After a grueling search for the ultimate EF! Round River Rendezvous (RRR) site that took us to the ends of the universe, we believe we have found it! Less than 70 miles north of Edward Abbey’s childhood home on a little half million acre forest just down PA Rt. 666 (Allegheny National Forest). We will camp with excellent swimming holes and giant trees under one of the most star filled skies in the North East. The nearest major cities are Pittsburg, Erie, PA and Buffalo, NY.
Go to marcellusearthfirst.org for directions, and post on the ride board right here.
This will be a 7-day campout (July 1-7), a gathering of resistance to dirty, destructive energy extraction. We will focus on primarily: Fracking, shale defense, mutual aid for displaced communities, Mountaintop Removal and the Tar Sands megaprojects.
This is an invitation for indigenous, activist and local speakers to teach us about your campaign. We are also encouraging musicians who perform environmental and social justice music to attend.
What to Bring
No Dogs!: We are taking a hard line with the dog situation this year, bring a dog to the 2012 RRR and be asked to leave! Dogs in the wilderness risk injury, are a major health & safety hazard, and can be very disruptive to the local ecosystem.
No outside firewood! The Allegheny currently has a ban on all firewood from outside the park, due to the very real risk of introducing destructive, invasive pests.
Donation: $25 (or whatever you can afford). No one will be turned away for lack of cash, but there are costs associated with organizing these events. The money we raise will go on to next years OC and RRR committees. Please donate more if you can afford it–$25 isn’t much for a week-long conference.
Camping gear: tent, sleeping bag, ground pad (if you don’t have a tent, you should at least bring a mosquito net and a tarp). Warm weather/cool night clothing and rain gear.
Food and Water: It always helps take weight off of the camp infrastructure if people come as self-sufficient as possible-especially if you have any special dietary needs. Cooking gear, eating utensils, plate, bowl, etc. Water purification devices are not a good plan. Pennsylvania is subject to intense fracking operations, and we assume all streams contain industrial pollution. There will be potable (drinking) water logistics in place for the week of the rondy.
Sun protection Bug resistant clothing and bug repellant (deer ticks will possibly be bad this year and carry lyme disease), but remember, any toxic chemicals you bring in will remain in our ecosystem.
A Spirit of Resistance to ecosystem destruction and a willingness to participate in the event. We hope to have a lot of people from local communities at this event and we want to foster a respectful environment for folks from different cultures and backgrounds to find common ground.
Musical instruments, poetry to read, or whatever other performance art you would like to share.
Hiking gear (shoes, water bottle, compass, etc.)
Games: the rowdier, the better
Workshop ideas: bring your own skills to share or let others know about your bioregion and the threats to it, especially your campaigns around energy and resource extraction.
A bike capable of handling unimproved forest roads.
Proposals for next year’s Rendezvous and Organizers Conference: If you have an active EF! group or want to start one, think about making a pitch to host the 2011 RRR in your neck of the woods.
Things are very busy in Pennsylvania, and we are excited to be hosting the Rondy this summer. There is a lot to plug in with, and even more to learn. We look forward to seeing you in July.
-Marcellus Shale Earth First!