use a spot twice?

I hope everyone one can move and that is all that Big brother has in store.
But damm,, that is just late notice…! June 20th not cool at all…

 

Hey I anit being too good and rainbow here, but from personal experiance F the the boyscouts.

 

Maybe you didn't read the info correctly...Big Sandy, the site consensed to at Spring Council is NOT the site from '94...Snyder Basin, the site some people are heading to & the site the FS is currently recomending, is the site that was used in '94

(and Rainbow doesn't have rules...)

 

anyone have a update??

 

Sorry my mistake thought it was the same site from my arm chair.

I did sit and think how to replace the word “rules” but couldn’t come up with a good substitute.
Maybe rainbow ways..?

Wow tough call.. I personal think it is bad luck to use the same spot twice especially when the feds demand it.

I hope it all turns out good..

 

About the worst reason I can think of for doing anything is "We've always done it that way." If Tradition is getting in the way of a safe and healthy Gathering, then TRADITION BE DAMNED!

 

^Wanderingturnup has his council hat on today..

I really don’t know what to think it's hard to judge and talk too much from the internet.

Things are a lot different when you are there in reallity with a few hundred folks and the LEOs start rolling in.

Pray for the best

 

Here is an update, copied from AGR board. Other info I've read this evening says basically the same thing.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hello! This is The Other Karen. You might know me from the Info Booth
at the Gathering, but I am not able to go to Wyoming this year. I did,
however, get a phone call this morning (June 21) from Karin Zirk (the
one and only). She was able to reach me on her cell phone from the
back entrance to the site, on the hill. (She was using Creedo which
she thinks is through Sprint’s service. There was a good deal of
static, but I was able to pretty easily converse with her.)


*At the town hall meeting with the Forest Service, the situation
regarding the Boy Scouts and their planned work on the land (at the
site where we are gathering) was discussed. It seems that the Boy
Scouts did not plan to arrive until the 26th of July, well into our
clean-up process. It is unclear as to whether they will cancel their
rehabilitation. Karin said there is a “slim chance” they will go ahead
with it.

*The Forest Service asked us to move to another site. The Rainbows at
the meeting agreed to go back to the land and call a council about the
matter. They did. About a hundred people were at the council (coming
and going) and in the end, the council was unable to come to consensus
about whether to stay or go. Because of this, the old consensus still
stands (reached by Spring Council) to gather at the current site.

*There is some disagreement on the land… some folks, including Garrick
and Summer Breeze, feel the Gathering should move to the 1994 Wyoming
site at Snyder Basin. Some folks plan to move there. Lots of people
are definitely staying where they are.

*Mark Rey, (the Under Secretary of Natural Resources and Environment,
US Dept. of Agriculture) said that their will be no repercussions
whether we stay on site or move to another. They would prefer that we
move, but are not forcing the issue and are being, according to Karin,
“nice and accommodating”.

Karin’s two cents is that the site will either be where it currently
is, or that it will be a split gathering, but that it will most likely
not be moving completely. Also, she says, “If in order the maintain
the spirit of cooperation with the Forest Service, we have to abandon
our consensus process, then what is the point?”

Last night (Friday the 20th), there were 180 people at dinner circle,
the Magic Hat was passed for the first time, and 5 kitchens served at
circle. A good time was had by all!

It is estimated that there are 1000+ people currently on the land
(July 21st, ’08).

THE FOLKS ON SITE ARE ASKING FOR EXTRA BLANKETS, SLEEPING BAGS AND
TENTS!!! Many folks came unprepared for the cold night whether and
there are kids with not enough bedding. Please help.

And…
“THEEEEEY LOOOOOOOVE YOOOOOOOOU!!!!!”

 

isnt that a oxymoron when it comes to the feds??


if it does split,,those that stay i fear will be in for a world of harassment..

for the sake of those that choose to stay maybe everyone should hold there ground??

i dunno,,im not there..
thanks for the update.. keep us posted..
maybe things will work out..

 

Seems to me that there is no reason to move and that the Feds just want to see how much infuence/control they can have on US.

 

So who is leading the government appointed move to the old spot?

The guy who always signs the permit?

 

nevermind... I have a couple more days to decide what im doing.

 

Just in:

Re: RBJ, Rainbow gathering update / Pinedale Online!Monday, June 23, 2008 2:29 AMFrom: "Dawn Ballou" <dawn@...>

To: "Head Home" <Headferhome@...>

Hi again,

This e-mail just came in with the latest report on the location of the
Gathering.

Cordially,
Dawn Ballou, Pinedale Online!
dawn@...

Hello, my Rainbow name is Ivy and I just returned from scouting the
gathering
site for a couple days in preparation for next week when I bring my 3 kids
out.

During Main Circle Saturday night, it was announced that a concensous was
reached Friday and reaffirmed Saturday that no one is moving! They have
spent
the last 3 weeks setting up kitchens (about 10 already!) and building
gathering areas. The trail up the mouintain from Handi-camp (the nearest
point you can park) is a strenuous 3-5 mile hike up the mountain. The main
Bliss pit (Fire circle) near main meadow has been built that is large enough
for 3 tiers of drummers, spectators, and dancers. Calm is setting up on a
healing vortex, and trails have been blazed. Everyone has worked so hard
and
THERE IS NO WAY THEY ARE MOVING! Those present at main circle reached a
concensous that because the Scouts won't be there till the end of July, the
only Rainbows that will still be there are clean-up crew. IF the scouts
encounter the rainbows at work, (Boy Scouts will be on the other side of the
ridge) they may learn a thing or two about environmental restoration so no
one
believes it will be a problem.

They were VERY concerned about the internet postings new arrivals have
reported stating that the Gathering is or will be moved. They were adamant
about news getting to the outside stating that the posted Gathering Site
near
Big Sandy is the ONLY place the Gathering will be. A split Gathering is
detrimental to the spirit of the Gathering and is NEVER an option! Split
Gatherings happen when people on the outside become misinformed and begin
setting up in a different place. Then TWO sites need to be cleaned and
restored...not good!

Also, please let people know that the road in is very rough and you must be
prepared to go about 20 MPH for about 40 miles! A car on a trip to town for
supplies rolled yesterday, injuring the 3 young Rainbows in it. Everyone is
OK but it was a reminder to not be in a hurry out there. Also, make sure
your
tires are in good shape and DO NOT ATTEMPT without a spare!!!!

Also, the trail in goes up dramatically for about 3 miles before dropping
down
to the first meadow, then there is a strenouse up-hill hike (about a mile)
to
main meadow. Others are camped even higher up in a third meadow. Be
prepared
for it to take up to 3 hours to hike in and in the dark, it is very
dangerous.
This is one of the longest trails into a Gathering people have seen so be
prepared with time, water, and appropriate ways to pack your belongings in.
Those heading in should plan to arrive at the trail head (about 2 hours
from
the highway) at least 3 hours before sunset.

The weather is warming up but do not forget that the nights are
cold...layer,
layer, layer! and yes extra blankets are needed.
Please pass this important info on and thank you for all your hard work!
WE LOOOOOVVVVEEEE YOU!

 

All my blessings to the Family making it home. My heart is heavy that I am not one of them.

Love and Light,
Joshua