March 31, 2003
This letter is to provide you with Notification of Intent to Apply for a non commercial group use authorization. I intend to sign (along with two other persons) both the application, as a self-designated contact person, and the Special Use Authorization, as an individual, for a group use event in one of your regions.
I am sending you this early notification because, most of all, I would like this process to proceed as smoothly as possible and to make a positive example of how this process can work well in a situation where for a number of years there have impasses and complications.
The Name of the Group on the application will be "Individuals Assembling For Expressive Activity and Meditation for Peace."
The Description of the Proposed Activity will be "Temporary Encampment for Expressive Purposes including: Information Exchange, Educational Activities, Prayer, Meditation, Contemplation and Jubilation.
The specific location for the proposed event is still to be scouted, although scouts are going to be examining potential sites in an arc that runs from Northern California across Northern Nevada through Northern Utah. I hope, given the advance notice contained in this letter that you will be able to notify District Rangers in those areas so that when contact is made in particular districts there can be as much cooperation as possible between folks scouting and the knowledgeable resource persons of the Forest Service.
I intend myself to participate in some of the scouting and site selection process by traveling to Northern Utah at the end of April. At that time I would hope to meet with the appropriate people at Regional Headquarters in Ogden to discuss this whole process further, as well as to work together on identifying potential sites. (This is not to imply that N. Utah is preferred over other areas.)
I intend also to be present at the time that the decision is made to enter a selected site, and to be present for signing of both written application and authorization.
In accord with the letter of June 28, 2002, from Under Secretary of Agriculture Mark Rey, I am signing as a self-designated contact person, and an individual proponent of the event, and not as an agent or representative for anyone other than my own self, nor am I available for service of process on behalf of anyone but myself. Further, in accord with Under Secretary Rey's letter, I understand that I take on no liability for actions of the group
There are a few small matters that will, I believe, make this process work more smoothly in the light, especially, of the controversies that have surrounded this application/authorization procedure for the past seven years. I hope you will understand the importance of these seemingly small requests and be able to accommodate them.
2. I would request that upon signing there be a resource team assigned to work with the various individuals embedded in different land use and logistical aspects of the assembly, to produce together an Operating Plan (similar to those used effectively by similar assemblies each year from 1982 thru 1995) that defines responsibilities and procedures to insure resource protection, public safety and health.
3. I would request that a procedure be developed by the Forest Service for a "sign-off" letter that would be delivered to the last of the onsite cleanup crew at the end of the restoration process (similar to letters that were issued by the District Rangers offices at similar events each year from 1 990 thru 1997) asserting that cleanup and rehabilitation have been completed and that public lands have been left in satisfactory (or better) condition.
Please note that I am cc'ing this letter to members of the FS Incident Command Team, and Under Secretary Rey. Anyone should feel free to forward this letter to whoever might have a valid interest.
I look forward to returning to a process of cooperation between noncommercial large group users and the US Forest Service. Hopefully a step-by -step path can be followed here that will be of benefit for many years ahead.
Please feel free to contact me in any regard.
Most sincerely,
Garrick Beck