Rainbow Gathering planned in Colorado sparks fire concerns
By JASON BLEVINS
The Colorado Sun
DENVER (AP) — The Rainbow Gathering of the Tribes plans to return to Colorado this summer to celebrate its 50th anniversary. The Colorado Sun reports the weeks-long confab could draw 30,000 hippie campers to public lands, sparking concerns that the group could accidentally start a wildfire. The loose structure of the Rainbow Family makes it hard for federal land managers and local communities to address impacts and plan for the pending party. The Forest Service suspects the group could be planning to gather in Grand County in June and July. That’s where the original national gathering took place in 1972. The group last held its national gathering in Colorado in 2006.