Earth First! Northwest Rendezvous is Right Around the Corner

From Earth First! Newswire

Cascadia Forest Defenders and the League of Extra-Ornery Cascadians are pleased to announce the Earth First! Northwest Rendezvous, from June 10-13, 2016, in the heart of the southern Cascades.

Get ready for a long, very hot summer of action with our traditional socializing/working fest, unwinding in the old forest with old friends, meeting new friends and allies, sharing meals and skills and crazy ideas, and maybe a soft drink or cup of ale. Take a plant hike, a dip in the river, climb an ancient Doug or Buffalo Rock, or troop up into one of the nearby threatened forests (you may be back).

We’ve got: an incredible old-growth site that runs for over a mile along a lovely, if potentially lethal, river. Delicious water, a certain amount of medical resources, noon circles, and fabulous company that’s guaranteed to increase your chances of federal surveillance and higher standing with your grandchildren, grand-nephews and nieces, etc. And they’re pretty good hands with wildlands survival, plants, navigation, tree climbing, direct action strategy and tactics, ecology, regional history, and many other things in which you might be interested. Expect some formalized workshops. Maybe plan on sharing what you know.

You bring: your sustainable self, which should include food, a means to prepare same* (no centralized community kitchen; this is old-school), camping gear, bug-repellant, rain gear, decent closed-toe shoes, headlamp, CUP, plate and/or bowl, fork and/or spoon, party clothes, bio-centric pov, capacity to disregard the rule of law (or accept and support that disregard in others), tolerance and sense of humor. Musical (or similar) talents are revered and appreciated.

Please don’t bring: dogs (leg-hold traps have been found in the area, and wildlife could use one less hassle on the landscape), an abusive attitude, secret microphones, or any idea your workshop needs to be mandatory.

So, you wanna get up in the old-growth, trying to halt a roadless area timber sale, or get acquainted with the kayak mob and the oil blockaders? Come out to the woods and check us out. Stick around Monday for a kick-ass action(s). Heck, why not just make a summer of it?

*a small pot or pan and cook stove; though a foil wrapped spud in a small camp fire will get it done. There will be inevitable informal potlucking, as well.

Directions:

The site is on the banks of the North Fork of the Middle Fork of the Willamette River, 20-some miles north of the human settlements of Westfir and Oakridge, Oregon. Most seeking the ‘voo will travel north or south on Interstate 5, as the case may be, to turn east onto Hwy 58, just south of Eugene. At the Middle Fork Ranger Station (a bit past Mile Post 31), the traveler will turn left at the sign for Westfir, cross a green trestle bridge over the Middle Fork, and make a left at the stop sign. A few miles along this road, the traveler will encounter a 4-way stop and a red covered bridge on the left hand side of the road. Proceeding straight through, the road changes it’s name to FS Rd 19, also referred to as the Aufderheide Loop. Traveling north through ancient forest and thinned second-growth along the beautiful and risky North Fork for 20.7 miles (there are mile markers along FS Rd 19), just after crossing our river to put it on the south side of the road, the attentive rondyvooer will turn left up FS Rd 1939, and follow that back west. They’ll follow this road, ignoring the right fork (FS Rd 758) about ½ mile up, and will find a trailhead marker and trail about 1.5 miles from the 19 Rd. We’ll call this the Front Gate and with little parking here, gear should be unloaded and the vehicle moved further up the road to be parked, as per direction from the Front Gate crew.

Those travelers determined to approach from the east will have to hit Hwy 58 off of I-97, between Chemult and La Pine, drive through Oakridge, and make the turn to Westfir as described in the directions above.

There is no cell reception at the site.

For more information, check out the Cascadia Forest Defenders at forestdefensenow.com.