Incident Information Team
Carrie Sammons - Deschutes National Forest
Rose Davis - Caribou National Forest
Tim Evans - Colville National Forest
Sheela McLean - Okanogan National Forest
Faith Duncan - Pike National Forest
Barbara Rich - Ochoco National Forest
Karen Bushnell Jones - Ochoco National Forest
Letter to Congressionals
United States Department of Agriculture
Forest Service
Ochoco National Forest
P.O. Box 490, Prineville, OR 97754
(541) 416-6500
File Code: 1510
Date: June 16, 1997
For 25 years, a group of citizens calling themselves The Rainbow Family of Living Light have held their annual gathering on National Forest System Lands. The Rainbow Family is a loosely knit, "leaderless" group of individuals from all parts of the country. Reminiscent of the "hippies" of the 1960's, the Rainbow Family meets to "celebrate Mother Earth and pray for world peace" with activities peaking on July 4.
The Rainbow Family has chosen the Big Summit Ranger District of the Ochoco National Forest for the 1997 Gathering. The estimated ten to twenty thousand attendees have begun arriving and will depart mid-July.
The large number of Rainbow Family Gathering attendees meeting in one place creates a small town with many of the same concerns such as sanitation, water availability, crime, child care and social interaction. It is also an opportunity for communities in the area to benefit economically. The participants will pass through local towns on their way to the Gathering and purchase supplies such as food and gasoline.
The Forest Service is prepared for this event. The Central Oregon Interagency Incident Management Team, including individuals experienced in managing the annual Gathering, is assigned to proactively provide service, information and law enforcement cooperation with communities impacted by the influx of people attending the Gathering. Forest Service priorities during this event are public safety and health, customer service and resource rehabilitation.
The Forest Service will continue updating your office during the event. Please contact Incident Commander Mike Lohrey at 541-447-1040 if you have any questions.
Sincerely,
THOMAS A. SCHMIDT
Forest Supervisor
Hon. Robert F. Smith
Member of Congress
843 East Main, Suite 400
Medford, OR 97501
Honorable Gordon Smith
Member of Congress
131 NW Hawthorne Ave., Suite 208
Bend, OR 97701
Honorable Ron Wyden
Member of Congress
131 NW Hawthorne, Suite 107
Bend, OR 97701
Governor John Kitzhaber
254 State Capitol
Salem, OR 97310
Senator Neil Bryant
S-206, State Capitol
Salem, OR 97310
Senator Ted Ferrioli
S-206, State Capitol
Salem, OR 97310
Representative Dennis Luke
H-285 State Capitol
Salem, OR 97310
Representative Ben Westlund
H-285 State Capitol
Salem, OR 97310
Representative Lynn Lundquist
Salem: Room 269, State Capitol
Salem, OR 97310
Initial Rainbow Briefing Paper: 1997
1997 RAINBOW FAMILY NATIONAL GATHERING
Ochoco National Forest
Big Summit Ranger District
June 1997
The Rainbow Family has selected the Ochoco National Forest/Big Summit Ranger District as the location for the 1997 Rainbow Family National Gathering. The Gathering will be managed by the Central Oregon Interagency Incident Management Team.
For the past 25 years, a group of individuals known as the "Rainbow Family of Living Light" has gathered on National Forest System Lands for an annual event. Past events have been attended by 5,000-35,000 people. Rainbow Family members are already at the site with the majority expected to arrive late-June. The main part of the event occurs July 1 - 7, peaking July 4th when the group prays together for world peace and healing. The Gathering then tapers off, leaving a clean-up crew, ranging from 200 to 1,000, which is usually finished with clean-up and rehabilitation by early August.
In 1988 the Forest Service challenged the Rainbow Family's right to gather on National Forest System Lands. The Court ruling upheld that refusal by the Forest Service to accommodate them would violate their constitutional right of free speech and right to assembly. Under the new 1995 Noncommercial Group Use Regulations, groups of 75 or more are required to have a permit to gather on the National Forest. There are eight criteria that must be met, these criteria are narrow and unrelated to the content of speech. They regulate the time, place and manner for noncommercial group uses. These features of the rule are necessary to ensure compliance with the First Amendment requirements of freedom of speech, assembly and religion.
A Rainbow Family gathering does impact the area where it occurs, especially the surrounding communities. Local and state governments will expend money to cover law enforcement, traffic management and health inspections. Social services, such as food banks, food stamps, etc., will likely be utilized. The Rainbows usually take care of their own minor first aid needs.
For additional information contact the Incident Commander or Information Officer at 541-447-1040.
Appendix D
List of Key Contacts
Judge Fred Rogers
Scott Cooper
Bobbie Bourne
Appendix E
Daily Trapline Visits
Prineville
The Ochoco NF Forest Supervisor is the Administrator of "the permit" which allows the Rainbow Family to legally gather on the Big Summit Ranger District of the Ochoco NF.
The Central Oregon Interagency Management Team will assist the Forest Supervisor in the administration of " the permit".
The Ops Section Chief (Resources) will be responsible for monitoring and gaining compliance with those items pertaining to the natural resources in the Operating Plan as specified below:
Transportation and Parking
All
"Fire"
All
"Sanitation"
5. Ops will monitor the placement of the latrines in regards to deep, dry soils.
6. All except for hand washing requirements.
7. all
8. all
9. all
Site and Resource Concerns"
1. all
2. all
3. all
4. all
6. all
"General"
All
O/C - 071041 (in remarks put 375906 with override code 0627)
Duty Station -
Dress -
Fire Plan (review)
Checking In and out
Div/Grp Sup Duties
1. Always enter gathering area in pairs, identifiable as FS employees, with radio communications.
2. Your duties are permit compliance MONITORING when not engaged in fire suppression activities.
3. Become very familiar with the Operating plan as you will be making regular trips into the gathering area to ensure that the resource concerns as specified in the plan are being complied with. You WILL NOT be making compliance contacts.
4. Note items that are not in compliance with the Operating Plan and report these items to the Ops SC (Res) at end of shift (see report info needs).
5. If you are unsure of an item, check with Resource Advisor or Ops SC (res).
6. Update "facilities'' map as you find new latrine sites, kitchens, etc.
7. Illegal acts reporting.
| Friday 6/27 | Sat 6/28 | Sun 6/29 | Mon 6/30 | Tue 7/1 |
| Hampton | Hampton | Bell | Bell | Bell |
| Magill | Magill | Barton | Barton | Barton |
| Wed 7/2 | Thur 7/3 | Fri 7/4 | Sat 7/5 | Sun 7/6 |
| Hampton | Hampton | Hampton | Bell | Bell |
| Donham | Donham | Donham | Donham | Magill |
| Mon 7/7 | Tue 7/8 | Wed 7/9 | Thur 7/10 | |
| Barton | Barton | Barton | Bell | |
| Magill | Magill | Donham | Donham |
Work Hours (tentatively) 0800 - 1800
Be advised that travel time from your home to ICP or ICP to home is not paid time (since this is not an emergency).
It is the intent of this plan to identify the responsibilities of the Central Oregon Incident Management Team (COIMT) for fire suppression activities in and around the Rainbow Family Gathering area at Indian Prairie.
I. Initial Attack Staffing
IA staffing will be based on the "Staffing Class" adjective as provided by Central Oregon Interagency Dispatch Center (COIDC) daily.
"LOW": no initial attack (IA) staffing required.
"Moderate": one type 6 engine with 3 person crew and one Div/Grp Sup. Work hours will be 0900-1900 daily.
"High": two type 6 engines with 3 person crews and one Div/Grp Sup. Work hours will be 0900-2000 daily.
"Extreme": two type 6 engines with 3 person crews, one Div/Grp Sup. Work hours will be 0800-2000 daily.
II. Initial Attack Response Area and Access Routes
See attached map.
III. Detection
Pisgah Lookout will provide detection services for the event. Work hours will be determined by the Big Summit FMO and coordinated with Operations (Resources) of COIMT.
If the Lookout detects a fire in the IA Response Area, the fire will be reported to COIDC over "Ochoco 3" frequency (see IV below). COIDC will contact Rainbow ICP Dispatcher with the fire report information. Rainbow Dispatch will then dispatch IA resources assigned to the Rainbow Event to the fire using standard fire dispatching procedures.
IV. Radio Frequencies
Ochoco 3 - Rx 169.125 Tx 169.125 T-131.8
Ochoco 4 - Rx 169.125 TX 168.125 T-146.2
Command - Rx 168.075 TX 170.425
Tac 1 (fire) - Rx and TX 168.200
Rainbow Dispatch will use Command frequency to dispatch Rainbow Event IA resources to fires within the event area. Rainbow IA resources will monitor Ochoco 3, Command, and Tac 1. Once on the fire, Tac 1 will be the frequency used for fire suppression work unless otherwise instructed.
V. Fire Reporting Protocal (within event area)
Any fire reported in the event area shall be reported to Rainbow Dispatch (447-1040) and COIDC (416-6800) at earliest possible opportunity, either by radio through Ochoco frequency or by telephone. Ops Section Chief (OSC) will also be notified thru Command frequency (see IV above). Standard fire reporting procedures will be followed.
COIDC will notify Big Summit FMO of any fire activity within the Rainbow Event Area.
VI. IA Response to Fires (Event Resources)
IA resources will respond to any fire reported in the Event Area via shortest route. The Div/Grp Sup assigned to IA resources will lead the resources to the incident. Law Enforcement personnel may be requested to assist IA resources in getting to the incident. OSC will also respond to all fire reports within identified response area. All IA resources will use Red Lights and Sirens (if available) when responding to fires to provide for public safety.
VII. Response to Fires Outside of Response Area
Requests for Rainbow IA resources to respond to fires outside of the Response Area will be requested through OSC (resources). The need to "move up" Central Oregon Fire Mgmt Services (COFNS) resources to replace "event" resources will be decided on a case-by-case basis through discussions between OSC (resources) and COIDC.
VIII. Large Fire Contingency
A. Extended Attack. If a fire should exceed the capability of the Rai>