Cleanup Status

This email was sent out by someone involved with cleanup

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NM Rainbow Gathering Cleanup, Friday, July 18, 2009There were about 120 people onsite yesterday evening. Just about everyone was working busily on cleanup. Youngsters and oldsters moving over the landscape with the telltale signs of Cleanup Crew: a trashbag tied to the waist, falling apart gloves and a tool or bucket in hand. In the morning we had a family cleanup council. Folks came from just about every remaining campsite and we all talked about our various plans for finishing cleanup and packing ourselves out. There are five vehicles which either need help or have been abandoned. Pretty much everyone is aligned with a running vehicle for exiting. The inside of the site is looking 'almost 100%.' Regular late afternoon showers have helped the high-use areas start greening up already. Most of the trails were disappeared and all the fire pits and kitchen areas vanished, scarified and re-duffed.There is still population along the road by the trailheads and handicamp - where cleanup is still centered, but that is all planning to relocate to a different area so the trailhead/handicamp zone can be re-naturalized too.On last Monday the 13th we did a long walking tour with the FS Resource Team and together identified areas that needed work. I'd say we were in agreement about what was already done to high standards and what still required attention. Except for what's along the road, most of the walkthrough's list has been accomplished.There was probably less overall 'Trash': mixed bags that find themselves transported to the recycling areas than we've had in the past. And almost every one of those was opened, gone thru and sorted for recycling. The glass, metal, aluminum and #1 and #2 plastics have been transported to recycle stations in Albuquerque and the non-recyclable has been taken to the transfer station in Cuba, NM where we have made an arrangement to pay for the excess dumpster space used. Kitchens have set aside cases of unopened foods for the local food bank. Warm clothing and blankets left behind are being dried out, folded and accepted by a local service that can distribute these next fall. More later next week.