Some of the magic of action camp kicks in when the group reaches a level of cohesion like it did today…suddenly the potential of the group is palpable as so many of the folks have connected and shared skills and stories. Trust and relationships are forming, it is quite powerful.

Today the techies rule, as a variety of higher level communications devices for scouting and actions come out to play as the ran gives way to sunshine in the afternoon. Blockades are also on the menu this day, from the old school sit ins to tripods and lockboxes to add to the power of such actions.

Many of us are still basking in all the good news that seemed to roll in yesterday on some of our campaigns and on other issues that were important to us…. the victory at Grassy Narrows see www.ran.org, the positive election outcome on many of our issues and local key races, and word that the Canadian Parliament had voted to allow US conscientious objectors to seek safe haven within Canada. Although not necessarily the issues of this camp, these victories nurture us as we gobble up the little bits of news we get off the net and on our blackberries while out here at camp.

Tomorrow we have a role play simulation of an action, a great learning experience for all. The camp participants have broken into three groups and are meeting feverishly, but we have no information on their plans as they are practicing a security culture and the trainers know nothing about their plans!!! All will be revealed tomorrow.

Campaign briefings and many side discussions have folks contemplating the possible action collaborations that could take place in the coming months. To be sure the value of this coming together will resonate for months to come!

As I think about returning home to Southeastern Utah, I wonder how well our communities will do in resisting the onslaught of oil and gas projects springing up every day, let alone tarsands and oil shale projects threatening Utah and Western Colorado. They are calling in the future energy basket of the nation….I know now that I have allies in that struggle, and that the groups who came together here will play a part in shaping a different future for that part of the country.

My name is Sam. I’m a fresh face to the activism scene. I’m a 21 year old from Portland Oregon and came to this camp for several reasons: travel, opportunity, networking, building a resume, and general life experience.

A year or two ago, I wouldn’t have been caught dead at something like this mainly because I was uninformed at a point in my life where I didn’t think there was really a point in being involved in any kind of group or getting behind any ideals.

Then I met my wife and really started to realize that there was good reason to care about things. I used to just be worried about partying etc… then I started working with my first non-profit. It was a great experience because it showed me that the only real way to get things done is to get out there and do them.

I came to this camp not really knowing what to expect and I’m really impressed with the atmosphere. The trainers are understanding and accommodating. Seeds of Peace have been offering amazing food. The young people here from all around the U.S. and Canada are passionate, educated, eager, and driven.

One of the main things about grassroots activism is that knowledge really IS power and that what you don’t know really can hurt you and the people, places, and things you care about.

I wasn’t aware of the Tarsands project in Alberta Canada before coming to this camp. I had no idea that something of that magnitude was being developed. It really shows how the media can pick and choose what shapes peoples lives and the fact the corporate media is often times in the pockets of the big oil companies.

Also, in my opinion, I feel that the majority of people in this country may in fact BE informed, but they feel powerless. I think people really need to be shown that THEY really can make a difference. Not just environmentally, but politically, socially, and economically.

People are what change things. We are the ones that elect officials and politicians, and those officials and politicians should be held accountable for the votes they make that don’t reflect the citizens they’re supposed to be representing.

This camp is really fun. It’s also important and serious. We’re all friendly and having a good time, but we all understand the implications of the work we’re striving to do.

This training is vital for developing the skills to deal with the media, how to climb buildings to drop banners, how to plan a campaign, and effectively use the internet. The action/and direct side of things as well as the work of connecting people and strategizing.

I will most certainly be looking forward to more opportunities to do this kind of thing, to meeting new people, to gaining more experiences for campaign work.

After 3 days at camp here in Montana we have a heavy rain day. Some folks were unprepared for the wet and cold conditions here in the Big Belt Mountains of Montana and this weather has tested their patience and endurance, but overall people are dealing and in great spirits.

Anyone who is involved in direct action must deal with harsh elements and extreme physical and mental challenges. Actions push you out of your comfort zones and you must learn if you are going to be doing actions that you must be prepared to be mentally strong and totally prepared for elements the elements you will face.

One of my top mentors on how to run campaigns and actions once said “if action and campaigns were easy everyone would do it”. But conducting actions and running campaigns to confront corporations and governments on destructive policies and practices has never been easy.

I have learned over the years that actions demand top notch preparation, mental toughness, a high degree of flexibility & creativity, overcoming whatever challenges are thrown your way, and always maintaining a positive under adverse conditions. The Boy Scouts motto could certainly be the lesson of today “always be prepared”

I’m sitting in front of the Greenpeace communications van, the pride and joy of Richard “Sky King” Dillman. Despite our relatively remote location, can transmit live audio, video or text just about anywhere in the world using a combination of radio, satellite, or cellular networks.

I’m joining Richard and colleague Mike Johnson for “tactical communications” workshops all week. The session covers everything from basic equipment and techniques to advanced “field problems” where we’ll use what we’ve learned to role-play non-violent direct action and mass mobilization scenarios.

In front of me is a scaffolding the size of a three story building. Ingrid Gordon and her team of climb trainers built the structure yesterday, outfitting it with ropes and guy wires to simulate an action canvass (Coal-fired power plant? Oil Refinery? State Capitol?). The workshop starts with an extensive safety training then moves to basic knots, equipment and techniques. Like the other workshops, they’ll end the week by conducting a simulated action scenario developed by participants at the camp.

This afternoon, Celia Alario hosts a media skills workshop featuring message development, release writing and on-camera interviews. After dinner, it’s an open schedule–time for hikes, skill-shares and after sunset, a healthy dose of stories around campfire.

I’m in Montana at the bottom of the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. People are pouring into the “Climate Change Ground Zero Action Camp.” For the next week, we’ll be talking about how to answer the $200 Billion dollar question of how to beat the climate challenge.

The coal and oil industry and most of our country’s elected officials want to invest in oil pipelines, oil refineries and coal fired power plants. We think that looks a lot like what got us into this mess in the first place so we’re honing strategies to take back our future.

Why Montana? Two reasons. First, Montana is at the center of the oil and coal bonanza lurking just on the horizon of North America. We’re camped just outside of Helena, where the Governor is pushing plans to expand four oil refineries in the state mostly in order process cheap, dirty crude oil from the Canadian Tar Sands–part of a massive nationwide push to tap into one of the biggest and most destructive industrial projects on the planet. Montana also sits on top of more coal than just about anywhere on the planet. If the Governor and his industry backers get their way, most of that coal will pulverized, burned and pumped into the atmosphere–pollution and global warming be damned.

The second reason we’re in Montana is JR Roof. JR’s spent most of his life training activists in creative campaign strategies and non-violent direct action tactics with Greenpeace. Most of the people you’ve seen hanging banners from bridges and buildings over the last 20 years probably learned some of what they know from him (or someone he that trained with him). For the last two years, he’s been based in Montana and Alberta, organizing ranchers and farmers to oppose punching a power transmisison line through some of the continent’s most pristine wilderness just North of here. He’s pulled together some of the most experienced rabble-rousers on the continent pass on non-violent direct action skills to the climate movement and “make sure that this new generation of activists has an opportunity to learn from our mistakes”

So here we are, from Montana, Alberta, Ontario, Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Utah, California, New York and Washington, DC, passing on skills getting ready to take action for the climate. We’ll be blogging, posting interviews and photos all week.