Forest Creatures FAQ

Forest Creatures V :  What you need to know…

EXPECTATIONS

Forest Creatures is a four day, three night gathering experienced in a semi-remote wilderness.  It is the lovechild of a close-knit group of artists and dreamers collectively called Starlight Reunion. It is also a collection of beautiful people that want to have an amazing experience and adventure, and that includes you. We encourage flow dancers, live painters, DJs, musicians, poets, chefs, cooks, sculptures, aerialists, dancers, storytellers, comedians, and any others to participate by showcasing their art forms in a safe, supportive space.  No prerequisites exist for participation in this community.

We also encourage bringing something to share with your Forest Creatures Family.  Any extra food, ice, water, or other provisions will be gladly received by the camp kitchen.  We encourage you to make a donation that will fund food for the community kitchen, ice for coolers, fuel for our generators, Porta potty rental, and other costs.  We have open financial books, you are welcome to review them.

We have worked very hard to establish a great relationship with the Forest Service in obtaining the necessary permits for this event.  We believe very strongly in the concept of public lands that belong to all of us, and that these places should always be available for us all to gather and practice our freedom of expression.  As such, we are all stewards and caretakers of the land. We owe that to those who came before us and those who come after us. This place is house and home for us all, as well as the rest of the wild things. Please treat it as such. 

You are responsible for yourself. We love you, but please do not do anything stupid. If you think you are about to do something stupid, please stop. If you see someone else about to do something stupid, please stop them. Love your brother, love your sister, don’t let them act stupidly. Stupid in the wilderness ends poorly. Don’t act stupid. Be polite, conscious, awake, kind, respectful, consensual, and have fun. 

This is a leave no trace campout. Pack out what you pack in.  There is no infrastructure. We are bringing in generators and porta potties.  Cell phones do not work at the camp location. We are excited about that fact.

We have an emergency response team and satellite communications devices.  We would  prefer not to use them.  That being said, if you need help, PLEASE ASK. If you think you need help, PLEASE ASK.  We are here to help. 

As we grow to take on more people at this event, dogs have become a talking point for attendees. We have chosen to follow forest service guidelines for dogs in designated recreations sites. This year we will only be allowing well behaved dogs on leashes. All dogs must be on leash and accompanied by owners at all times. No dogs will be allowed near stages or dance areas. Sorry we have to do this, but due to problems we’ve had with dogs in the past we cannot continue to have absolutely no structure with dogs. A few of the examples that have led us to this policy are: multiple dog fights, dogs jumping on random people, people not picking up after their pet in common areas, as well a dog running off into the woods never to be seen again. 🙁

To Get there:  There is no cell service. Get your navigation squared away before you leave town. Parking areas will be marked, please use them.

• CARPOOl.  BE GREEN. SAVE MONEY. MAKE FRIENDS.

Want to Ride Share?  We support you in any efforts to reduce our carbon footprint and Leave No Trace.  Sign up to Host or Join a Carpool to Forest Creatures HERE.

DRIVING DIRECTIONS:

GPS Coordinates:  46.6847333, -114.4775075

From Missoula:  Head South on HWY 93 – 10.2 mi

Turn right onto US-12 W / Lolo Creek Rd – 26.1 mi

Turn left onto E Fork Lolo Creek Rd (first left after Lolo Hotsprings)

Keep right – 4.0 mi

 If you enter Idaho…turn around and try again…

Forest Creatures Community Kitchen:

There will be a great community kitchen available for use by all.  Please be aware that we need to follow bear safe practices and store all your food properly out of sight and securely in your vehicle. 

Please think about making a donation to this project via our gofundme here, a cost breakdown is there as well.

Donation

What to bring; We want you to be comfortable Forest Creatures.

• SWEET COSTUMES, the part of your butt that dances
• WATER – BRING ENOUGH WATER FOR YOURSELF/CREW for the entire weekend
• First aid kit, extra fire extinguishers are helpful, as is a rake or shovel and a bucket
• Good footwear, warm footwear, fuzzy footwear
• Tent/air mattress/good sleeping bag/sleeping pad – THIS IS A CAMPING FESTIVAL
• RVs are OK.  Running your stinky, loud generator all night, not so awesome
• PLEASE DO NOT BLOCK ANY ROADS OR YOU WILL BE TOWED BY A TEAM OF GOATS INTO IDAHO (Blocking roads pisses off the Forest Service, who need access in case of emergency, and we signed a paper promising not to piss them off)
• Headlamps!!  HEAD LAMPS, FLASHLIGHTS, LIGHTED THINGS OF ALL KINDS.
• Baby Wipes and Hand Sanitizer, Towels!!! + washcloths! + biodegradable soap 
• Toilet Paper !!!!!!!!!!!
• PLEASE STORE FOOD IN BEAR RESISTANT CONTAINERS OR BETTER, IN YOUR CAR, NOT ONLY FOR BEARS, BUT MICE/RODENTS CAN WRECK A BAG OR PACK QUICKLY. THIS IS A SPECIAL ORDER IN PLACE FOR ALL OF LOLO NATIONAL FOREST. We like animals, let’s keep them alive by not feeding them human food.
• Yoga Mats, Napping Mats.  Matt, bring him, he has cookies.
• Several 5-gallon jugs of water for drinking + hand showers
• Warm Clothes for the evenings and layers for the daytime* 
• Raingear, unless it gets really bad we are gonna rally!
• A Large cooler -simple Food/Snacks: such as veggies, tortillas, guacamole, salsa, chips
• Metal or reusable cups and plates, forks and knives
• A hat or many hats, some warm gloves, wigs are also fun
• Lots of trash bags = this is a leave no trace camp out, pack it in pack it out!!!
• Your prescription medication
• Chairs to sit in, hammocks, a big fluffy pillow, a blanket
• Guitars, drums, instruments
• FIRES ARE ALLOWED.BE SAFE! DO NOT BURN TRASH IN FIRES. PLEASE PACK IT OUT.
• Earplugs, think about picking a good camp spot if you are a light sleeper
• Feminine Products

*DRESS APPROPRIATELY – the GEODOME STAGE and ARCH STAGE will have heat sources, and there will be fire pits, but please bring extra socks and your sweetest dance tootie.

Stuff Not To Bring : Glass containers or bottles, SIngle use plastics, Guns or weapons of any kind, Explosives or Fireworks, Bad vibes, Fussy people. PLEASE CLEAN UP AFTER YOUR DOG.

The Starlight Reunion Forest Creatures Story:

Forest Creatures is a social experiment that shares principles and similarities to Burning Man and the Rainbow Gathering. This is a  GRASSROOTS GATHERING that is built on a community that we nurture together.  Our core focus is to embrace one another in such a way that inspires artistic self expression and a sense of community. Connect with us on the interwebs: Starlight Reunion.

10 Principles:  (Adopted from Burning Man)

RADICAL INCLUSION:

Anyone may be a part of the community. We welcome and respect the stranger. No prerequisites exist for participation in our community.

GIFTING: (Sharing is caring ❤️)

We are devoted to acts of gift giving. The value of a gift is unconditional. Gifting does not contemplate a return or an exchange for something of equal value.

DECOMMODIFICATION:

In order to preserve the spirit of gifting, our community seeks to create social environments that are unmediated by commercial sponsorships, transactions, or advertising. We stand ready to protect our culture from such exploitation. We resist the substitution of consumption for participatory experience.

RADICAL SELF-RELIANCE:

We encourage the individual to discover, exercise and rely on his or her inner resources.

RADICAL SELF-EXPRESSION:

Radical self-expression arises from the unique gifts of the individual. No one other than the individual or a collaborating group can determine its content. It is offered as a gift to others. In this spirit, the giver should respect the rights and liberties of the recipient.

COMMUNAL EFFORT:

Our community values creative cooperation and collaboration. We strive to produce, promote and protect social networks, public spaces, works of art, and methods of communication that support such interaction.

CIVIC RESPONSIBILITY:

We value civil society. Community members who organize events should assume responsibility for public welfare and endeavor to communicate civic responsibilities to participants. They must also assume responsibility for conducting events in accordance with local, state and federal laws.

LEAVING NO TRACE:

Our community respects the environment. We are committed to leaving no physical trace of our activities wherever we gather. We clean up after ourselves and endeavor, whenever possible, to leave such places in a better state than when we found them.

PARTICIPATION:

Our community is committed to a radically participatory ethic. We believe that transformative change, whether in the individual or in society, can occur only through the medium of deeply personal participation. We achieve being through doing. Everyone is invited to work. Everyone is invited to play. We make the world real through actions that open the heart.

IMMEDIACY:

Immediate experience is, in many ways, the most important touchstone of value in our culture. We seek to overcome barriers that stand between us and a recognition of our inner selves, the reality of those around us, participation in society, and contact with a natural world exceeding human powers. No idea can substitute for this experience.