In 2006, an estimated 15,000 members of the ‘Rainbow Family’ group, often described as ‘hippies‘ and as part of a ‘non-organization,’ took over a large swath of land in Colorado’s Routt National Forest during an illegal gathering. The same group may be coming back to the Centennial State this summer.

While the annual gatherings of the Rainbow Family of the Living Light are described by some as a celebration of nature and life, others find issue with the massive crowds that the events bring to public land for extended periods of time. Not only can Rainbow Family gatherings cost the Forest Service hundreds of thousands of dollars each year, major concerns also exist regarding the environmental impact of long-term forest use by such a large group.

In 2006, the National Forest Service had denied the group two permit applications for their Steamboat Springs-area gathering – one permit that contained profanity and a second that was denied due to fire safety concerns. The group gathered anyway, citing that a permit requirement violated the constitutional freedom of assembly. In a matter of days, 100s of “violation notices” had been issued by Forest Service officers for a range of offenses, including illegal occupancy and use of a national forest and drug-related offenses.

This year, plans circulating the Internet seem to point to Colorado as the destination for the annual summer gathering, once again. Two different presumably-related Facebook groups reference Colorado. The first is ‘2022 Colorado 50th Annual Rainbow Gathering,’ a group with 1,700 members that has been used to promote events in other states in the past. The second is ‘Rainbow Gathering Vision 2022 Colorado,’ which implies a destination of Table Mountain (Golden area) or Strawberry Lake (Granby area) – where the first intentional group gathering took place in 1972.

A plan to hold the festival in Colorado is also mentioned in a report from the Grand Gazette, with someone involved in the location selection process stating that the 2022 event will happen in Colorado, but that the exact spot is to be determined. He also notes that the Strawberry Lake site would likely be deemed too vulnerable by the group, possibly due to recent fire activity in the area.

While members of the group believe their gathering is well-intentioned, rumors of the group’s return to Colorado has drawn criticism online.

On the popular forum-based website Reddit, members of a Denver-centric message board with 282,000 members have shown a strong negative reaction, also encouraging the public to contact officials at local national forest offices about the supposed event. Outrage and concern focuses mostly on damage done to natural spaces by the event in the past, including the creation of informal trails, excessive human and animal waste left in centralized spots, and the stripping of tree branches for burning. Worry that the event could attract criminals has also be expressed, as well as concern about the major fire risk that overcrowding in the backcountry could pose.

There are obvious environmental concerns that come with any long-term occupation of a space, especially by a large group – one reason why groups larger than 75 require a special-use permit to legally gather. Generally, these events are billed as taking place during the first week of July, though many participants can get there early and stay for much longer, with some sources stating that the event can last an entire month.

Last year, the Rainbow Gathering event took place in Carson National Forest, New Mexico, near Taos. An Associated Press report on the event noted that Forest Service officials have said that recent gatherings have had little impact on water, erosion, and other areas of concern.

To those reading this article that are planning to attend a Rainbow Gathering – know that fire risk in Colorado is extremely high and with a record-setting number of people entering the outdoor recreation space in recent years, many natural spots are already strained. Please work with local agencies and the Forest Service to host an event that is sustainable, responsible, and aligned with conservation goals.

Whether or not this event ends up taking place in our beautiful state, it’s always a good idea to familiarize yourself with the Leave No Trace principles that help protect our beloved environment for future generations, which includes tips for camping sustainably and ways to minimize the impact of a campfire.

Protecting Colorado’s natural resources relies on proper usage by those that enter the space, not just the work that is done by those officially in charge of managing an area. Do your part and be a responsible camper and a responsible outdoor recreator.

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