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A bitter young man named James once wandered through the countryside in search of a place to belong. He arrived at a Rainbow Family Gathering and asked an elderly gentleman there what the Rainbow Family people were like. The older man asked, "What were the people like in the place you used to live?" James said, "They were rude and unfriendly." The older man said, "Well, that's what the people here are like, too." Upon hearing this, James moved on.
A while later, a kind young man named George, also in search of a place to belong, arrived at the same Rainbow Family Gathering. He asked the same elderly gentleman what the Rainbow Family people were like. Once again, the older man asked, "What were the people like in the place you used to live?" George said, "They were polite and warm." The older man said, "Well, that's what the people here are like, too." Upon hearing this, George decided to stay.
There are proper places to camp, Created by the US Foestry and the BLM..
This is a gathering of 5,000 spread out all over the place... Way different. Obviously.
Camping is allowed in most areas of the National Forests (except for areas designated as day use). Campers are not required to camp at designated camp sites. Not way different at all.
You can pull up Google Earth (assuming you have it of course) and fly to 2009 Annual Rainbow Gathering to see a pretty good view of where the gathering will be.
I have to say that if they attract the 7,000+- that were in Wyoming last year, it will be decades before the high country in New Mexico recovers from the environmental impact. Note the little Forrest Service road on the Google map leading to the camp. I can't imagine the logistics of getting those people out of there in the event of a fire. Or even in the event of one of our typical monsoon season downpours. What kind of facilities are available for toilets, potable water, trash removal, etc. ? Most towns in NM don't have populations of 7,000 and I just wonder whether poor little Cuba will be able to withstand that kind of pressure.
I get the feeling that the Rainbow Family isn't really concerned with the folks who will be most impacted. They'll be long gone by the time the real damage is revealed, and since there's no formal organization to hold accountable they can just skip on down the road and leave the costs to the residents of New Mexico to bear.
You might want to looked at the photographs of the cleanup and restoration of the forest lands from the previous years gatherings. It may help relieve your unjustified anxiety. Click on the Cleanup Report here:
The typical RV park campground leaves more litter and damage around then these gatherings.
Another thing that so many people don't seem to understand is that these are not a bunch of strange old burnt out drug addicts attending these events. They draw attendance from communities through out the United States, for the most part these are hard working American citizens, families, your neighbors and mine.
Many of you probably considered me a hippy if you met me in 1969, but today I am a licensed professional architect, I have been the primary individual responsible for building 30+ million dollars worth of fire stations, EMS stations, public libraries, health facilities, municipal office buildings and city halls. I consider myself a very spiritual person but don't subscribe to any particular dogma, so this kind of open spiritual gathering is very appealing to me. If this were an gathering of catholics, mormons, baptists or methodists, you would be welcoming and embracing the event.
As a law abiding, tax paying American citizen I believe it is my right to go camping in a National Forest and to celebrate love, life and a desire for world peace with other like minded individuals.
How does the Forest Service regulate and manage this event?
The Forest Service requires a free special use permit for every non-commercial group of 75 or more people that gathers on National Forest System lands. A signed non-commercial group use permit has been obtained.
The Forest Service also utilizes a National Incident Management Team (NIMT) with local Forest Service personnel to manage the impacts of this event. The NIMT will be working in New Mexico throughout the duration of the event and is coordinating with various state and local agencies to manage and minimize environmental, social, and political impacts. Forest Service resource specialists are working on-the-ground with Rainbow Gathering participants on how they may minimize resource damage and provide for the safety of gathering participants and the public.
The USDA Forest Service recognizes that this is a lawful, legal, and permitted event. Why can't the rest of you?
The best thing you can do to prevent forest fires in a primitive area is to remove a lot of the deadfall and dried branches, underbrush etc. that is such a fertile fuel for an uncontrolled wild fire.
The environmental impacts of trench latrines when properly placed away from potable water supplies, and this area is far from potable water supplies, is far less then the environmental impact of hauling in and transporting hundreds of portable toilets and thousands of gallons of sewage. The land in the area of the latrine will very likely be more fertile in the future as a result of the improved soil conditions.
The environmental impact of "tapping a spring" (laying a few pipes down to route the water to the communal kitchen, is almost nothing beyond distributing that water over a slightly larger are then it would have gone before.
A few 4 wheel drive trucks out joy riding each weekend will have a bigger lasting impact on this area then this temporary camp site.
As best I can tell from Google maps the Gathering site is in the watershed of American Creek, which does not flow into any local water supplies. The nearest town is at least 60 miles downstream. Rainwater flowing over undisturbed ground will pick up more fecal choliform from the surface then will leach through the soil for any distance from the site.
30,000 people a year move into my community, and I may not like it, but they have as much right as I do to be here. The good people of Cuba should count their blessings, at least most of these visitors will go away after a short stay. And from all accounts, the Rainbow Family does a good job of cleaning up after the gathering.
Synopsis of: U.S. Federal Court to Process Additional Citations for Rainbow Gathering Participants (Cuba, NM, June 28, 2009)
As the attendance grows, so does the traffic congestion and the reports of criminal activity.
The Forest Service has issued 182 violation notices to Rainbow Gathering participants as of June 28th, mostly for drug and alcohol related offenses and traffic and vehicle violations. In addition, 14 arrests have been made for various offenses including drugs, assault on law enforcement officers and outstanding state and federal warrants.
The first court date for people who received violation notices at the Rainbow Gathering was held on June 22nd. Of the 76 cases on that docket, there were 35 Forfeitures of Collateral, 12 Dismissals, 1 Trial that resulted in a guilty verdict, and 5 cases that had to be continued. There were 17 Failures to Appear and warrants for their arrest were issue.
Synopsis of: U.S. Federal Court to Process Additional Citations for Rainbow Gathering Participants (Cuba, NM, June 28, 2009)
As the attendance grows, so does the traffic congestion and the reports of criminal activity.
The Forest Service has issued 182 violation notices to Rainbow Gathering participants as of June 28th, mostly for drug and alcohol related offenses and traffic and vehicle violations. In addition, 14 arrests have been made for various offenses including drugs, assault on law enforcement officers and outstanding state and federal warrants.
The first court date for people who received violation notices at the Rainbow Gathering was held on June 22nd. Of the 76 cases on that docket, there were 35 Forfeitures of Collateral, 12 Dismissals, 1 Trial that resulted in a guilty verdict, and 5 cases that had to be continued. There were 17 Failures to Appear and warrants for their arrest were issue.
The sky is falling! The sky is falling! Better trump up some charges cause there be some people in our forest we don't unnerstan...by gum....why I oughtta...we better git dem hippies
@ Pancho/Rich: Tks for input. And, yes, I got a pop-up message (later) that said "90-minutes" (I think).
@ Double H, who wrote in post #215, above:
"Thankfully shuttles are used in this, it makes a lot more sense using them. Don't know who is providing them, though."
The NMx Gathering Web-site says:
"There are some active shuttle services during peak hours."
(About 1/3-way down the web-page, under "Parking.")
2009 Annual Rainbow Gathering - Rainbow Family of the Living Light (http://www.welcomehere.org/gathering_of_the_tribes/annual/ - broken link)
But, like I posted previously, I just got back from 3-days up there (Sat, June 27 through Mon, June 29) and saw no Shuttles -- nor heard of any. Maybe it was too early, then? -- since the actual event doesn't formally start until July 1.
Well, I'm going back Sun, July 5 (hope to help with take-down/clean-up/rehabilitate the meadows, etc). Expect that parking will be *really* tight. With all the ONE-WAY, "one-side-of-the-road-only" parking stuff on 70, may have to park several miles away (5-7 miles or more?) from the main trail-head (at the "Parking Lot") down to Main Circle.
Sure would be nice to have a Shuttle to take me from my parking spot, to that trail-head.
Anyone else know anything (for sure) about Shuttle use there? Any specifics? Times of use, how frequent, etc?
Kind Regards,
Robby
PS, Attached is a topo of New Mexico's Nacimiento Peak, 7.5 minute quadrangle, cropped to just the Gathering area around Parque Venado.
You can double-click on this thumbnail image (below) to get a full-sized version; then download/save this image-file to your computer and print it out (even in B&W) for use at the Gathering, if you want.
Camping is allowed in most areas of the National Forests (except for areas designated as day use). Campers are not required to camp at designated camp sites. Not way different at all.
Most areas.. Like the designated areas. And Campers are required to camp in designated areas. You cannot camp wherever you feel like it.. It is way different. I have family up north that pretty much all works for US Forestry and the BLM ..I know.
"Most areas.. Like the designated areas. And Campers are required to camp in designated areas. You cannot camp wherever you feel like it. <snip>"
_____________________
I don't think what you've posted above is correct. Several days ago, I spoke with Denise, the Information Officer for the Santa Fe National Forest/Rainbow Gathering event, to ask if I could drive my truck away from the "night noise" (drumming, etc) of the Gathering, to camp/sleep -- without getting a special camping permit, etc.
She said "No permit is needed -- you can camp anywhere you want in the National Forest." I later confirmed this with Ethel Baca at the Cuba Ranger Office. However, I do suspect there are some restrictions, in some areas, on camping. Just not here, though.
There are proper places to camp, Created by the US Foestry and the BLM..
This is a gathering of 5,000 spread out all over the place... Way different. Obviously.
And what are those 4,999 people gunna put the fire out with? there is no fire truck or firefighters. What are they gunna do throw a bucket of water on it. Believe me fires spread really fast.
And when a potential wildfire is caught in the first minutes of going out of control a half dozen people can pee on it to put it out ....sheesh, Bradly, there's just nothing that can't be turned into a Disaster Waiting to Happen, is there? What about all those pesky Asteroids floating around in space!!!
Do you not think that a group in a dry (well, not so dry right now) forest area isn't going to be cautious about fires and make sure everyone knows NOT to be careless? It's self-preservation at the very least. Do you not think that someone observing a fire starting up wouldn't call in anyone and everyone (including the Forest Service) to deal with it? That was kinda my point in the last post........ not a hippie whiz-a-thon.
While we're on the subject...have you found any evidence of fires resulting from other rainbow gatherings in dry Western forests? I assume no, as you'd be leading with that info.
You're on the verge of climbing into a Chicken Little suit here, my friend.
I can't say whether this event will go off without a hitch, and I"ve already said I"m glad I'm not there, but give people the benefit of the doubt, OK?
You or your friends/family in the area don't have to like this thing...it's a free country. But, for the exact same reason, you're all going to have to figure out how to deal with it in the best way possible, because it's obvious it's going to happen. There's probably some money to be made here, doncha think?
Time to grow a pair and get on with life.
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....sheesh, Bradly, there's just nothing that can't be turned into a Disaster Waiting to Happen, is there? What about all those pesky Asteroids floating around in space!!!
... not a hippie whiz-a-thon.
