Spring council is over. Click here for directions to the gathering.
Spring council/counsel/circle (spring ccc) starts June 10.
Directions: From the South on US 395. From Mt. Vernon, OR go North on US 395 towards Dale for approximately 45 miles. Turn right on Forest Service Road NF 3980. FS 3980 is also known as Trout Road. Stay on FS 3980 for approximately 11 miles to Hunter Spring. There should be rainbow signs at intersections. The sign for 3980 is on the left hand side of the road, but the road is actually a right hand turn (coming from John Day).
From the North on US 395 (reportedly this is a better road for large vehicles--fewer hills and crossroads): A half-mile North of Dale, OR go East on NF 10 for 9.9 miles. Take a right towards NF 105, then in 465 feet take a dogleg to the left onto NF 105. Go .9 mile, turn right onto NF 10. In approximately 6 miles, take a right onto NF 1007. Go 2.8 miles to your destination.
Alternative directions are go all the way to Dale take a right on N.F..10 for 5 miles, turn right on F.S.1007 and go 3 miles. Turn right on f.s. 3980 for 2 miles. Forest Service Road 3980 is also known as Trout Road. The sign for 3980 is on the left hand side of the road, but the road is actually a right hand turn (coming from John Day).Welcome Home to spring council.
Click here for the Google Maps link.
Spring Council is where the site for the 2017 gathering will be determined and gathering layout begins. There may be travel to see sites the scouts propose, lots of walking, discussion and/or consensus. All are welcome to participate in the process.
However, if you come, please be self sufficient. Bring clothes for warm, wet and cold weather, good boots/shoes. Water and Food to share, shelter (tent, sleeping bag, etc) your own cup bowl spoon, all the stuff you'd need for gathering & a sense of humor.
As a refresher, the purpose of spring ccc is to determine where home is. The individuals who have been out scouting will have information to share about the site(s) they found and the family on the land at spring ccc will have to reach consensus by silence or by foot on where we will be.
Please be advised that from spring ccc, the gathering moves into Seed Camp. Folks at seed camp find and develop water sources,set up the first kitchen and dig the first latrines, locate and mark out the parking lot, lay out trails and remove obstructions, locate Main Circle and dig the fire pit, and set up a welcoming entrance to the gathering.
From this seed grows the flower of our Gathering.
Just an FYI, early in the gathering is when law enforcement presence can be the most intense as ratio of cops to gatherers may be high.This is a great time to form relationships with the USFS resource personnel, work out an unsigned operating plan with the rangers, and set up a process by which the USFS personnel can meet with gatherers on-the-land. A specific location and time is a really good strategy as then everyone in camp knows where/when to be if they want to meet or not meet with the forest service. It takes many voices to do this work. If you are not sure what an operating plan is, check out the collection of past operating plans on-line.
For more information on how home is found, click here.
Thank you, as always, for your incredible Work on behalf of the Family. It is beautiful, important, and appreciated.
ReplyDeleteI find it ironic that any earth-loving, educated folks would intentionally drop many thousands of people into a pristine natural setting that is actively supporting a balance of nesting ground birds, dispersing young bobcats, bears, does with fawns, coyotes and cougar, mink, martens, badgers, snakes, weasels and even wolves. Ground squirrels and chipmunks of the region you are invading are the food base for our local golden eagles, owls and hawks now feeding their young. Golden eagles are particularly sensitive to human encroachment. Overuse of wilderness areas by outdoor enthusiasts in Central Oregon (Bend area) have resulted in many permanently failed nesting sites for Goldens. I have no problem with the message and gathering of Rainbow folks. It is just impossible to justify the destruction that such a huge number of people will have on a local ecosystem that is not meant to handle so many humans. There will be very real disruption to other living things. True nature lovers would NEVER consider holding such an event in the wilderness. You are not being nature centered, you are very human centered in a way that does not fit into today's wildernesses where wildlife are finding it harder to exist. I know the area you will be occupying very well. I know it will mean that everything that lives there now will have to disperse into areas already occupied, where they don't know the terrain and new food locations, and they will have to compete and defend and fight for survival because of you. Your gathering is more appropriate for a human centered facility (stadium, fair grounds) away from the wilderness where you will most definitely seriously have a very negative impact. How can you feel good about this? How can you justify it?
ReplyDeleteI would sign my name, but the last time I did so, anti-government militia broadcast my name and personal information across militia website and FB pages. Please know I do not mean any disrespect to you as people. I am convinced, however, that you are clueless about your impact on the earth. You need to rethink these kind of gatherings. Oh, on behalf of the wildlife of our local forest land, please don't come here.
^^^^ This is exactly right.
ReplyDeleteThere is no eco-system destruction. Quite often a western gathering is directly followed by cows grazing at that location .
ReplyDeleteExtreme Idealism is never exactly right . Give up .
Your friend , Tikoo of the Rainbow .
Rainbow Gatherings happen on land that is fair game to loggers, atv enthusiasts, oil drillers, and cattle grazers. A few thousand backpackers hugging and praying is SO much worse I'm sure. PS: its also a 1st amendment peaceable assembly expression, which has been confined to national forest land (all else is technically "private" property). Free your mind.
ReplyDeleteYou rationalize this very disruptive invasion to our local ecosystem. FACT: Tens of thousands of people will overrun a local natural environment. Yes, there might be grazing but only periodically and limited in numbers. For example, cows are allowed on Malheur Refuge but only on 10% of the land and only AFTER birds have finished nesting. Logging is limited, no drilling allowed here. ATV's are limited to certain roads.
ReplyDeleteRainbow people are way too many and too invasive right in the middle of nesting and denning season.
There is nothing "limited" about dumping thousands of people into this wilderness area. It is a sin against the natural world to abruptly release so many humans into a wilderness, driving out all wildlife depending on that site for their survival. To pretend this is a free speech issue is a most ridiculous excuse. This Rainbow gathering is a selfish, human-centered event for hypocrites pretending to love nature. Rainbow folks just love their party, not nature. Do you really think you are experiencing the wilderness in the company of 20 or 30 thousand people? I live as near a hermit's life as possible and know this is the opposite of an earth-friendly, nature experience. I am certain nature will suffer because of this gathering.
Diversity is a wonderful thing ! The Nationsl Forests belong to everyone !
ReplyDeleteI was at blacksheeps xmas in 08 we where out in the woods getting drinched i set up my tarps and tent away from everyone so i could have a decompression zone a lovly momma skunk brought me her babys and we shared a tent out of the rain for two days she and her babys went on there way xmas eve and i stuffed my pack and left the effect of people on the wild life are real but they dont go as far away as one may think
ReplyDelete