APALACHICOLA NATIONAL FOREST — A U.S. Forest Service spokesman confirmed Friday that three portions of the Apalachicola National Forest, including the area where the Rainbow Gathering held a month-long permit to assemble, are now closed until further notice.
The decision was made following a Thursday morning shooting at Wright Lake that left one man dead and two hospitalized in critical condition.
As of late Friday, the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office had not released the names of those involved and no arrests had been made.
Susan Blake, a public affairs specialist in Tallahassee, said the two areas of the forest adjacent to where the gathering had its base camp — Wright Lake and Hickory Landing — will be vacated by the end of the day. These areas include an RV site at Wright Lake, and a primitive campground at Hickory Landing, which are both now closed.
Also closed is a cordoned-off area west of the Wright Lake campground, where the Rainbows had a special use permit to conduct a seed camp between March 1 and 6, a gathering March 7 to 22, and clean-from March 23 to 30.
“Because that’s a crime scene, the permit is canceled for the law enforcement investigation,” Blake said. “They (the Rainbows) weren’t actually camping in Wright Lake or Hickory Landing, but those two recreational sites are close to the area.”
A third area, Moore Lake, which is near Silver Lake off State 20, is also being closed.
Blake said signs are being put up along State 65 notifying motorists of the closures of Wright Lake and Hickory Landing.
She said the decision was made by consultation among forest service personnel from the local, regional and Washington, D.C. offices.
“People have to vacate,” Blake said. “We have to give them time to pack up and leave.”