COYOTE SPRINGS RESTORATION

The Coyote Spring Mounds restoration project took take place during the 2007 Burning Man Festival. Led by the Earth Guardians, Friends, volunteers and Burning Man attendees were invited to assist in this project.

On Wednesday, August 29, and Thursday, August 30, 2007, the Friends of Black Rock convened the Coyote Springs Restoration project with participation from the BLM, Friends of Nevada Wilderness, Nevada Outdoor School, and volunteers recruited by the Earth Guardians.

The first chore was to remove vehicle tracks by raking and sweeping, including the playa surface approaches to some degree (within about 30 feet of the dune slope). Eroded dune material (dirt) was replaced by shoveling the displaced loose material back onto the original mound location. A roadway that had developed from inappropriate vehicle use was removed by working the ground into a very rough, uneven texture, and indigenous vegetation was transplanted into this and other locations to facilitate the retention of wind-blown indigenous seeds and to camouflage the damage. Litter and other detritus were removed from the vicinity, including material (toilet paper) that had been inserted into vacated fox dens near the spring.

After this, sections of buck and pole fence stretching over 500 feet long and about 5 feet high were constructed to prohibit vehicle entry into the recovered areas, and Carsonite signs were installed which indicate that the area is closed to vehicle traffic.

In all, 43 volunteers contributed a total of 306 hours of effort-- also, the Burning Man staff commissary provided lunch for 24 participants on Wednesday. Everyone who participated got a special T-shirt for the event, and Friends of Nevada Wilderness also gave out gift patches. A rain and dust storm on Friday of the event worked to better obscure the impacts of the dunes and make the whole site look more natural.