Dear Friend,
Another summer is winding down in Black Rock country but it's not over yet. The Burning Man crew is hard at work restoring the playa following the event. National Public Lands Day is this weekend, so come on out and enjoy beautiful weather, wide open vistas and lend a hand in support of the desert. It's also Rocket Season, with launches taking place into October. See our calendar or scroll down for more information.
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National Public Lands Day Sept. 18-20.
This year, NPLD brings Friends to a base camp 2 miles north of the 12-mile entrance along the playa dunes. In partnership with the Friends of Nevada Wilderness and Nevada Outdoor School, volunteers will work on several service projects in the area, and have fun socializing in the evenings. Friends will be there with plenty of shade and refreshments for the weekend. Work projects include high-dry playa clean ups, dunes fencing, a special kids project and more. For more information click here.
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Contentious Issues in Black Rock Country
A love of any place comes with strong emotions and opinions of how it should be managed, and with the growing pressure of human civilization issues reach places even as remote as the Black Rock Desert.
A proposed dump near Jungo Flat could receive 4,000 tons of garbage per day by rail from San Francisco, including toxic materials. While some see the area as an empty wasteland ideal for such use, to others it is considered home-- a pristine desert with severe weather conditions, a high water table, and a rich history. The economic benefits-- $1 million a year and about 30 jobs-- pale in the face
of such concerns, but if permits from NDEP are granted, the landfill could happen regardless of opposition. The question arises-- should Bay Area communities learn to limit the production of excessive wastes and live within their means?
Click here to share your thoughts.
The Ruby Pipeline Project proposes to build a 680 mile natural gas pipeline
from Wyoming to Oregon, threading the gap between the Black Rock NCA and
Summit Lake Paiute Reservation to the south and the Sheldon National
Wildlife Refuge to the north. Certainly, Oregon relies on natural gas to
support their way of life and Wyoming for its economy, but it is not clear
that the route proposed is appropriate given its proximity to untouched
wilderness, and the project will have little economic benefit for Nevadans.
Is it reasonable to put irreplaceable resources at risk to serve short term
energy demands and economic gain? Click here to share your thoughts.
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Burning Man Recap
The Evolution of
Public Lands - Burning Man 2009
Another great year on the playa! A total of 28 volunteers worked 263 hours greeting people at the interpretive camp and along the road as people left for home. That does not include the hundreds of hours Dave Mensing put into his traveling medicine show art car, or the time put in by Earth Guardians erasing vehicle tracks at the Coyote Dunes. Special thanks to Geno Oliver and Mike Bilbo, who dressed in 1800s period clothing and related the stories of historical figures from that period, and thanks to everyone who contributed their time and made the project such a success!
Contact volunteer@blackrockdesert.org. |
Upcoming Events in and around the Playa.
September 14-16
ARLISS Rocket Launches
Deep Playa
September 19-21
XPRS Rocketry
Deep Playa
October 2-3
BALLS 18 Rocketry
Deep Playa
October 3-4
Black Rock Desert Balloon Rally
October 2-4
Hot Springs Tour
Visit area hot springs with David Book. Possibly to include Fly Geyser, in which case a donation will be strongly encouraged. Contact Dave for more information.
October 24, 4-8pm
Gerlach Chili Cook-Off and Raffle
Giant sportsman raffle featuring 3 great rifles, great chili, no host bar and more. For more information or to buy tickets contact Bobbie Barlow at 775-557-2614. Proceeds benefit the Gerlach School.
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What's your Black Rock story?
We're always looking for articles for our newsletter, and our next newsletter will be published in the fall. Members receive this newsletter twice per year. If you have a story, experience, news or opinion to submit please contact margie@blackrockdesert.org. Photos are also encouraged.
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