Chaos angst, as crowds converge on remote park
Thousands of modern-day hippies are preparing to descend on a remote park on northern Vancouver Island for a month, but local authorities did not find out about the gathering until Facebook postings appeared this week.
Plans for the World Rainbow Gathering at Raft Cove Provincial Park, near Cape Scott, have created an uproar among North Island residents, some of whom are posting threats of roadblocks and actions to protect the fragile ecosystem.
The Rainbow Family of Living Light, which has held gatherings in remote locations around North America since 1972, has no named leaders and those who chose Raft did not return messages.
“People camp out, cook and share food communally, sing, dance, celebrate, sharing skills, knowledge and talents,” their website says. “This is a place to be yourself and be accepted as you are. Nudity is welcome.”
The group’s Facebook page showed about 1,800 confirmed attendees out of 11,000 people invited.
People in nearby Holberg said vans were driving through in unusually large numbers Wednesday afternoon. Most gatherings last from new moon to new moon; the Raft Cove gettogether is following that pattern, starting Wednesday and continuing to Sept. 6.
RCMP spokesman Cpl. Darren Lagan said the Port Hardy detachment became aware of the Rainbow plans on Wednesday. “Raft Cove is a provincial park, so the jurisdiction falls to B.C. Parks Service until such time as they may request our assistance,” he said.
The B.C. Environment Ministry was also taken by surprise.
“B.C. Parks has very recently become aware of the proposed World Rainbow event circulating on social media. Event organizers did not contact B.C. Parks,” said a ministry spokesman. “We will be developing a compliance and enforcement plan to ensure the safety of visitors and protection of park values, including co-ordinating with other enforcement agencies.”
The 787-hectare park, often used by surfers, has two pit toilets, and no stores within easy reach. Fresh water sources are currently dry. There is a tough two-kilometre hike to the beach.
Raft Cove is within the traditional territory of Quatsino First Nation. Forestry co-ordinator Ralph Wallace said the band found out about the gathering Wednesday.
“We are very concerned. It’s a very delicate ecosystem with only 300 metres of beach. How are they going to try and fit 2,000 people in there?” he said. “The forests are tinder dry right now and whatever they are doing or smoking could be a hazard for everyone.”
Janet Rygnestad, a natural resources scientist who surfs at Raft Cove and is a member of Nanaimo Search and Rescue and Mount Cain Ski Patrol, is horrified that organizers have not told local emergency organizations: “The thought of all those people walking in and out of there is crazy, just crazy.”
Rygnestad said that like many others on the North Island, she is not anti-hippy. But almost a decade ago, she saw the devastation left at Keeha Beach, near Bamfield, after a Rainbow gathering. “There were piles and piles of stuff left under tarps, that the wildlife got into, and human feces all around. It was just terrible,” she said.
Megan Hanacek, a professional biologist who has lived on the North Island for 30 years, said waste management and dealing with emergencies, when there is no cell coverage, are among the concerns.
As there is a campfire ban, it is not known how people are intending to cook their food, she said.