Forest Service Rules Changes

Public Announcement!

The U.S. Forest Service has proposed a new rule (RIN 0596-AD74) that could radically change how public lands are managed, and it could deeply impact future Rainbow Family Gatherings.

The Forest Service wants to update its internal rulebook (the Manual and Handbooks) to give itself more flexibility.

1. Less Input: The rule would allow the agency to delete or cancel existing internal policies without asking for public comment first.

2. Fast-Tracked Closures: Local forest managers would get more power to bypass standard hurdles, making it easier for them to issue sudden, last-minute site closures or camping restrictions.

3. Unpredictable Enforcement: Law enforcement and field officers would have more leeway to change enforcement tactics and camping violations on the spot, rather than sticking to fixed, uniform rules.

Because the Family operates without official permits, we rely heavily on fair, predictable rules and legal transparency. This change makes it much easier for the agency to shift the goalposts right as a gathering begins.

No one should have the right to bypass the current rules without true public oversight! If they want to change the regulations in their massive, 900-page rulebook, they need to do it transparently and give the public more than a mere 30 days to comment.

WE NEED TO VOICE OUR CONCERNS NOW!

The public comment period closes on July 31, 2026. It only takes a few minutes to let them know that public lands require public transparency.

How to comment:

1. Go to Regulations.gov

2. Search for Docket ID: FS-2026-0067 (or RIN 0596-AD74)

3. Click "Comment" and tell them why public oversight is needed for management practices on public land.

Share if you can! Thanks!

~ Edit: the website is down if you go to this link you can submit a comment online but mail is much better (I am not sure if they treat these online comments equally on federal register.gov as they do on regulations.gov)

Did you receive a citation at the gathering?

 Citation Holders

 If you received a citation at the gathering and did not attend court on June 30th either because you were not scheduled to attend that day or because you did not receive a court date, I would like to pull a circle of people together to help everyone plan.

It may take some time for citations to be entered into the system and some people have never found their citations in the system.  

I believe there may be two options on the table, but I am willing to explore other options as well. Let's put our heads together. 

Email me at zirk karin at gmail dot com.  I am putting together a list and then will reach out and propose some times we can do a Zoom to discuss what tickets people have and what information they may have.

Let's deal with it together. 

Pay Online

In California 2024, there was on online payment system that you could use to pay your ticket online or go to court on the date assigned to you months after the gathering. It took a few months before peoples' tickets appeared in the system, but once there you had the option to pay Collateral forfeiture. This is a legal process that allows individuals charged with certain petty offenses to pay a specified amount of money to the government instead of appearing in court, effectively resolving the case without a conviction being recorded. 

CVB website and additional information.

In this model, as long as you pay your ticket before the scheduled court date, you do not need to appear at your arraignment to avoid a Federal Warrant as long as you pay the ticket a few days in advance. Don't wait until the last minute as courts move slowly and you don't want to pay the ticket the day before, the court may not be aware, and then you will get a Federal Warrant.

Mandatory court appearance months after the gathering 

These are Federal mandatory court appearance tickets that require you to appear in a Federal Courthouse (typically in the State's Capital) a few months after the gathering is over. This happened in Missouri 2025. People were not allowed to pay their tickets online. Everyone had to travel to Springfield Missouri in October and plead no contest or not guilty. The information I received from those who went through the process was that the court was not prepared for this nor did they know anything about it until 1-2 weeks ahead of time. 

I don't know if this will happen this year or not, but I have a plan to deal with this and prevent each of you from having to travel to Pennsylvania. 

 

Prior to the gathering, I share tips on Avoiding citations at the gathering. Obviously this doesn't cover all possible cases.

Maddie's thoughts on this year's gathering (Guest post)

This is a post Maddie wrote on Facebook on July 19th at 10:15 PM and which I am sharing here with her permission.

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Hey Family!
Updates, news, & first hand accounts on the 2026 annual gathering Allegheny National Forest from Oasis & Stardust:
Overall, it was a wonderful, music-filled, gathering of love, peace, and unity.
❣️All kitchens and camps are re-naturalized; the bridge to main meadow has been put to rest & the huge trash pile has been brought up the hill and out of the forest. Front gate has been handled and cared for immaculately. No micro trash, and as of now is completely unoccupied.
❣️6&7up have continued to check in and we’ve had conversations about being on the same team to support the land together. It ended with an overwhelming, “you know what, maybe we are of the same team”.
That we all love the land and want to see it respected. We can also respect they are not going away, how to have humor about it, and to get better at doing what we do.
Acknowledging their presence and truly being on top of our game. We had some highs, we had some lows, but what can we do to get better, and overcome it as a family?
❣️There was a strong 6&7up presence throughout the gathering and we received 2 parking tickets in spots that were not marked as no parking with one of them leading to a canine search and drug paraphernalia ticket. We brought our bus and other rainbow family that had tickets to the court date which, for us, resulted in a dismissal of 2 tickets and the other was a $5 + $30 processing fee. that’s it.
•They were also so gracious to drop more dramatic charges like possession of quantities LSD as to not cause greater pain for certain family members displaying mercy and not having it go on their record. Everyone that went to court had their ticket dismissed or lowered considerably - mostly to $5.
❣️Continue coordinating an annual “hippie bus” to take all people with tickets as a one to court.
❣️having a list of names of each person that gets on the bus and goes to court for the “ticket cost reduction ceremony”
and then bringing that list of names to the Magic hat to be handed by family?
• This would essentially solve a lot of anxiety people have about their tickets, how to pay it, and making it way less stressful and scary to get one. We can truly handle this as a team! It can be fun to get a ticket! (If we do it together)
•it would likely be most condusive to have a relationship with the leo’s & 6’up acknowledging the deeper roots and our inevitable interconnectedness and likely lowering or eliminating tickets and ticket harassments entirely. as we lower harassing them & and begin a relationship with them and the forest, but a relationship with love entirely.
❣️Truly pack in and pack OUT. Clean up camps. Bring out your tents / sleeping mats & trash.
❣️Maybe we start a trash council on the 6th of July. Discussing hauling in a dump trailer to be hauled away when full. We spent 700$+ on gas and dump fees from Magic hat and banking council. Making it cheaper, but also freeing up one of our dedicated and glorious clean up brothers from having to drive to and from the dump each day and away from the woods where he could be with us in prayer and action.
because this problems not going away, and being handled by volunteers! Let’s consider their life and their life and make it easier on them by getting a dump trailer?
❣️Clean up crew is paid in nothing but love!
The condition which the forest was left prior to cleanup seems to be completely against the culture. We should be making less of a footprint as individuals bearing more as individuals, and bearing more together. sweating more sweat. Do it out of love!
❣️More lime and awareness of use of lime
We saw this to be a problem that bled into cleanup because of the presence of flys.
Lime is a white powder that they sell at hardware stores / Lowe’s / tractor supply, and a 1-2 millimeter layer at a latrine will completely stop flys from laying eggs in poop, and hating entirely.
Helping to help the people, and the butterfly’s as well. We actually watched a fly buz a butterfly and annoy it so much it found another flower. Flys are awfully inconsiderate, and something we can avoid a great share of by stocking plenty of lime at main supply.  
❣️BRING A BAG OF LIME!!! (If you have the means)
❣️Lime reduces fly populations dramatically! A surplus of lime is not a bad thing.
❣️continuing to work together as family to move through the steep hills, the joy, the love, the tickets, and the trash. There truly is no conflict that we can not overcome together. Let us take joy in unity! 

Vision Council Consensuses

Vision Council Consensus

We, the People, on the land currently known as the Allegheny National Forest, forever the ancestral homelands of the Seneca people of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, warmly welcome all peaceful beings to join us in co-creating a celebration and prayer for world peace at the 2027 Annual Rainbow Gathering, from July 1-7 on the land currently known as Nebraska or Wyoming.

As we enter an area with potentially high fire risk, we commit to learning to use only propane and/or alternative fuel fires when necessary.

We ask family to work throughout the year to create an accessible 2027 Annual Gathering.

The Gathering is what we build together. We encourage individuals to arrive to seed camp as early as spring council to help build a strong village. To arrive early means to come prepared to take care of yourselves and others and help build the community. You have the opportunity to build the gathering you wish to see.

We invite individuals to continue circling for harvest counsel, October 22-26.

WE LOVE YOU!

 

July 6 Lost People, Pets and Things

Folks leaving the woods quickly. Temperature is much nicer but intermittent rain fall. Lots of mud and wet clothes. You must hike up to the road to get cell service and have your phone charged. Beautiful gathering, beautiful Interdependence Day with two rainbows and an amazing kids parade.

By now all people and pets should be reunited as everyone has left the woods. 

Things are another story. If you lost something very valuable or unique (like hand made jewelry), comment on this post with what you lost and I'll see if I have it. 

Update June 29

Days are getting warm. Remember to hydrate. The meadow is beautiful. Full moon tonight. Join is at the heart fire. Do not leave anything visible that is not legal in the national forest. The LEOs are training on us. The come through the woods at 2 am. All parking is road parking. Make sure all 4 wheels are off the road. Energy is high and beautiful. Meadow is lovely Pay attention to Milkweed . Please do not trample them Baby bats are being born now in standing dead. Please don’t cut or camp nest them. Both bats and butterflies are endangered. Live lightly on the land.

Update June 25

Please spread the word that there is room for 20 more cars off the road at the front gate trailhead plus liots of off the road near the trailhead. Most of the trails are cartable with 3 people. No easy trails for regular carts but deer carts work well.