Yes,,,,,,,,,,BUT...Surely Climate Change camp and Earth First (Summer) Gathering are BOTH really quite important - to activists, aren't they, and, if they both take place at around the same - ish time, won't that sort, of, BUGGER them both up?

There may well be similarities and overlaps at both kind of gatherings but shouldn't some thought and creative planning be given to developing more strongly BOTH gatherings? or even the prospect of agreement being reached on creating perhaps just ONE LARGE August gathering of a similar nature?

Just a few thoughts.
I was at EF in Wales 2006 for a couple of days, but at the mo, I have no time, nor means to put into attending meetings for preparations and plannings - but I am concerned and interested.

Best to both.

Mad Steve.

I agree they're both important, though in different though overlapping ways...

It would be hard to get them to agree somehow to combine - the camp for climate action is organised by monthly meetings, and important decisions are taken by consensus; whoever comes along can get involved in planning it. earth first! summer gatherings are taken on by a collective each year at the previous gathering - the process in between times is that the collective meets when they need to, and if anyone else wants to get involved, they contact the gathering collective to offer themselves; however EF! doesn't have a national decision-making process - autonomous individuals & groups just go off and organise actions & whathaveyou how they like.

It would be a pity I think if the summer gathering got swallowed (whether by agreement, or by people focussing on the climate camp at the cost of the gathering) - climate stuff is very important, but it's not the only ecological direct action that is done or needed, and however much we work on an issue, they come and go in popularity (eg forests, roads, global solidarity, genetics...).

 http://earthfirstgathering.org.uk - 18th-22nd July 2007
 http://climatecamp.org.uk - 14th-21st August 2007