~ Leaving No Trace ~

The Burning Man community respects the environment. We are committed to leaving no physical trace of our activities wherever we gather. We clean up after ourselves and endeavor, whenever possible, to leave such places in a better state than when we found them.

…and just like that, it was over…

It’s hard to describe Burning Man to someone who’s never been — and it’s even harder to describe working for Burning Man. In all the dimensions, all the realms of the vast universe, there can be nothing else that even approaches this experience. I consider myself lucky to have discovered it.

This is the tenth year since I became a member of the Department of Public Works. Green as I was back in 2005, it only took me a few days to fall head over heels in love with these people: the strong, weird, passionate, fiercely individual, workaholic and totally misanthropic friends I’d been seeking my entire life. It is my great privilege to spend two months in the desert with the DPW every year, breaking our backs to build Black Rock City for little to no reward — other than the pleasure of each other’s company.

And what a pleasure it is. Each year, I write the Moop Map blog series not just as a celebration of Black Rock City and of the incredible accomplishment of leaving no trace — but as a love letter to the DPW, the best people I’ve ever known.

Today is the last day of operation for the Black Rock Saloon, our staff watering hole in Gerlach. Tomorrow, the BLM arrives to inspect the Burning Man site. As usual, the people of BRC and the DPW have left the place squeaky clean, ready for (much hoped for) winter rains to wash away our tracks. When the inspection is done, we’ll all scatter, the DPW diaspora extending once again around the globe until next August calls us home.

Thanks for a great year, Black Rock City. Tune in Wednesday for the results of the BLM’s site inspection, which will determine whether Burning Man will happen in 2015.

Till then, enjoy a few photos of the beautiful DPW Playa Restoration crew. You can find more of them here and here.

Moop Map results, Days 5 & 6

Enough about the DPW already! Let’s get back to what’s really important here: all of Black Rock City, and how we work together. And boy, have we knocked it out of the park this year. Congratulations to each and every member of the Burning Man community, for your work not just to Leave No Trace, but to educate your neighbors. It is paying off for all of us.

Moop Map Legend GREEN: Low Impact to No Impact Trace. The moop line moves at a normal walking pace, picking up very little. YELLOW: Moderate Impact Trace. The line must slow down in order to pick up all the moop here. RED: High Impact Trace. The line must stop to clean up hotspots or very moopy areas.

We’re not posting details of what was found in each spot. If you are a theme camp, your Placement representative may have more detailed information for you in a few months (when the entire Moop Map is finalized). Please be patient: we have much more work to do before we can pass detailed information along.

Wow is that a green, clean, moop-free city. Great job, BRC! With just one block (sorry to keep you on tenterhooks, I to J) and Center Camp remaining, it’s looking incredibly good.

Just as the weather report predicted, the Resto crew was blown off the playa Saturday morning by steady rains that turned the playa into impassable mud. We have done all the mooping we can do this year. Now it all comes down to tomorrow’s scheduled site inspection with the Bureau of Land Management, to determine whether Burning Man can be held on the Black Rock Desert in 2015.

Stay tuned for the final results from the Black Rock City grid, and the results from the inspection, both coming up soon!

Want more photos & goodies from the Playa Restoration team? Search #BM2014. You can also follow The Hun: Facebook – Twitter – Instagram.