How Cleanup Works

 Many people seem to be wondering how cleanup works. While it varies from site to site depending on the ecosystem in which we are gathered, the same general process applies each year.

While the dates of the gathering are July 1-7, we start counciling on the land on July 7th to pick a region for the next year's gathering. This "vision council" can go for days or even more than a week. The gathering isn't really over until the council completes.

That being said, most people pull out between July 5 and 8th, but some stay for vision council that may go as long as a week or more. Most people follow the pack it in and pack it out mode of camping and take their gear and all trash out of the woods.  Unfortunately just like any group of campers, there is a small percentage that don't have a conscious ethic regarding camping.

What happens then?

Individual gatherers stay for cleanup. Packing up all human created objects that have been left behind and disposing of these things responsibly. Trash is taken to the landfill and dump fees are paid by the "magic hat" or collective funds with people who can donating a cash to help fund these efforts.

Extensive efforts are spent on searching for micro trash (small pieces of human made material, orange peels, fragments of paper and plastic products, etc).

What happens once all the trash is gone?

Folks staying for cleanup renaturalize by disappearing campsites. This can include things like spreading duff from the area (duff is decaying vegetable matter covering the ground under trees), setting up waterbars along heavily used trails with dirt or logs, and/or aerating compacted soil. 

Sometimes, we pay for seed to reseed areas in conjunction with specific recommendations from Forest Service resource folks. Any seeding or replanting is always done based on guidance from USFS resource personnel.

Please note that each site is different and the techniques we use vary from site to site and year to year.  

While people who check out our cleanup efforts in July or August may not feel we have done a great job, please note that our goal is to do a cleanup that allows the forest to heal and rejuvenate. I respectfully ask you to hold judgement and check out the site one year later when winter snows and rain have nurtured vegetation growth.

A couple of notes on this year's cleanup.

Due to the Forest Service closure order of June 26th, it took us some time to get the trash out of the original site as the limited amount of time for people to pull things out of the woods, precluded many people from hauling out their gear. The remaining trash was removed on July 9th, 2024.  

Cleanup on the second site is ongoing but as of July 11th, there was very limited trash on site.  If you would like free dry goods, we have plenty of beans, rice, and canned goods that are free to anyone who wants it. The caveat is you have to come out and get it.

Don't Forget to Breathe

Here we are again. It's May before the Annual Gathering of the Tribes. Everyone is excited and emotions start spinning.  People panic about what may or may not happen -- especially those on social media where rumors spread like wildfire and everyone wants to know where the gathering will land.

This has been happening for decades and the negativity online is never what plays out at the gathering. I am feeling a bit of stress too as there are so many preparations I want to do for the gathering, yet I know I won't get it all done. Plus, dealing with the social media shit show can drain a person's emotions.

So what is a gatherer to do?

Breathe.  Listen to the medication music of your choice. Limit your use of social media.  Focus on getting your vehicle and camp ready for the gathering.  Click on the links at the top of this blog to learn how the gathering site is selected and how to prepare your vehicle to get into the gathering without a mandatory court appearance ticket.

Getting into the gathering without getting a mandatory court appearance ticket

Every year the United States Forest Service Law Enforcement (USFS) Incident Management Team (the cops) attempts to write as many tickets to family coming home as they possibly can to justify their presence. They give out tickets for broken tail lights, failure to use a turn signal in a deserted parking lot at 2 AM, lack of seat belts, controlled substances (even just a trace amount), beads hanging from your rear view mirrors, prescription medications if the label doesn't clearly have your name on it and you can't prove who you are, dogs off leash, a vehicle missing a front license plate even if you live in a state that does not issue a front license plate and a lot more violations of the letter of the law.

You do not want to go to Kangaroo Court

However, these tickets are not the type of citation you would probably receive for any of these issues in your hometown. These are Federal mandatory court appearance tickets. There will be special court dates set up just for us, so we can go to the local courthouse, fire station or visitors center and go before a magistrate. Or sometimes we got to a courthouse 100 miles away. In the past, charges have been reduced, fines were often minimal and the court has allowed people to make payment plans ranging from 90 days to pay $75 to 18 months to pay $25 depending on the hardship cases people have expressed.

If you do not show up for your mandatory court appearance on the date indicated on your ticket, a Federal Warrant will be issued for your arrest. Then the USFS LEOs will come into the gathering looking for you. If they find you they will arrest you and put you in jail until the next court date. If this happens on a Friday afternoon, you will be in jail until Monday. If they do not find you at the gathering, the next time a law enforcement officer for any reason stops you, your ID will be run through the database and you will go directly to jail.
 

Of course, everyone is free to manage this situation as they wish but I strongly recommend you go to your court date. I have seen people charged with crimes that could potentially result in a six years' sentence walk out with a $500 fine and three years’ probation. Keep in mind that every year the dynamic is different and these results may not always be available. Sometimes there are lawyers and other experienced family at the gathering (I am not a legal expert) who attend the court dates and will assist as best they can although I recommend you catch up with them before your court date to gain a better understanding of your specific charges and strategies to get the charges dropped or reduced. If you do not know these people personally, go to INFO and let them know you received one of the magic tickets and you need legal assistance.

 

FYI:  Federal law trumps state law on weed. This means that WEED IS NOT LEGAL IN CALIFORNIA OR WASHINGTON NATIONAL FORESTS.  This applies to any reason for having weed, medical or not as the Federal Government has draconian marijuana laws. The LEOs will try to trick you to admitting that you have weed. Don't fall for it.  

 

Start today by making sure your car and driver are 100% legal, you do not smoke anything in your car that is not legal under federal law (even if the state has legalized weed) as at the gathering, federal laws apply. Don't let yourself get tricked. If they smell it, they can pull you over. When you drive within 25 miles of the gathering, drive like you are taking a driving test. Signal ahead of time, drive below the speed limit, make sure all riders have seat belts and all children are in an age-appropriate car seat. 

 

Some people will say I'm making this up or being paranoid. If you don't believe me, talk to other long-time gatherers and confirm what I am saying. 

Before you enter the national forest, pull into a legal parking space and test that all your lights are still working correctly. Play the game and you can glide into the gathering trouble free and spend your time chopping firewood and hauling water instead of going to court.  The choice is yours.