2022 Rainbow Gathering wraps up in Colorado

Thousands of hippies are packing up their campsites today in northwest Colorado's remote Routt National Forest as the 50th annual Rainbow Gathering comes to an end.

• The weeklong campout is held at a different national forest each year as a means to promote peace, prayer and appreciation for Mother Nature.

Why it matters: This year's event has been a sore subject for local residents, law enforcement and environmentalists.

• The Rainbow Family wants to "make the Earth green again" and stand for "peace and love," but law enforcement say this year's gathering racked up hundreds of incident reports, and that many locals worry the sensitive land could be damaged.

Details: As of Sunday, more than 450 tickets and arrests were issued, primarily over illegal drugs, including fentanyl, the Colorado Sun reports.

• Authorities set up a federal court in a nearby roadside tent to process the citations.
• Yes, but: The numbers appear to be on par with last year, which saw 600 citations total.

Of note: Roughly 200 Rainbow Family members will remain on forest grounds through August to clean up the site in collaboration with the U.S. Forest Service.