Routt National Forest – This remote area’s natural splendor is what drew thousands of Rainbow Family members to camp here, but its beauty is deceptive, a U.S. Forest Service official said Saturday.
“It looks great, but it fools people,” said Kim Vogel, a spokeswoman for Routt National Forest. “We’ve been in a drought long enough that our trees, live or dead, have a lot less moisture than they do normally.”
A beetle infestation has killed trees and made matters worse, she said, and officials plan to tighten fire restrictions this week.
The high fire risk, along with the fact that only one road leads in and out of the encampment, was one of the reasons the Forest Service denied the peace-loving counterculture group’s application for a permit to camp there legally.
On Thursday, a small blaze broke out in the Rainbow Family’s campsite. The human- caused blaze torched a tree and not much else, officials said, adding that Rainbow Family members’ firefighting efforts failed. A Forest Service engine extinguished the fire before it grew to a tenth of an acre.
“If they start a fire that becomes a wildland fire … they can be held liable for the cost of fighting the fire and other damages,” said Diann Ritschard, a Forest Service spokeswoman.
Forest Service officials expect up to 20,000 people could attend this year’s Rainbow Family gathering, which peaks July 4 with a prayer circle and parade.
After 34 years of dealing with the guerrilla gatherings, federal officials have it down to a science.
“Basically, our strategy is to work with them in advance,” said Denise Ottaviano, a U.S. Forest Service spokeswoman.
So far, that strategy has never worked.
“They have refused to get a permit in the past,” said Ottaviano, part of a national incident command team summoned here to handle the latest family reunion. “Every year, we are forced to cite them for that.”
But in each of the past three years, a member has stepped forward and signed a permit application, which Ottaviano considers progress.
Since Monday, officers have swarmed the forest roads near the gathering 30 miles north of Steamboat Springs, ticketing hundreds of the more than 2,000 people in the woods.
On Friday, hundreds of hippies who received citations appeared in court. Most received fines of $125 to $135 and a warning to leave within 24 hours. The government waived the additional possibility of six months of jail time, said Magistrate Judge David West.
Forestry officials declared Saturday that they would “actively pursue” those who didn’t show.
Staff Writer Brandon Lowreycan be reached at 303-820-1201 or blowrey@denverpost.com.
