US Forest Service releases ‘Rainbow Incident Web Page’ about potential gathering in Grand County
The U.S. Forest Service today released a so-called “Rainbow Incident Web Page” that concerned citizens can refer to in the lead up to a possible Rainbow Family gathering on the Arapaho National Forest in Grand County.
The information comes at a time when Grand County residents are expressing concern about a possible gathering, and Grand County commissioners have said the county “will not make allowances for an unpermitted event on public land by the USFS;” nor does it “support the Gathering.”
“Kind of the consensus unofficially is that they’re coming and we can do the best we can to prepare, even though we won’t know if they will come until the last minute,” Grand County Commissioner Merrit Linke said in an interview with the Sky-Hi News last week.
“The Rainbows are bad about paying bills like EMS response or hospitalization,” he added. “We’ll also need additional law enforcement services, which is money out of Grand County taxpayers’ pockets. So we’re trying to make sure the Forest Service will help us with some federal funding.”
In its release, the Forest Service stated that it, “mobilizes a national incident management team with experience managing these types of incidents. The team works closely with the local community, including law enforcement agencies, throughout the incident to protect the health and safety of everyone involved, and to lessen environmental impacts to the site by providing information and enforcing laws.”
The Rainbow Incident Web Page gives a history of the Rainbow Family, including the family’s first-ever gathering near Strawberry Lake in 1972, and an extensive Frequently Asked Questions list answering such questions as “What is the Rainbow Family of Living Light?” “Why is the Forest Service cooperating with an event that doesn’t have a permit?” “How does the Forest Service manage this event?” and “What makes the Forest Service think the event may occur in Colorado or Grand County?”
To read more, visit FS.USDA.gov/detail/r2/home/?cid=fseprd1011858, and to speak with a Forest Service official call 970-364-2201.
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