Operating Plan and Site Rehab Plan

Granville 2008-07-25 / 2008-08-03

HEALTH & SAFETY

In the event of an emergency, contact law enforcement or appropriate emergency personnel.

911 emergency services are available throughout Vermont. Cell phones may not work at the location of the Gathering. The nearest phone is located in the Town of Granville.

PARKING

There shall be no parking on the Town Highway also known as FR 55.

There shall be no parking in the lower meadow (on the west side of FR 207) of the Rob Ford site.

All roads in the area shall be kept open for emergency vehicles and routine traffic.

Vehicles shall not be permitted (except administrative and emergency vehicles) north of the Welcome Home Kitchen on FR 207.

Vehicles shall not be permitted outside of designated roads and parking areas.

Designated parking for the Gathering is in the following locations listed in priority order. Once the first designated parking area is full, Gathers shall park in the next available designated parking area (see attached map)

Bus Village will be within the lower meadow of the Rob Ford site, on the east side of FR 207. One entrance/exit will be designated for meadow parking. Wet areas shall be flagged off and posted “No Parking”.
General parking will be up FR 50 above the area posted “No Parking”.
Parking shall be on the west side of the road facing out to FR 55.
Signs stating “No Parking This Side” shall be placed every 500 feet on the east side of FR 50.
There are landings and openings along the road that may be used if they are dry enough. If they are not dry enough, they will be signed “No Parking”.
Should it become necessary for additional parking, an area will be identified by Forest personnel.

SANITATION

Those attending the Gathering shall work with State Health officials to maintain adequate on-site sanitation.

Water may be piped to the site.

All water must be treated in accord with approved practice.

Compost and gray water pits attached to kitchens shall be covered at all times with 6 mil. polyethelene or similar material and shall be located at least 100-feet from all bodies of water (streams, ponds, wetlands, etc.).

Compost pits shall no longer be used and filled with soil when contents are within 15-inches of the surface.

All campsites and kitchens shall be located at least 100 feet from all water.

Latrines shall be constructed at least 100 feet from all bodies of water (streams, ponds, wetlands, etc.). Latrines should be located, to the extent possible, in the driest soils. Latrines shall be at least 36-inches deep and be covered with plywood or other similar material when not in use. Latrines shall be filled in with soil when their contents are within 15-inches of the surface. Buckets of lime and/or wood ash shall be provided at each latrine and shall be spread on waste after each use.

The following types of latrines are acceptable:

Pit style: One hole to collect human waste.
Trench style: A linear trench that is filled in as needed.

Trash and recyclables shall be removed from the site on a daily basis or as frequently as transfer station schedules allow.
Trash and recyclable materials shall not be left at dumpsters at local businesses. There is no transfer station in the area; trash must be removed to Randolph or Bethel to the east or to Middlebury to the west. Care should be taken to keep trash in containers while awaiting removal from the site. If dumpsters are used on site, they will be placed in a mutually agreed upon site. Dumpsters shall be emptied prior to becoming overful and shall be removed by August 15, 2006.

FIRE

Campfires shall be attended at all times. Community fires are to be encouraged over individual fires.

Take suppression action on any escaped fire immediately and notify the Forest Service as soon as possible.

If weather conditions are excessively dry, the FS shall place an appropriate fire ban at their discretion.

CULTURAL RESOURCES

The physical remains of several farmsteads established here more than 150 years ago still lend a sense of place to the Gathering; they also have value to historians and archaeologists, and are protected for the public by Federal laws.

Therefore:

do not use or remove the stones from foundations, stone walls, wells or other features for use in fire rings, ovens or other constructions;
do not camp in or directly next to these historic sites;
enjoy visiting and examining the sites, but do not dig into them, remove artifacts/objects, or otherwise disturb them.

GENERAL SITE CONCERNS

Only dead and down wood shall be used for fires. Remember some of this material is needed for "naturalizing" bare soil areas during site rehab.

Sensitive resources areas shall be signed and/or flagged by Resource monitors to keep people out. Gatherers shall maintain the flagging and signing. Forest Service personnel shall be notified if there are problems in specific areas.

Wet areas such as seeps, poorly drained soils and wetlands support a variety of sensitive flora and shall be avoided, even if not flagged off by Resource monitors.

The use of soap in the White River and its tributaries shall be discouraged.

GATHERING CLEAN-UP

A clean up crew of Gatherers will be allowed to stay on site up to one week after the completion of the event to perform rehab and cleaning tasks. Rehabilitation and cleaning tasks include, but are not limited to:

All rock fire rings, rock piles and other user-created structures are to be obliterated and dispersed. Materials brought into the site shall be removed. Sod removed when pits are dug should be set aside to be replaced during site rehab.
All signs, flagging, waterlines, and trash shall be removed from the Forest.
All water bars or other erosion control devices shall be cleaned and returned to full utility.
For all bare soil areas (kitchens, filled in pits, gathering areas, etc.):
- Using a grub hoe or mattuck, scarify the compacted areas deep enough to break up the compacted soil.
- Add water bars on slopes that could erode.
- Seed bare areas with an approved seed mix (must not contain non-native invasive species) suited to late summer seeding to protect against erosion.
- Mulch bare soil areas using leaves from nearby.
- Anchor mulch on slopes with tree limbs or similar debris.
- Heavily used areas should be fertilized. Lime should be applied at a rate of 2 tons per acre, and 10-6-4 slow release, 10-20-20, or something similar should be applied at a rate of 300 or 500 pounds per acre, respectively, for the two specified fertilizers. No fertilizing should be done within 100 feet of water sources (streams, wetlands, ponds, etc.)

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