COLORADO, USA — 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.
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