Earth First! National Organizers' Conference 2003

HELP BUILD THE RADICAL ECOLOGY MOVEMENT!

Earth First! National Organizers' Conference 2003
February 14-17, 2003

WHY YOU SHOULD COME
Got the Winter blahs? Come on down to the 2003 Organizers' Conference
and Winter Rendezvous near warm and wild Santa Cruz, California, on
February 14-17. There will be exciting discussions centered around
movement building and strategy, as well as time set aside for skills
sharing and fireside fun. Join with other like minded people in building a
stronger Earth centered movement.

The focus of this year's conference will be "Safety and Effectiveness."
With the recent, tragic deaths of two treesitters, Horehound and Naya, the
importance of proper training will be stressed. Instructors will be onsite
to review training techniques and nonviolence tactics. The intention is that
we will be more effective if we are fluent in how to carry out safe actions.
It is no secret that the organizing committee, Santa Cruz EF!, has been
dealt heavy blows this year, including Naya's death and the devastation at
Ramsey Gulch. Despite this, and because of this, we welcome the opportunity
to invite folks from different regions and struggles around the world to our
home to discuss many of the important issues facing our movement in these
troubled times. If there are burning issues you want to see on the agenda
please email patrickr [at] riseup.net.

OUR CAMP
Home to some of the oldest, grandest and tallest trees, a land of deserts
and the Pacific Ocean coast, California is remarkable in its diversity. We
will be camping at Arroyo Seco, just east of the Ventana Wilderness. There
are trails for hiking, and the brave can swim or raft in the Arroyo Seco
River. The daytime temperatures may get into the 70s with overnight lows
down to slightly below freezing. We will be in a US Forest Service
campground, so water and toilet facilities will be available. The group
campsite can hold 50 people (with a 10 car limit), and there will be
additional campsites with 10 people per site (three cars maximum), a short
walk away.

GRUB, FIRE AND FUN
We are working to set up a community kitchen but be prepared to cook your
own food in the event that doesn't work out. You should also be prepared
to keep your food safe from local critters, including the occasional
black bear. The Warrior Poets Society's annual "Night to Howl" will be on
February 16. Poets, singers, musicians, rabble-rousers and ranters are
invited to share their work. Please bring dry firewood so we can have warm
nights around the campfire. Don't bring weapons, drugs, unruly pets or bad
attitudes. There will be rangers driving around the camp area, so behave
yourself or keep well out of sight.

THINGS WE NEED!
We are still looking for some things to pull off this conference. If you
can provide them please let us know as soon as possible. The main things we
need are more tarps and tents, $ and climbing gear. We also need you to
spread the word and bring your friends! Whether its rustle up some of those
old EF!ers who haven't been so active recently or roping in some promising
new folks - RECRUIT! The Earth needs more defenders!

DIRECTIONS
From San Francisco: Take Highway 101 south to Arroyo Seco Road, just
south of Soledad. Go southwest until you come to the campground and find
the group camping area.
From southern California: Take Highway 101 north to Greenfield, then
take G16 west to the campground.
For more information or ride coordination, contact EF! OC 2003, POB 344,
Santa Cruz, CA 95061; (831) 425-3205; cruzef [at] cruzio.com.