Vision Council Consensi

 

Vision Circle 2024 Consensus

Vision Circle Report

Meadow 1 (7/7/24):

"Dear Family

As we pass the stick to meadow 2, we the people on the land decided on by spring counsel have consensus'd

Rainbow has no leader

IGNORE ALL RUMORS OF CANCELATION

We miss our family

We invite you to share our vision of a gathering in the Ozarks region, including Oklahoma (or Alaska)

Clean up is real and

WE ARE STILL HERE

Love

Vision Counsel"

Meadow 2 (7/9/24):

[Letter to the Maidu Summit Consortium

See bottom of blog post for text of letter]

Meadow 2:

(7/10/24):

"Dear rainbow family,

As we continue Vision Counsel and lovingly accept the talking stick from the people on the land decided by Spring Counsel,

We, the people circling on meadow 2 of the Annual Rainbow Gathering of Living Light 2024 in Plumas National Forest, California, have consens'd

Rainbow has no leaders

Ignore all rumors of cancelation

We miss and love our family

We are excited to be reunited once again

We share a common vision of a gathering

in or near the Ozark region in the Ouachita, Ozark-St. Francis or Mark Twain forests,

Preferably the land currently known as Oklahoma

(And let's keep visioning about Alaska!)

Cleanup is real, and we're OVER HERE

We love you!

Love,

Vision Counsel (Meadow 2)"

"We reaffirm the Rights of everyone to peaceably assemble, to move freely on public lands, and to freely speak"

"We invite all veterans of the armed forces to join us in peace and fellowship to any and all Rainbow Gatherings. We recognize the difficulties veterans face, as many who gather are veterans. Rainbow Gatherings would not exist today without the efforts of veterans. Welcome Home!"

"We invite all interested individuals to attend the Fall Harvest Counsel in the Ozarks/Ouachita region, November 14-17"

 

 

*********Text of letter to Maidu Summit Consortium vice-chair***************

 

Vice-Chairman

Maidu Summit Consortium

 

Dear Mr. xxxxx,

 

We understand that our presence on your homelands has not been in a good way and this was not our intention.

 

If you would be willing to communicate your perspective on healing this relationship, gathering participants will share this information in our circles and encourage individuals to engage in these reconciliation efforts.

 

How could we have communicated better so that we can learn how to do better in the future?

 

We will work to improve internal communications and efforts to educate folks on how to engage in respectful communications with your communities.

 

Because all people are welcome to attend the Rainbow Gathering, we acknowledge that some gathering participants have been deeply disrespectful and have not yet learned the way of peace.

 

We would like to inform you that in the fall of 2023, a Tribal Outreach Project was formed. We outreached via telephone, email, US Postal mail in in person meetings to over 20 different tribes and/or bands of people who are indigenous to these lands. Some of the tribes we contacted participate in our spring council site selection process.

 

We are deeply sorry that some Maidu circles were not contacted and thus not given the opportunity to sit in council circle with us starting June 15.

 

We invite you to gather with us in the future.

 

With humility,

Circle of volunteers Rainbow Gathering

Plumas National Forest

California

July 9, 2024

 

PS, please share this letter with others if you wish.

 

Lost & Found Belongings

 Just an FYI, Info Crew has some things belonging to people. If you are missing something valuable, then please call the lightline and leave a message with your lost item and how we can reach you. If we have what you lost, someone will reach back out.   If you lost a shirt or pants, they have moved on to new homes.

Cleanup is done

On July 16, I participated in a walk through of both sites with a staff member of the Susanville Indian Rancheria (SIR) and with two other gatherers.

The SIR staff member was satisfied with the cleanup at both sites.  The person we met with was planning on providing a verbal report to the SIR Tribal Council on July 16th at 4 PM.   I asked the staff member if the SIR would write a letter stating their satisfaction with cleanup efforts. Stay tuned.

The United States Forest Services (USFS) resource personnel were directed by higher ups not to work with cleanup crews on site rehabilitation nor to give us direction nor feedback on our cleanup efforts. 

When I left on Tuesday, July 16 at 4 PM, the final shitter was being closed along with the trail to the shitter. There were six or seven cars left on site with people planning to pull out later on Tuesday.

PS on Site 1 we did not log off the entrance to the old logging road. If anyone wants to go do that, it would be cool. Otherwise I believe the USFS will do it.

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.

Updates on the gathering July 1st

Hey family,

I know this is a confusing situation for everyone including folks on the land. The changes happen hourly. As fast as we get information, it becomes outdated.  I understand your frustration in not understand what is happening. Folks on the land have the same frustrations. Keep reading for directions to the alternate location.

On June 26th, the USFS issued a closure order for the gathering. Information from the forest service has been inconsistent and contradictory. Although Spring Council reached a consensus to go the first site up Janesville Grade Road, when people where threatened with citation, most people voted with their feet and left.  

Getting into the original site is challenging as there are intermittent forest service roadblocks that will prevent you from getting into the site. 

As of early this morning there are still 50-60 people on site. Some of my lovely family are working on getting their gear out of the gathering. Some of my lovely family are planning on staying for the gathering July 1-7. I do not know what the USFS will do today to the folks on the land. I hope they are safe.

If you want directions to the original site above Janesville, check my blog post from June 18th, the Howdy Folks.  

Alternate Site Directions

 Entry is easier from south at Beckwourth.

🌈☮️💚🌎❤️

From Beckwourth, CA:

If coming from West State Route 70 turn right onto Beckworth Genesee Road a.k.a. forest Service Rd. 111.

Follow for. appx 9.7 miles, then stay right to follow paved road, road turns into 177/ 26N70/milford beckwourth rd

Follow for appx 4.5 miles, then turn right at 4 way intersection towards “frenchman lake” gravel road 28N01

Go roughly 1.3 miles to Welcome Home and Parking

From Milford, CA:

Heading North on 395, turn left on to Milford Grade road. (between 41 and 42 mile marker)

Heading south on 395, turn right on to Milford grade road.

Set odometer to zero at the base of Milford grade road at 1.3 miles keep right to continue on paved road at 2.3 miles continue straight onto dirt road.

At 5.5 miles you will drive over a cattleguard and keep left at the Fork toward Black Mountain Lookout.

6.4 miles continue straight.

Immediately, after, at 6.5 miles keep right at the fork.

At 7.1 miles continue on gravel road to the right.

At 7.9 miles you will come to a bridge. Continue straight.

At 8.9 miles keep right, Immediately after turn left towards Beckwourth

At 12.7 miles continue straight (past penny Pines rack fire plantation )

At 16 miles turn left at the intersection on to 28N01 and continue until 17.3 miles - welcome home.

If you are going to the alternate location, it's more of car camping situation and will have limited infrastructure set up. Please bring water as water may be a bit of a challenge. 

Link to closure order

https://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/fseprd1183312.pdf

Lost & Found: People, Pets, Things

Every year people, pets and various objects are lost at the gathering or people not at the gathering fear people have been lost. 

Lost People

Every year people go to the gathering and their loved ones worry.  Just a reminder, that in the western mountains, we often don't have cell reception and even if there is some service near the gathering, it varies by cell service. Plus, phone run out of batteries, get dropped in the mud, or get lost.

If you haven't heard from your friends and/or family since they went into the gathering, odds are they are still down in the gathering and can't call you due to one of the above reasons.

Again, on the road where the cars and cops are is the area where problems occur. We strongly recommend that people stay inside the gathering. Going in and out increases a persons risk of a negative experience with law enforcement. Again, people on the land will strongly suggest to your loved one that they stay inside the gathering until it's over.  This may mean that you won't hear from your loved one for a few weeks.

That being said, if you're going to the gathering, call your Mama or someone else, let them know you are going in and will be out of cell reception until after you leave the gathering.

If something serious happened to your loved one, then they are no longer at the gathering and would be found in a local hospital, jail, or mental health facility. If you check those places and your loved one is not there, then they are probably inside the gathering.

Most people usually surface by July 15th as the clean up crew starts shrinking by then, but some people will be on the land until late July (and on the land means no or haphazard access to telephones).  If after July 15, you still haven't heard, email me at karin zirk dot net a recent photo and include this information:

    How old is he/she?
    Was this her/his first gathering? 
    Was he/she planning to camp with any camp in particular?
    Did she/he travel to the gathering with friends who have since left the gathering?
    Did she/he have any mental and/or physical health issues? 
    What kind of drugs (if any) does he/she typically use?
    Was there a specific previously agreed on plan for he/she to return home at a certain time or at least check in?

Lost Things

For those people who go to the gathering and lose something, found items are taken to Info or sometimes to the nearest kitchen so don't give up yet.  If you didn't check the lost and found items at INFO, your stuff may be there. Even if you did, many items are discovered during cleanup. At the end of cleanup, all the valuable lost and found items will be taken out of the gathering site. Check back mid-July for who to contact regarding lost things.  Keep in mind, lost and found at this level is for things like wallets, cameras, expensive gear.  We don't try to reunite people with lost t-shirts, bliss wear, etc.  After the gathering, call the 2024 Gathering Lightline  2024 Gathering Lightline (530)-ITS-INFO / (530) 487-4636‬ and leave a full description of what you lost or found and how we can reach you. If we have it, we will reach out.  If you have something, someone lost, we will do our best to make connections.

Lost Animals

For those people who left without all the animals they brought, please go back to the site and retrieve your pets. I do not care if you have to be back to work or whatever. If you brought an animal, you need to go home with that animal. If you don't, folks on the land will find a home for your pet and it won't be your home. We never leave any pets behind.  Every pet will leave the gathering with a human companion ~ hopefully the one they came with. If you can't go back yourself, try to connect up with a friend in the area to retrieve your pet. Just a reminder, pets on leashes don't get lost as often as those not on a leash. The gathering is a scary experience for animals who aren't used to it. Read the Pup Rap for more info.  If you are a local who feels we drop off pets at the local shelter, we never do that. Other people may be stealing loose dogs from the gathering and dropping them off, but we don't. All dogs brought to the gathering, leave with people who were at the gathering.  Same is true about cats, rabbits, horses, rats, and elephants!