Appalachian Gathering 2012: Jules on Scouting

Where in the Appalachian Bioregion are we going?

Where in the Appalachian Bioregion are we going? The consensus was for the White Mountain National Forest (in the Northeast), or the Appalachian states of Kentucky, North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, Georgia. Spring Council selected a site in North Eastern Tennessee.

If you're not familiar with the gauntlet on the road into the gathering, and want to avoid a mandatory court appearance ticket click here.

For the Howdy Folks and directions to the gathering, click here. For the United States Forest Service Incident Command website with groovy maps and updates, click here.

Friday, March 9, 2012

Jules on Scouting

Today's guest blog post was copied from Jules' post on Facebook from 3/7/2012. Enjoy!

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Scouting - A primer!!
This is something that some of us put together.

Scouting - (verb) A process that includes spirituality, magic, and science. Among the sciences that apply are hydrology, geology, botany, biology, sociology, ecology, anthropology, archeology, topography, scatology, and unfortunately, political science.

No experience is necessary to participate and new blood is always needed. Be self-sufficient. Have dependable auto and/or gas money to donate. Be ready for harsh conditions. Be ready to hike in the rain uphill for hours. And (disclaimer) this is not the only way to do scouting!

Historically, the annual gathering July 1-7 and most regional rainbow gatherings have been held on pubic land in US National Forest system, never National Parks nor State Parks due to legal issues. US Bureau of Land Management (BLM) land is also public land and could be an option for gatherings.

Map Work
Remember, things aren't always as they appear on the maps.

What type of maps to look at :

Topo Map of the Entire State aka Gazetteer
Forest Service map that shows all 15 Minute Series Quadrangle (quads) in specific National Forest
USGS Quads for each potential site

Where to get maps:

Copy maps at libraries
Internet use AcmeMapper (uses Google Earth and USGS maps together)
purchase quads at hiking/outdoor stores, Forest Service office or online.

Site Criteria
A good site will have meet most of these criteria:

Elevation - below 8,000 feet
Water Look for enough for drinking, cooking and washing needs of thousands of people.
Best drinking - Water that comes from a spring that can be tapped and piped then filtered or boiled. Away from the potential site with nothing to contaminated it from above - livestock runoff, mining, buildings, road runoff, etc. Rule of thumb: One gallon a minute per 1,000 people.
Open Meadows - One large open enough for daily dinner away from parking, vehicle access and camp/tent sites. Other meadows for councils, pageants, tipis, etc.
Camping Area - Plenty of flat spaces, preferably in the trees, for setting up camps. At least 100 feet away from surface water.
Plenty of Firewood and Wood for building kitchens - only dead and down firewood may be used. No cutting of green vegetation.
Parking lot and parking - Large open space with suitable access in and out for thousands of cars.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 half car widths (approx. 10-12 feet) of clearance.
Roads - Look for safety issues: room to pass, clearance, parking for thousands, safe for buses, etc. Ideally two roads into site – front and back entrance. Desirable: no road access into the site, not able to see site from roads.
Accessibility Issues - Walk into site from parking lot – consider the youngers and the olders, and alter-able people. Look for a way for everyone to get into the gathering easily.

More things to keep in mind:

Finding a Spring council site (for June 2nd 2012), site to be found by those who go scouting!
Other forest uses in the area - livestock grazing, logging, off-road vehicles

finding a good spot for bus village
watch out for buildings/structures that could be damaged
be attentive to fragile wildlife
research archaeological issues
beware of private lands embedded in public land

Beyond the site:

nearby hospitals
local farmers markets
cheap gasoline
closest grocer, etc.

Just notice and remember things; be ready to share what you have seen.

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If you want to get involved in the scoutong effort, call one of the numbers on the right side of the blog, leave your contact info and someone will call you back.

Some links to other raps on scouting:

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Getting into the gathering without getting a mandatory court appearance ticket

Getting into the gathering without getting a mandatory court appearance ticket
Every year the United States Forest Service Law Enforcement (USFS) Incident Management Team (the cops) attempts to write as many tickets to family coming home as they possibly can to justify their presence. They give out tickets for broken tail lights, failure to use a turn signal in a deserted parking lot at 2 AM, lack of seat belts, controlled substances (even just a trace amount), beads hanging from your rear view mirrors, prescription medications if the label doesn't clearly have your name on it and you can't prove who you are, dogs off leash, a vehicle missing a front license plate even if you live in a state that does not issue a front license plate and a lot more violations of the letter of the law.

However, these tickets are not the type of citation you would probably receive for any of these issues in your hometown. These are mandatory court appearance tickets. There will be special court dates set up just for us, so we can go to the local courthouse, fire station or visitors center and go before a magistrate. In the past, charges have been reduced, fines were often minimal and the court has allowed people to make payment plans ranging from 90 days to pay $75 to 18 months to pay $25 depending on the hardship cases people have expressed.

If you do not show up for your mandatory court appearance on the date indicated on your ticket, a Federal Bench Warrant will be issued for your arrest. Then the USFS LEOs will come into the gathering looking for you. If they find you they will arrest you and put you in jail until the next court date. If this happens on a Friday afternoon, you will be in jail until Monday. If they do not find you at the gathering, the next time a law enforcement officer for any reason stops you, your ID will be run through the database and you will go directly to jail.

Of course, everyone is free to manage this situation as they wish but I strongly recommend you go to your court date. I have seen people charged with crimes that could potentially result in a six years sentence walk out with a $500 fine and three years’ probation. Keep in mind that every year the dynamic is different and these results may not always be available. There are lawyers at the gathering (I am not a legal expert) who attend the court dates and will assist as best they can although I recommend you catch up with them before your court date to gain a better understanding of your specific charges and strategies to get the charges dropped or reduced. If you do not know these people personally, go to INFO and let them know you received one of the magic tickets and you need legal assistance.