EVANSTON RANGER DISTRICT
WASATCH-CACHE NATIONAL FOREST

Background: The 2003 National Rainbow Family Gathering Is taking place on the Evanston Ranger District of the Wasatch-Cache National Forest on the North Slope of the Uinta Mountains In Northeastern Utah. Members of the Rainbow Family of Living Light (RBF) began gathering and Impacting a site on June 16 In the Little West Fork Blacks Fork area. The area Is north of Elizabeth Pass and Lyman Lakes and is southwest of Meeks Cabin Reservoir in Summit County.

This rehabilitation plan provides general and site-specific methods, specifications, and guidelines to facilitate the clean up and rehabilitation of the areas Impacted by the RBF. The plan is intended to be a guide to assist the Forest Service and RBF members to better understand the objectives and expected end-results of the clean up and rehabilitation process.

Resource advisors will advise the RBF as they rehabilitate the Gathering site. It Is the responsibility of the RBF to leave the site in a satisfactory condition. Cleanup, damage repair, and mitigation of impacts to the land are the family's responsibility and should be accomplished by you or your agents at no cost to the United States. All tools, safety equipment, supervision, and training to accomplish your restoration work are the family's responsibility.

Some of the site-specific rehabilitation needs have already been identified. However, additional design work will be necessary after most of the event participants have departed and the actual site Impacts can be determined.

Timellne: it is expected that all rehabilitation work will be completed by July 28, 2003.

Rehabilitation 0bjectives and Plan: This rehabilitation plan follows two main objectives, designed to return the site to near pre-gathering conditions:

• Clean up and rehabilitate all areas impacted by the RBF.
• Physical evidence of human presence created by the RBF will be removed from the site, or rearranged to present a natural appearance.

Rehabilitation techniques and materials should allow for as quick and as effective a recovery as possible.

The following is a list of methods and guidelines for achieving rehabilitation objectives.

1. All seed will be native, noxious weed-free seed. The approved seed mix by weight is 25% sheep fescue, 50% slender wheat grass, and 25% tufted hairgrass and be broadcast at a rate of 10 pounds per acre.

2. No green timber will be cut for rehabilitation purposes, unless approved by the Forest Service.

3. All refuse, litter, and foreign material will be removed and disposed of at a recognized sanitary landfill or recycling center in accordance with county and State regulations.

4. Blohazards will be transported to an appropriate medical facility away from the Gathering site.

5. Composted material should be dealt with as specified under item # 16 in "Campsites, Kitchens, Gathering areas listed below.

6. All structures and facilities will be totally dismantled. All man-made materials will be removed from the site. Native materials will be scattered to achieve a natural appearance.

7. All string, rope, wire, twine, flagging, and signs utilized by the RBF will be removed and disposed of properly. Do not remove any Forest Service property.

8. All pre-existing improvements damaged by the participants will be repaired or replaced by the RBF. These could Include but not limited to Forest Boundary fences, signs, gates or gateposts.

9. All water lines, PVC pipe, hose, and plastic will be removed.

10. Rehabilitation of the springs will include filling all constructed water collection holes with original material. Material should be placed plant-side up and root-side down to allow for faster recovery. Any ditches will be refilled with original material. Natural material will be scattered at disturbed sites to mimic pre-Gatherlng conditions.

11. All camps and kitchens will be dismantled, returning each site to near preGathering conditions.

12. Concentrated activity areas such as the trading circle were already located on already harsh sites. They are dry and vegetation was sparse prior to the Gathering. These areas will be lightly treated with rakes to establish a seedbed and then seeded. Natural materials (duff, twigs, needles) will be scattered over impacted areas to improved seeding conditions. These areas should took like the surrounding un-impacted areas as much as possible..

13. All man-made materials will be removed from the campsites, kitchens and gathering areas,

14. Kitchen and community fire pits will be cleaned of all garbage and then filled with the native material that was removed from the pit. Rocks will be scattered to appear natural to the surrounding area. In areas where rocks were hauled in from other sites, rocks should be placed back into original holes or general location as much as possible. This Is to prevent plies of rocks where there were no rocks pre-Gathering.

15. All latrines will be covered with native material originally removed from the pit and mounded with excess material to allow for settling. All fecal material will be completely covered with ash or lime before covering with soil.

16. Compost pits will only include natural decomposable material. Compost pits and gray water pits will be covered with dirt and mounded with excess material to allow for settling.

17. All abandoned dogs, cats, and other domestic animals will be removed by the RBF.

18. All abandoned vehicles will be moved to county specified facilities at the expense of the RBF. RBF will contact the county prior to moving any abandoned vehicles.

19. All trash will be removed from parking areas and disposed of by transporting it to nearest landfill.

20. Camping areas (i.e. Bus Village) will be rehabilitated similar to other campsites (see Campsites, Kitchens and Gathering Areas).

21. Any new roads or tracks caused by vehicles will be closed by methods designated by the Forest Service.

22. Any concentrations of leaked automotive fluids should be removed from the site as designated by the Forest Service and In accordance with State and county regulations.

23. Areas of bare soil will be raked and natural material scattered as much as possible to speed regevetation.

24.Tralls that were created or enlarged by gathering participants will be obliterated and restored. The intent is to restore trails to pre-Gathering widths., This will include treatment (with rakes, shovels, or picks) to break-up compacted soils, seeding and scattering natural materials (duff, sod, needles, and limbs/logs where appropriate) on widened trails. Only native, weed-free seed will be used. The seed mix.

25. All stream crossings and stream banks will be returned to pre-gathering condition.

26. Twine, string or rope used to tie the wood poles together will be removed and disposed of properly.

27. Areas of bare soil on or near streambanks will be covered with organic material (duff, native grass seed; weed-free straw, native wood mulch) to speed vegetation recovery and reduce potential sediment inputs to the stream. In addition water bars will be constructed to direct water off the trails and away from the streams.

1. The W-C NF will monitor the Gathering site for implementation of the Rehabilitation Plan In August 2003.

2. The W-C NF will monitor vegetative and stream recovery via photo points through 2005.

3. The W-C NF will monitor the Gathering site for introduction of noxious weeds through 2005.

4. The W-C NF will produce interim and final monitoring reports.