Southwest Sufi Camp 2022 Guidelines
COVID POLICY
Dear Friends,
The camp organizing committee arrived at these guidelines through research and discussion, partially modeled after other similar events. We realize that some people will feel left out no matter what decisions are made, but most people involved in making these difficult decisions agreed that these guidelines are necessary at this time for the best protection of our group to avoid contracting the virus while at camp. As we are not requiring vaccines, please follow these guidelines for the safety and well-being of everyone. We thank you very much in advance and look forward to a glorious camp at SSC.
Please…
1) Refrain from attending gatherings and events for 5 to 7 days before camp.
2) Stay away from sick people. Do not come if you are feeling any symptoms.
3) Be mindful and take precautions while traveling to SSC, especially in the lines for security, boarding and deboarding if you will be traveling by plane.
4) Before leaving home you must take a home COVID test and receive a negative result. Please bring two more test kits for yourself to test upon arrival and two days into Camp. All of SSC Residents participating in camp will follow the same guidelines.
5) Upon arrival in Silver City on Tuesday August 16th, BEFORE turning up Bear Creek Road, please call Rashad at (575) 538-1798 for a supervised antigen test. He will meet you in Silver City at 229 F Street, Silver City NM 88061. When you arrive, go up the driveway to the gate to the back yard. From there you can see the small casita where Rashad will meet you. Please do not disturb the residents of the house in front. If in the unlikely event you test positive with the rapid test, which could be a false positive, Rashad will send you to the local lab where you can get a FREE PCR test with a 1-hour turn around. If you test negative at the lab, you are welcome to join us at Voice of the Turtle for our Camp. If not, we will sadly bid you goodbye and give you a full refund if you so choose.
6) Once at Camp, you are free to wear masks or to not wear masks, hold hands or not hold hands, etc. We ask that you do not ask people if they are vaccinated or not. That can be an unwelcome question.
7) Once you arrive at Camp, please do not leave the premises to go into town, so everyone can stay as safe as possible and protected from risk of exposure to COVID.
Big Gratitude,
The SSC Board and Residents
GENERAL GUIDELINES
1) ORIENTATION: Please see the Camp Registrar at the Retreat Center to sign in. The Camp Registrar will be located in the Ramada on the back side of the Retreat Center.
2) PARKING: When you arrive, proceed to the Retreat Center. It is OK to take your car to most of the Retreat Center accommodations and the camping areas to unload gear.
3) OUTHOUSES: The closest outhouses are located down hill from the Retreat Center. Other outhouses are in the South Meadow and vehicle camping areas.
4) DRINKING WATER: Drinking water is available by the Retreat Center from the spigots in the yard, or on the water table by the Ramada.
5) WATER WASHING STATIONS: These are located by the Retreat Center and by the outhouses. If you are camping further away, do all your washing away from the creek.
6) SHOWERS: The showers are located in the Retreat Center.
7) WADING IN THE CREEK: Water in Bear Creek is OK for wading, but not for drinking. Children must be supervised at all times while at the creek.
8) CAMPING: Please camp in the designated area, upstream in the South Meadow, on the left or right side of the road. PLEASE DO NOT CAMP ON THE SAND IN OR NEAR THE CREEK. Please follow wilderness camping guidelines: don’t ditch around your tent as this can cause soil erosion; leave no trace of your campsite; pack out whatever you pack in; and don’t leave trash for others to take out.
9) CAMP KITCHEN: The Head Cook and the Assistant Cooks are in charge of the kitchen during camp. The Beverage Person serves coffee from the kitchen porch before breakfast. Please ask for whatever you need of the kitchen staff and they will do their best to accommodate.
10) FOOD: This is a remote area and the potential for animals being drawn to your food is high. Outside, keep your food in your car with the windows up or tie your food in a tree, hanging away from the trunk. Do not throw food scraps around. Use the compost buckets.
11) SMOKING: Please smoke in the designated area at camp. This is a bench on the south side of the retreat center. It is important to be aware of the danger of fire on the land.
12) FIRES: Open fires are not permitted without approval. Please do not use incense, candles or open flame lanterns outdoors or when camping, unless it is a part of a ceremony or practice with prior approval. Incense and candles may be used indoors only when they are under the direct observation of an adult (person 18 year of age or older). April – June are usually dry months, so it is important to be especially careful with fire.
13) HUNTING/ FIREARMS: Firearms are not allowed and no hunting of any kind is permitted on SSC land.
14) WILDLIFE: Please respect any wildlife you may see or encounter. The extensive riparian area is home to diverse flora and fauna, with regular visits from migrating birds. Resident wildlife includes squirrels, chipmunks, lizards, deer, rabbits, quail, dove, blue heron, javelinas, foxes and coyotes, rattlesnakes, bears and mountain lions.
15) PETS: Do not bring any pets to group camps or retreats.
16) SNAKES AND INSECTS: We have black-tailed rattlesnakes in the area. They are generally non-aggressive, and have a beautiful green and gold color with a diamond pattern on the back. They like closed in-spaces and in the late morning usually lay in direct sunlight. If you see a snake, please leave it alone and tell the Camp Manager where it was seen. Scorpions, fire ants, and kissing bugs are also present on the land. It’s a good practice to shake out your clothing and shoes prior to putting them on and check your bedding in case either of these have nestled in. The kissing bug looks like a large watermelon seed with an elongated snout. Some people have adverse reactions to their bites.
17) CHILD SAFETY: Children are prohibited from the tool shed, barn and any equipment room. Children may be in the community kitchen, a worksite, or within 100 feet of Bear Creek only when accompanied by a supervising adult.
18) FIRST AID: Some herbal and other first aid supplies are kept in the utility room off the kitchen. “Universal Precautions” are followed as a part of first aid practices and health awareness. With incidents involving any blood spills, please ask Community Participants for assistance
19) MEDICAL EMERGENCY PROTOCOL: The SSC is rustic and remote. There is no doctor on the Land. If necessary, it is the responsibility of all visitors, retreatants and participants to seek their own medical treatment and treatment for minors in their custody. The nearest formal medical treatment is in Silver City.
20) PHONES AND E-MAIL: There is no cell service coverage at the SSC. Visitors may use the satellite internet at the Retreat Center. Ask staff for assistance.
21) HISTORICAL/ ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITES: Sites from the past may be found on the land and surrounding area. The sites may be noted and photographed but not disturbed.
22) SACRED SITES: The Maqbara area (Burial Ground) located across Bear Creek is considered to be specifically Sacred Ground. This area includes the Dargah of the Founder of the SSC, Murshid Moineddin Jablonski. All visitors and SSC Participants are encouraged to visit this area with the intention of seeking guidance as to the deeper meaning of the SSC Vision. There is a small retreat hut near the Dargah, if a personal retreat is in progress, please respect the privacy of the retreatant (at this site or any other area designated for a personal retreat) and keep a respectful distance.
23) GOATS: There is a herd of goats living on the Land. Please watch out for them when you arrive. Always drive very slowly (vehicles may frighten them) and keep a respectful distance.
24) PRIVATE RESIDENCES: Kindly respect the privacy of SSC Residents by keeping to the main road and not venturing into private driveways, yards, or homes.
25) WE ARE ALL GUESTS OF THE LAND: Visitors are invited to hike and explore while practicing “Leave No Trace” ethics. For the sake of safety, hikers are encouraged to go with a partner and must always inform another person at SSC where they intend to hike. Removing anything from the Land, including pottery shards and plants, is not permitted. A core value of the community is respect for the sacred manuscript of nature, including the ideal of mindfulness and doing no harm to all living beings that share the land.