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[This was the plan for the national gathering in Washington. The original can be viewed here.]
Operating Plan
2011 Peaceable Assembly and Free Speech Gathering
Gifford Pinchot National Forest
June & July 2011
Modified June 26, 2011
Includes edits made June 29, 2011
Copies of the Operating Plan will be available at the peaceful assembly information center and at other locations.
This operating plan has been developed to mitigate potential resource impacts associated with the 2011 peaceable assembly and free speech gathering (gathering) on the Gifford Pinchot National Forest. This plan is designed to follow the standards and guidelines of the Forest Plan and the Code of Federal Regulations applicable to National Forest System lands.
The primary goals of this operating plan are:
~ Public health and safety
~ Minimize impacts to the resource and leave site at or near pre-gathering conditions.
~ Minimize impacts and disruptions to local communities.
The gathering will maintain a counsel/council for administrative agreement matters and resource concerns between the Forest Service and the gathering.
HEALTH and SAFETY
1) Individuals are responsible for their own health and safety.
2) CALM (Center for Alternative Living Medicine) will identify vehicles to be used for emergencies to the Forest Service.
3) The Forest Service and CALM will be notified of any contagious outbreaks.
4) Biological hazards generated at the CALM tent or elsewhere, will be disposed of at an appropriate medical waste disposal facility. No biological waste will be buried, remain on the site, or disposed of with other trash.
5) Participants of the gathering will establish contacts with local agencies, businesses, and organizations to arrange services (i.e. garbage, recycling, medical) and supplies as needed.
6) Participants of the gathering will be responsible for emergency medical coordination and evacuation with area medical facilities.
7) Nudity on roads and areas open to public traffic outside the main gathering site is not allowed. Nudity is permitted within the gathering site and on roads closed to public traffic which are within the gathering site.
PARKING/TRAVEL
8) Parking areas will be agreed upon by the Forest Service. Participants of the gathering are solely responsible to provide personnel to organize, direct, and provide security for the parking area(s), and will strongly encourage the parking guidelines. Site specific needs will be addressed on location to provide for shuttle, supply, route closures, etc. Vehicles parked in areas specifically closed for parking, or parked in a manner that interferes with ingress/egress of emergency vehicles will be towed at the owner's expense. Vehicles parked along the side of roads, where parking is allowed, must be pulled off as far as possible. At a minimum, there must be one and a half car widths (approximately 10-12 feet) of clearance in the roadway. If this is not possible then the vehicle must be moved and parked in other designated parking areas.
9) Administrative parking areas are identified by the Forest Service. These areas will be signed and marked. If the area markings are removed, anything stored in that area will be confiscated, and any vehicles parked in that area will be towed. It is the responsibilities of the gathering individuals to insure those areas remain accessible to the Forest Service.
10) Log crossings over creeks/streams will be constructed as to minimize impacts to the banks.
CAMPING
11) Sensitive areas (wetlands, sensitive species, archeological sites, etc.) will be flagged by the Forest Service. Participants at the gathering are responsible for not camping or congregating within these areas, and for not removing items from these areas (plants, items over 50 years old such as bottles, cans, etc.).
12) The Forest Service rules state there will be no camping within 150 feet of surface water,or where posted, however, it is recognized that numerous water sources exist and that itmay be difficult to achieve the 150' goal. Thus camps must be on dry or hardened sitesthat are not creating resource damage such as mud bogs or trampling of plants,particularly in riparian zones.
KITCHENS
13) Gray water and compost from pits from kitchens should be at least 200 feet from surface water (unless otherwise agreed upon by the Forest Service resource advisors) and should not be located in areas that contain riparian vegetation. They should be covered when they reach 5 inches from the surface.
14) If ground water appears while digging any holes (slit trenches, gray water, compost pits, bliss pits, etcetera) the site should be immediately refilled, abandoned and moved to a different location, generally uphill.
15) Participants of the gathering will monitor all activities to ensure that soap, disinfectants, medical waste, or any other foreign material will not be introduced into lakes, streams, or other surface waters.
16) Avoid excavating or digging out around drinking water sources. Use temporary collection techniques (such as rocks, logs, or tarps) to collect drinking water at the source.
17) Kitchen washing procedures are recommended to be a three bucket system. A handwashing station is recommended for each kitchen area.
18) Drinking water should be filtered, boiled and/or treated.
SLIT TRENCHES
19) Participants of the gathering are advised to maintain approximately one functioning latrine per 100 people. The treatment of human waste is dependent upon numerous factors. Therefore, to assure health and safety of visitors to the peaceful assembly, the following actions should be followed:
Slit trenches or earth pit privies will be used. They should be constructed on upland, dry sites. They should be located at least 200 feet from surface waters, kitchens and down slope from any drinking water sources unless agreed upon with Forest Service resource advisors. Trenches should be approximately 12-18 inches wide (i.e. shovel width or better) and of an adequate length for the anticipated number of people. Buckets of lime or wood ash shall be available at all trenches or privy sites. Trenches or pits shall be closed when they fill to approximately 15 inches of the surface. A hand wash station should be provided at each location.TRASH
20) Trash will be removed from the site. Only paper and wood trash will be burned on site.
CAMPFIRES/FUEL WOOD
21) Fires will be attended to at all times. All community fire hearths/pits will be no larger than 10 feet in diameter. It is recommended that a shovel and at least one 3 gallon container of water will be placed at each campfire location.
22) Fire rings will utilize rock or mud linings to prevent spread. Avoid digging out fire pits in meadows. In other areas just remove the immediate surface material
23) Only dead and down firewood may be used. No cutting of green trees or standing dead trees will be allowed. With Forest Service resource advisors' specific approval, individual standing dead may be removed on a case by case basis.
ANIMALS
24) In order to ensure wildlife safety, protect natural resources and minimize negative impacts to public health, animals must be under leash control at all times.
25) Animal waste will be cleaned up immediately and disposed of in latrines, compost pits or in another environmentally responsible manner.
26) All abandoned animals will be removed by participants of the peaceful assembly.
SITE REHABILITATION
27) Unless areas are identified and excluded by the Forest Service resource advisors, all parking areas, bus villages, trails, and areas of concentrated use will be scarified to a depth of 2-4 inches and will be seeded with a native seed mix approved by the Forest Service resource advisors. Seeding will be accomplished by the end of clean up of the gathering.
28) Slit trenches and latrines will be filled and covered with native material from the surrounding area or native material originally removed from the pit and mounded with excess material to allow for settling.
29) All trash will be removed and disposed of at recognized sanitary landfill, transfer stations, or local trash hauling companies.
30) All human made structures not previously existing at the gathering location (bridges, non-natural materials, swings, lean-to's, ovens, "art") will be dismantled, removed, or scattered to achieve a natural appearance.
31) Any user created trails will be obliterated. Existing trails will be returned to a width specified by the Forest Service, with the appropriate water controls to avoid concentrations of water and prevent erosion and gully formation
32) All water lines will be removed from the gathering site.
33) All vehicles abandoned by the gathering participants will be removed from the National Forest at the owner's expense and at no cost to the Forest Service.
34) Fire/bliss pits will be filled with native material from the surrounding area or material originally removed, and mounded with excess material to allow for settling. Rocks will be scattered to give a natural appearance to the landscape
35) Site specific rehabilitation needs will be identified at a walk through with gathering participants and the Forest Service resource advisors after July 4, at a time to be predetermined.
We support the goals of the peaceful assembly operating plan:
Consensus reached on June 29,2011
Seed camp council/counsel participants on the land support the version of the 2011 Peaceable Assembly and Free Speech Gathering operating plan created on June 29, 2011 and written by seed camp counsel/council participants and the Forest Service resource advisors.
We strongly recommend main council support this operating plan by consensus.