Jennifer Kane

Reno Gazette Journal

Almost 200 burners gathered to protest officials' proposals for dumpsters, drug searches and barriers

The proposed changes to Burning Man's operations are part of a draft of an environmental report from the BLM.

Although Burners felt like there were many holes in the document, it already amounts to nearly 400 pages altogether.

Jenny Kane covers arts and culture in Northern Nevada, as well as the dynamic relationship between the state and the growing Burning Man community. She also covers the state's burgeoning cannabis industry (Check out her podcast, the Potcast, on iTunes.) Support her work in Reno by subscribing to RGJ.com right here.

Relations between Burning Man and federal officials have been better.

What was supposed to be a public hearing felt more like a protest from Burning Man followers Monday night at the Nugget Casino Resort in Sparks.

“We are a community of problem solvers. There is no problem that we can’t solve. Do you see us as a problem?” Jennifer “Siren” Kallmes, a Burning Man participant, asked officials with the Bureau of Land Management.

Close to 200 Burners gathered at the casino to denounce federal officials’ proposal for dumpsters, drug searches and concrete barriers at Burning Man as soon as this year. The room was overflowing, and the line to ask questions was cut off to ensure the meeting met the three-hour time limit.

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The proposed changes to Burning Man's operations are part of a draft of an environmental report from the BLM. One of the primary reasons behind the report is Burning Man's efforts to grow from an event with 80,000 people to 100,000.

“We don’t need you. We really don’t,” Kallmes said to BLM officials as the crowd applauded and laughed.

From the crowd, Burners taunted “C’mon,” “Wow,” and “Idiots” at federal officials’ answers, which some deemed as non-answer answers.

Burning Man organizers and representatives sat to the side but shared in many of the moments of eyerolling and snickering.

Marnee Benson, associate director of government affairs, disputed many of the findings of the report and noted that the Burning Man organization reimburses the BLM for all of its Burning Man-related costs, including the cost of the report.

“We pay for every minute of their time, every penny that they spend, every mile that they drive,” Benson said.

She also showed slides of oil derricks, strip mines and wild horses running from a helicopter and stated that "this" is what the BLM does with public lands.

Many expressed frustration that BLM officials had not included analyses on how their suggested measures would affect the environment and community.

Burners brought up concerns that the already multi-hour wait times to enter the event would likely increase substantially were drug searches to be conducted upon entry. They also questioned the constitutionality of the searches, which BLM officials carefully called screenings.

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Others were concerned that nine miles of concrete barriers placed around the event would create significant sand dunes around the perimeter.

Burning Man organizers argued that the current fence, made of orange plastic netting, allows dust to pass through while catching litter gone astray.

“Is there an analysis of whether any of these mitigation measures would work? Or, at this point, is it more of a brainstorming and if we throw it at the wall, see if it sticks?” said Jerry Snyder, board director for the Generator, where artists have built some of Burning Man's best known installations.

Although Burners far outnumbered those who felt even slightly conflicted about the report, several quiet attendees did express concern about the environmental impacts of Burning Man.

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Patrick Donnelly, state director for the Center for Biological Diversity, said that -- of the more than hundred he's been to -- he’s never seen a public meeting about environmental matters “quite like this.”

While he understands the Leave No Trace ideals of Burners, he questioned why it was so unreasonable to have dumpsters at an event with tens of thousands of people.

“Frankly, the BLM gave the Burning Man organization an unprecedented level of involvement in this meeting,” Donnelly said. “(BLM officials) were shouted down by people several times, and they just sat there and took it. I’ve been on the other side where I was in antagonistic relationship with BLM, and we received no such deference.”

Donnelly felt that the majority of the BLM’s suggested measures were fair; either way, there should have been more discussion of the ecosystem on and around the playa.

“I sort of feel like the environmental bit might be getting thrown out,” Donnelly said, adding that playas – or dried, ancient lakebeds -- are ecosystems too.

One of the few organisms that actually calls the playa home is the fairy shrimp; the event's footprint on the playa can affect their breeding cycles, Donnelly said.

"I don't care about the nudity and acid, I just care about what affects the environment," he said.

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Several others agreed that the adversarial nature of the meeting was unfortunate.

“The BLM would have been better off if they could have had someone that spoke the same language as the Burners,” said Shane Piccinini, a curious member of the public.

Piccinini said he’s been to Burning Man but attended the meeting simply to learn more about the environmental impact of Burning Man and how it will protect public lands as it grows.

“I feel like there was a real missed opportunity for the two groups to get together and figure out what’s in the best interest of the playa, the wildlife, and the event itself,” he said. “I want Burning Man to be a healthy and growing event, but I want it to grow in the healthiest way possible.”

The Burners should have recognized too, Piccinini said, that the BLM is just doing its job.

“If the BLM didn’t take the time and figure out what security measures were needed to make the event safe and -- God forbid something did happen -- the entire state would hold the BLM negligent,” he said.

The environmental impact statement currently is in draft form, with a final report due this summer. The document would determine the conditions of Burning Man’s annual permit for the next 10 years, including whether the organization is allowed to grow.

Mark Hall, director of the BLM’s Black Rock Field office, said the proposals are just proposals for now and he wants to collaborate with the Burning Man organization to find the best solutions for both sides.

“Part of the reason we have these meetings is, if we miss something, let us know,” Hall said.

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Although Burners felt like there were many holes in the document, it already amounts to nearly 400 pages altogether.

Hall tried to lighten the mood in the room, saying he might retire after he wrote the perfect environmental impact statement one day.

One Burner at the back of the room muttered, "This isn't it."

Want to be heard?

Another public meeting will be held tonight, Tuesday, April 9, from 5 to 8 p.m. at the Pershing County Community Center, Seven Troughs Room, 820 6th St, Lovelock, NV 89419.

You can also submit a comment to blm_nv_burningmaneis@blm.gov or mail comments to: Attn: Mark Hall, Bureau of Land Management, 5100 E Winnemucca Blvd, Winnemucca, NV 89445. The deadline for public comment is April 29.