Rainbow Family members start gathering in eastern Oregon

SALEM, Ore. (AP) - Concern is growing in a conservative, remote corner of Oregon as people start arriving in a national forest for a Rainbow Family of Living Light annual gathering, a counter-culture get-together expected to draw thousands.

Officials with the Malheur National Forest said this week that already 600 Rainbow Family members are camped at a gathering site near Flagtail Meadow and that between 10,000 and 30,000 are likely to arrive by July 4.

An Indian tribe said the site is within its ancestral territory and asked for attendees to respect its cultural resources.

U.S. Forest Service resource specialists are making sure that kitchens, peace circles, and latrines are located appropriately to protect the landscape, plants and animals.

The site is near the town of John Day in Eastern Oregon.