ROUTT COUNTY, Colo. (KDVR) — The Rainbow Family Gathering in Routt National Forest continues to grow as day three of the weeklong campout is underway.
The festivities for the members of the Rainbow Family of Living Light officially kicked off on Friday, July 1 and many have been arriving at the forest for weeks. The gathering is expected to draw 10,000 people to Colorado’s national forest.
According to the Rainbow Family Gathering’s website, the event is officially held from July 1 through July 7.
Within the first few days of the event, incident reports, written warnings, violation notices and arrests have already been made. On Saturday, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced 283 enforcement actions had been taken against the 6,050 attendees. These numbers were conducted as of Thursday.
The USDA gave an update on the enforcement actions taken.
As of July 2, attendance at the event grew by more than 1,500 people. The gathering now has an estimated attendance of 7,651 people.
According to the USDA, an additional 45 enforcement actions were taken bringing the total to 328 incidents since July 1. The department has not released enforcement actions for Saturday, July 2.
The USDA reported 2021’s enforcement action numbers for reference and stated approximately 600 actions were taken in 2021. 2022 has already seen more than half the number of enforcements within the first few official days of the gathering.
The law enforcement actions taken ranged from inoperable equipment, damage to natural resources, narcotics possession and/or distribution, interference with federal officers, and assisting other cooperating law enforcement agencies.