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.

Rainbow Gathering Paperwork

For those who are interested in how the gathering was handled via an operating plan in 2010, you can read the operating plan here.

The District Ranger issued us a cleanup letter indicating that we met all the conditions outlined in the operating plan. 

Update June 21

Greetings from the land. Trail from Main Parking to Main Meadow is now cartable. There are steep parts where 2-3 people are needed. Tonight we will have dinner circle in the meadow at 6pm. Nights are cold especially down in the meadow. Bring warm stuff. Still working on access for people with mobility challenges. Dogs must be on leash. Tickets for off leash dogs are $380. First court date in Erie, PA on June 30. If you can support family at court it would be awesome. Help Needed. Please contact the Alleghney National Forest Distrct Ranger in the Bradford District. Please ask for Rich Hatfield and ask him to come meet with us on the land to work out an operating plan for this gathering. Please share this info with media in the area. We need to put pressure on the Incident Management Team to sit down with us and collaberate on creating a safe and healing gathering. Come home. We love you!