Hundreds of people attending the annual Rainbow Family Gathering have been forced to leave a national forest in Northern California in just two days — or face fines and jail time.
The National Forest System has told the more than 500 members of the Rainbow Family of Living Light to pack their bags Wednesday or face a fine of up to $5,000 or up to six months in jail.
New members of the counterculture movement who report in the coming days will also be fined. If the members do not leave the location within 48 hours, the police will consider other options.
National Forest System officials say the order was issued to protect the natural, tribal and cultural resources on the land — in addition to concerns about fire safety and public health, reports the San Francisco Chronicle.
The annual Rainbow Family Gathering had already drawn 500 people to the Plumas National Forest on Wednesday – and more are expected to arrive in the coming days
Members of the Rainbow Family of Living Light began setting up camp in the Plumas National Forest on Monday, but within a few days the number of people gathering in the forest exploded. KRCR reports.
It is expected to grow even further in the coming days, bringing around 10,000 visitors to the area before a large-scale celebration on the 4th of July.
But the group, which claims it has no leader, has not applied for a special use permit from the U.S. National Parks Service, which is required for any event involving more than 75 people.
The group has noted that it does not claim leadership, and therefore there is no one to sign such permits.
As the group of anti-culture protesters continued to grow, National Parks Service officials said they became concerned that their gathering would threaten public health and safety.
The U.S. National Forest Service has now ordered members to leave the area
If they don’t evacuate after 48 hours, police would consider other options
“The forest is concerned about the more than 500 individuals already dispersed camping in a concentrated area,” Plumas National Forest Supervisor Chris Carlton said in a statement to the Chronicle.
He noted that the National Parks Service is “always willing to work with any organization or group interested in recreation on the national forest,” and said the priority is “maintaining public health and safety and appropriate management of public lands and natural resources.”
But the group had already begun digging trenches for latrines, digging compost pits and diverting water from Indian Creek before the evacuation order was issued Wednesday. Action News Now reports.
Members also trampled local vegetation and authorities became concerned about the risk of forest fires. They stated that there would be a ‘zero tolerance’ policy for fires in the area. It is expected to be warmer than average in the coming days, increasing the risk of forest fires.
“There will be no fire,” Coda Witt, the National Forest Service incident commander, said at a community meeting Tuesday evening.
“If they have a can of beans up there and they have to eat it, it’s going to be a cold can of beans. We don’t mess around with fire restrictions.”
Forest Service officials said they had ‘zero tolerance’ for fires in the Plumas National Forest
Forest Service officials now say they plan to implement the evacuation order, which Lassen County Supervisor Jason Ingram praised.
“I believe this is the first Rainbow Gathering event that has been shot, and you all had a hand in that,” he said of the service.
“As I have said from the beginning, my concerns at this meeting have always been the aspect of illegality, the increased fire risk this would have caused, the environmental impact and the blatant disrespect towards our local tribes.
“Events are fine,” Ingram continued, “but not events that blatantly ignore the law and endanger the fire safety of our country and our community.”
But at one public Facebook group Titled Rainbow Gathering 2024, one member said they are now considering an alternative location for their annual gathering.
The first national Rainbow gathering was held in 1972, partly an outgrowth of the community felt by many young people at the 1969 Woodstock music festival.
The meeting is held every year on national forest land.