Sunday, July 09, 2006
POT OF CRAP AT END OF RAINBOW
“The Rainbow Family are the dirtiest people on Earth,” commenter paulris recently noted. “Some of them rented in the house behind mine. It was so disgustingly filthy, I bought the home so that I could kick them out.” The US Forest Service probably wishes it could do the same:
Now that the Rainbow Family is wrapping up its annual return to nature, the U.S. Forest Service is examining what it will take to return their campsite to its natural state.
Forest Service spokeswoman Denise Ottaviano said aerial photography of the countercultural campers’ 4-square-mile settlement in the Hahns Peak/Bears Ears Ranger District of Routt National Forest revealed “40 to 50 miles” of newly improvised trails requiring restoration in the visitors’ wake.
“It’s shocking,” Ottaviano said. “Now there’s just this enormous trail system” in a previously pristine area ...
Another legacy of the gathering, according to Ottaviano, will be cars and dogs. She said the Forest Service is anticipating a number of broken-down or stolen vehicles will be left behind, and said that 20 to 30 lost or abandoned dogs have been rounded up.
Why do they despise nature so? Meanwhile, employees at alternative energy company Plug Power proclaim their faith after viewing Al Gore’s holy movie:
“I was quite moved,” said Charlie Mirella, 51, who’s worked at Plug for three years. “I have a 9-year-old daughter. I’m more concerned about her future.”
He said the movie changed his perspective about his job.
“It makes you feel like you’re doing the right thing,” he said. “It’s either a job or a mission. It switched today to the second.”
Kathy Johnson, 54, said the movie was great.
“It’s something more people need to hear and take action to,” said Johnson, who’s worked at Plug for seven years. “It’s not political. It’s a life issue. It’s not a matter of any individual company succeeding, it’s a matter of global success.”
Company boss Roger Salliant:
“This is inspirational,” he said. “We’re working on something much bigger than a job. We’re part of a mission. The couple of hours of lost work is hugely offset by the inspiration and commitment of the people.”
It’s a religion, plain and simple.
RIFF-RAFF UPDATE:
While many Rainbows patronized local businesses on their way to and from their gathering, in their wake they leave a significant mess that may offset any economic benefits. Among the costs:
The Yampa Valley Medical Center will have provided more than $100,000 in medical care that probably won’t be repaid.
The Routt County Humane Society scrambled to vaccinate dozens of dogs after an outbreak of the deadly parvovirus, and officials fear there could be as many as 200 pets abandoned.
And the Forest Service, which spent nearly $800,000 just for its incident-management team, will be left with the task of rehabilitating the land.
Numerous Rainbows are staying behind to help with site recovery, but it could take years for Big Red Park to look normal again.
Read on for alarming ferret-paralysis news.