U.S. Forest Service – News Release
Black Hills National Forest ●
Public Affairs Office ● 1019 N. Fifth Street
Custer, SD 57730 ● Voice
(605) 673-9216 ● Web: http://www.fs.usda.gov/blackhills
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Public Information (605)
340-0573
Date: 6/25/15
Forest Service and its National Incident Management
Team
Focused on Safety and Cultural and Natural Resource
Protection
Custer, SD – The Rainbow
Family of Living Light continue to gather on the Black Hills National Forest,
Mystic Ranger District. The gathering site is located approximately three
air miles southwest of Deerfield Lake or approximately 22 miles northwest of
Hill City, SD. While historically the event has drawn anywhere from
7,000-20,000 people, this year’s attendance is expected to be less than 5,000.
Participants will continue to arrive through next week with the peak population
occurring around July 4.
The
Forest Service, and its National Incident Management Team, is focused on
efforts to provide for the safety of all forest visitors and protect cultural
and natural resources. “The Forest Service, along with its National
Incident Management Team, has been onsite proactively working with Gathering
members to protect cultural and natural resources and address safety issues,”
said Ruth Esperance, District Ranger for the Mystic Ranger District of the
Black Hills National Forest.
A town hall meeting will be held
Friday, June 26, 2015, from 6:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. at the Boys and Girls
Club at 297 Walnut Ave, Hill City, SD. Members of the National Incident
Management Team and Forest Service will provide an update and be available for
questions.
To facilitate public access to information, the Incident
Management Team established a blog to post current information and updates at http://blackhillsnf2015rainbowgatheringinfo.blogspot.com/.
