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Summer for nomads typically means traveling towards higher elevations to chase cooler weather and seeking the wide-ranging employment opportunities summer brings. For many of us it means moving away from our winter neighbors and the broader support communities we enjoy to more independent living or smaller less frequent gatherings. For the HOWA organization it is a time of reflection and strategic discussions as our in-person programming temporarily slows. However, our remote and digital programming remains in full effect year-round, and I encourage you to take advantage of HOWA’s Virtual Caravans and Bulletin Board. | |
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But never fear! We are only nine months away from our annual gathering, the Rubber Tramp Rendezvous (RTR), at the Quartzsite ballfield. The women 's-only event begins on Wednesday, January 8, 2025, and the all-gender RTR begins on Saturday, January 11. Please save the date and join us for the biggest and best RTR in the fifteen-year history of the event.
Speaking of the RTR, we are asking for your help to make the event both the best ever and continue to support our goal of making the event free and open to everyone. You can assist in supporting the nomad community by personally sponsoring the event or assisting in identifying other individual or corporate sponsors. You can find more information here, including how to sponsor and who to contact with questions. Do you own a business? Are you a social media content creator? A partner nonprofit organization? This is your opportunity to get your business, group, or page in front of tens of thousands of viewers and consumers and support a great cause at the same time.
HOWA is a community organization founded by the nomad community for the nomad community, and it is only through the support of community members like yourself that we can continue to pursue our mission of joining together as a community to change lives, build a supportive community, and prevent homelessness one person at a time. As a result of the generosity of over 600 individuals such as yourself, giving between $1 and a very generous single donation of $50,000, HOWA raised almost $60,000 in April. Please consider a generous donation today.
J.D. McCrary
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Rubber Tramp Rendezvous Logo Design Contest | |
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Attention artists and creative enthusiasts! Homes on Wheels Alliance (HOWA) is thrilled to announce our Logo Design Contest for the 2025 Rubber Tramp Rendezvous (RTR). This is your chance to leave a mark on the biggest event in the nomadic community by designing the official logo for RTR 2025.
The winning design will be featured on all RTR 2025 merchandise, promotional materials, and more.
Submission Deadline: August 31, 2024
Click here to view the submission guidelines and submit your design: https://homesonwheelsalliance.org/2025-rtr-and-wrtr/rtr-logo-submission-guidelines/
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Rubber Tramp Rendezvous Leadership Update | |
Since 2011, the Rubber Tramp Rendezvous (RTR) and Women's RTR have been organized for the nomad community. The event has grown each year through the efforts of volunteer leaders and has evolved to provide valuable information and entertainment. Earlier this year, we gathered in Quartzsite under the guidance of former HOWA Trustee JP Smith, who oversaw an improved 2024 RTR. We are very grateful for his experience and leadership in making the event a success. JP has decided to pursue other opportunities and will not be the RTR Chair for 2025. We thank JP for his leadership and commitment to the RTR and the HOWA community. Stepping into the role of volunteer 2025 RTR Chair will be former HOWA Executive Director Suanne Carlson. In collaboration with other volunteers and staff members, we are beginning to plan and build upon the improvements made during last year's event. Please start making plans to join us in January! | | |
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In addition to our community and individual assistance programs, HOWA is also paying attention to the national conversation around the nomadic way of life and the potential effects on our lifestyle. Many of us rely on our right to camp on public lands (and the responsibility to do so while adhering to Leave No Trace principles).
Currently, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is planning fee increases across several western states and areas of interest to the nomad community. Most changes are increases to existing pay sites, with some sites increasing fees significantly and plans to convert dispersed areas into pay sites.
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BLM requires each recreation fee site or area to complete a business plan that analyzes and explains how fees are consistent with criteria set forth in the Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act (FLREA). The FLREA allows (but does not require) the BLM to collect recreation fees on the lands they manage. Business plans assist in determining appropriate fee rates, outline the cost of administering fee sites, and identify priorities for future expenditures. A primary purpose of the business plan is to serve as public notification of the objectives for the use of recreation fee revenues and to provide the public an opportunity to comment on these objectives before a fee site is designated or when existing site fees are adjusted.
The good news is that we have a say in how our public lands are managed. See below for specific details on each state.
Arizona
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Multiple sites throughout north and east Arizona. The AZ BLM office has compiled a guide to proposed fee increases.
- Includes some day-use areas and converting some areas into paid camping sites with full amenities.
- Comments on the proposals must be submitted or emailed by June 12.
California
- Comments on the proposals must be submitted by June 16.
- Four sites in the Mother Lode Field Office district, including the South Yuba and Merced River areas.
- Includes adding some sites to the online reservation system, which requires additional user fees.
Idaho
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Five sites in the Salmon Field Office district.
- Current fees: $5 per night. Group sites are free.
- Proposed fees: $15 per night. Group sites, $30 per night.
- Comment period TBD.
New Mexico
- The comment period ended May 8, 2024.
- Modest increases in camping fees for individual sites from $7 to $10 per day and for full hookups from $18 to $25 per day.
For clarification, HOWA fully supports a well-funded BLM, including budget increases for recreation, law enforcement, road maintenance, and conservation. The current deferred maintenance budget for BLM is just shy of a billion dollars; however, because our public lands belong to everyone, HOWA supports a federal budget increase solution to address the needs of our public infrastructure and not to impose fees on individual users, many of whom live on very restricted incomes and already cannot afford the existing fees.
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HOWA is a proud partner of The National Vehicle Residency Collective (NVRC). The NVRC is a network of vehicle residents, social service providers, and legal experts joining together to support people living in their vehicles. Their goal is to honor and value the voices of vehicle residents, support their policy and service goals, and protect their legal rights. They believe that a key component of this work is to raise positive public awareness about people living in vehicles and vehicle residency.
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Join the NVRC for their 2024 Vehicle Residency Summit: "Uniting Under the Big Tent." This Zoom event will take place on Saturday and Sunday, June 22nd and 23rd, 2024, and is free for everyone. This online event is designed to unite the community of vehicle residents, parking program providers, legal advocates, and various stakeholders for two days of knowledge-sharing, collaboration, and problem-solving. More information and register here. | | |
Correction: In our April newsletter we mentioned the 2025 Rubber Tramp Rendezvous (RTR) would be our sixth anniversary, but we were mistaken. The upcoming 20025 RTR will be our 15th annual event. Our inaugural all-gender RTR was in 2010, and our first women-only RTR took place in 2017. We apologize for our misstatement and look forward to seeing you all in January. | | | | |
