The Earth First! Organizers’ Conference (OC) and Winter Rendezvous (Rondy) will be held in the beautiful mountains of Santa Barbara. Traditionally, this conference is a time for members of radical environmental campaigns to come together to discuss ideas and strategies, ideally creating a stronger, more unified front. We expect this year’s gathering to help connect and strengthen existing campaigns within the movement, as well as look at how current social and political trends impact the biosphere in increasingly devastating ways. We hope the conference will inform and inspire new comrades to join the struggle in defense of the Earth—along with eating good food and doing a bunch of hootin’ and hollerin’!
The Earth First! Organizers’ Conference (OC) and Winter Rendezvous (Rondy) will be held in the beautiful mountains of Santa Barbara. Traditionally, this conference is a time for members of radical environmental campaigns to come together to discuss ideas and strategies, ideally creating a stronger, more unified front. We expect this year’s gathering to help connect and strengthen existing campaigns within the movement, as well as look at how current social and political trends impact the biosphere in increasingly devastating ways. We hope the conference will inform and inspire new comrades to join the struggle in defense of the Earth—along with eating good food and doing a bunch of hootin’ and hollerin’!

We are encouraging folks to show up on Thursday, February 11 to help get things started on time. Friday and Saturday, February 12 and 13 will be the OC section of this year’s gathering. Critiques of current campaigns and ideas for future projects will be discussed throughout these two days. All EF!ers are welcome to join in on critical analysis of our radical movement.

The Winter Rendezvous will take place on Sunday and Monday, February 14 and 15, with the night to howl kicking up the desert dust on Saturday night. This will be a time for folks to show off their skits, musical numbers, poetry and other creative acts.

Proposed workshops: challenging oppression within the EF! movement, radical mycology, radical astrology, plant walks, bird walks, carbon markets, radical culinary arts, first aid, tree climbing, backwoods stealth and wilderness survival, conducting bioregional roundups, doing direct action trainings, learning acupressure techniques, massage, nutrition and discussing consent and accountability.

Discussion points for the Winter Rendezvous: strategy sessions on attacking infrastructure, discussions on integrating climbing into our actions, confronting green capitalism and eco-fascism, thoughts on improving security culture, support for Earth and animal liberation prisoners, and anti-oppression work within EF!.

Anyone interested in heading up a workshop, skill share or discussion should contact us at EFinSB [at] gmail.com. There is still time to make this gathering what you want it to be.

Among things you should consider bringing are clothing for very warm and very cold temperatures, RAIN GEAR, food and water for the communal kitchen and yourself, friends, sleeping bags, an appetite for action, tarps and musical instruments and climbing gear.

Chaparral gets relatively hot during the day, and temperatures can drop to freezing at night. It’s also very dry here. So, staying hydrated is extremely important. If you want to bring any animal companions, please contact us so that we can make arrangements.

Excellent security culture is expected from all participants in the Rendezvous. This is because the state may be actively hunting for some of our friends and comrades and seeking to incriminate others. This can include anyone anywhere regardless of their actions or ideology. There will be workshops to encourage and share excellent SC practices and make us all feel safer. Things to know beforehand include: Don’t do illegal things, or tell others to, or talk about it around cellphones, mp3, laptops, or any other devices. Respect other people’s names (and pronouns!) and make up your own. It’s fun. Security culture is not an excuse to be unfriendly!

Conflict Mediation and a Safe Place for All: This summer, the mediation team discussed how having a special chill space for folks would be beneficial for everyone’s mental health. We are planning on having a special area devoted to that at the gathering.

The space will include an assortment of tools and resources to help earthfirsters relax and regain focus. There will be books available on stretching, yoga, acupressure and different types of massage. Zines on mediation, support, communication and mental health will also be at your fingertips. Oh yeah, tea anyone? If that’s your fancy, you can find it there! We will also have mediation team members available throughout the gathering to listen and help resolve conflicts and listen. We recognize that people may be coping with an assortment of things (grief, loss, addictions), and we want you to know we are there for you.

Anti-Oppression Check-in: We want to create a space where folks feel safe, mentally and physically. We want to challenge all forms of oppression and encourage everyone to speak up against language and behavior that reinforces domination. Please be conscious of how much space you are taking up. For better sex, we encourage everyone to practice consent with each other. Self-care should be your top priority. We ask you to first try to address concerns that arise with the folks who are present, and then seek out a mediation team member if you need help.

Check us out online at 2010oc.org. If you haven’t been to a Rondy before and would like to see what they’re like, check out past Beltane issues of the EF! Journal for report-backs. The 2010oc website will include a ride board to help folks figure out travel plans. We hope to see a bunch of old friends and a gigantic bunch of new ones! Santa Barbara is part of the most awesome bioregion in the Universe! So come on down and see why! EARTH FIRST!

http://2010oc.org