This Blog on Hiatus

This blog is on hiatus until May or June 2010. If you are looking for information on the upcoming annual gathering, click here. For information on the annual gathering that happened New Mexico in 2009, click here.

Message from Cuba

For fun the really late GPS corodinates are something like n 36.04039
by w 106.78108. I finally got to the library here at Cuba.. All the
clean up has been done for over a week now maybe 2 weeks and the
final trash also. The abandoned cars (last 2) the head on collisions
were towed off for free Aug. 2 by a local thanks to a San Diegan named
AXX who found a yard with wrecks and tow vehicles. And old
SXX car got fixed. So now it is formally all over and a great
cleanup. The trash was out a week earlier than expected, the earliest
EVER. I have the sign off sheet it was given to us even before the
last 2 vehicles were towed. One is mailed to GXX I gave one to
MXX I still have 2 and I gave one to VXXwho said he'd mail a copy
to PXX. We in all had at least 4 tows for free and we fixed the
FXX bus at some cost and another car at some cost. Then SXXX
and RXX tyranny at also a cost but not bad. SXX got
fixed by VXX of Lovin Oven and Barking lot and shuttle, she got
her own parts, timing belt etc and computer work. The site looks
great. I logged Telegraph hill (high wholly) and Handicamp to slow
down traffic for growth. The F.S. locals will later cut and log all
roads in. This was a project planned long before we arrived. They
attempted to halt all traffic a few years ago. The grass has grown
immensely and over 5 inches in some areas. SCROLL camps fire pit has
a 5 " growth. Even the roads have lots of grass especially near Trade
Circle. Hundreds of aggressive cows and bulls chased us and our dogs
all over the place. An elk was spotted and lots of birds and also
Ravens everywhere. So all is well. The local thrift shop came up
several times to find stuff out of our trash and to be social. Many
many locals came up to help and visit. I went to the County Fair and
all were cordial. The Cuba News will allow me to print a thank you as
we sometimes do, only this time for free, if I get to it on time.
They also want fotos and may give us an entire page. I'm guessing all
of you heard of DXXX from Calm ripping off the family and supply /
bank $ as well as robbing LXXX and PXXX as well as many others.
We were all shocked we all knew he was a bit disturbed but never
expected that. As the reports go he has done similar actions to other
groups also. Even the local health inspectors were surprised yet did
not trust him from the beginning due to his arrogance and erratic
behavior. However he sort of fooled everyone. You can send this out
to anyone or edit it as you wish. I will be in town for a few more
days then off to see N.M. etc.

Cleanup Letter from USFS

The clean up letter is here:

Page 1
http://www.karinzirk.com/rainbow/Cleanup_ltr_2009_p1.jpg

Page 2
http://www.karinzirk.com/rainbow/Cleanup_ltr_2009_p2.jpg

Please download and distribute.

Looks like cleanup is about done.

Saturday, July 25,2009 there were 9 vehicles remaining on site. Two
were being worked on (transmission replacement on one, timing chain
on the other). The last of the necessary parts had been delivered to
the parts store in Cuba and had been picked up. The last of the water
pipe was being wrapped and loaded. All of the trash had been removed
and recycled or taken to the transfer station.

The interior of the site was growing back beautifully. The late
afternoon downpours - called the 'monsoon season' here in New Mexico
- has come early this year. This has meant that our crews have faced
heavy rainstorms that last only a half hour or so. And that has
soaked the ground, meaning that where we have scarified and duffed
the soil, green plants have poked up and are growing abundantly.all
native species. So in all the high-use areas there is already green
groundcover. It's very beautiful. All the trails have been
re-naturalized. And there have been waterbars put where there is
chance for erosion. The FS has walked thru several times and I think
they like what they see. All the items on our mutual list have been done.

When I left the site yesterday evening the cleanup was in its final
phase: exiting the operating plan area. Everyone remaining was
aligned with a vehicle. There was one cleanup community firepit and
two small warming fires remaining. Heavy rains or something
unforeseen could slow the exit down. But I think we have done a sweet
job leaving Parque Venado and its surrounding woodlands.

Cleanup stuff

NM Rainbow Gathering Cleanup, Friday, July 18, 2009

There were about 120 people onsite yesterday evening. Just about
everyone was working busily on cleanup. Youngsters and oldsters
moving over the landscape with the telltale signs of Cleanup Crew: a
trashbag tied to the waist, falling apart gloves and a tool or bucket
in hand. In the morning we had a family cleanup council. Folks came
from just about every remaining campsite and we all talked about our
various plans for finishing cleanup and packing ourselves out. There
are five vehicles which either need help or have been abandoned.
Pretty much everyone is aligned with a running vehicle for exiting.

The inside of the site is looking 'almost 100%.' Regular late
afternoon showers have helped the high-use areas start greening up
already. Most of the trails were disappeared and all the fire pits
and kitchen areas vanished, scarified and re-duffed.

There is still population along the road by the trailheads and
handicamp - where cleanup is still centered, but that is all planning
to relocate to a different area so the trailhead/handicamp zone can
be re-naturalized too.

On last Monday the 13th we did a long walking tour with the FS
Resource Team and together identified areas that needed work. I'd say
we were in agreement about what was already done to high standards
and what still required attention. Except for what's along the road,
most of the walkthrough's list has been accomplished.

There was probably less overall 'Trash': mixed bags that find
themselves transported to the recycling areas than we've had in the
past. And almost every one of those was opened, gone thru and sorted
for recycling. The glass, metal, aluminum and #1 and #2 plastics
have been transported to recycle stations in Albuquerque and the
non-recyclable has been taken to the transfer station in Cuba,
NM where we have made an arrangement to pay for the excess dumpster
space used. Kitchens have set aside cases of unopened foods for the
local food bank. Warm clothing and blankets left behind are being
dried out, folded and accepted by a local service that can distribute
these next fall.

More later next week.

Consensus for 2010 is East Coast

Consensus at 4:40 pm July 9th, 2009 in Vision Council at Venado Parque meadow, New Mexico for the annual Rainbow Gathering, July 1-7 2010:

New Hampshire, Vermont, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Tennessee, North Carolina, Kentucky.

Preacher Mike in Accident enroute to gathering

If you're in or near Albuquerque, please stop at the UNM hospital and visit Mike. He apparently has some spinal injuries. Ask for Michael Cardinal.

Updated on July 7th in AM - went to the hospital - he's been released and is heading home.

Update from the land

Mobile post sent by nmgathering using Utterli.  Replies.  mp3

Cops

126 and 69

Cops at 69 and 126

Cops at 69 and 126 cell at welcome home