Date: October 1, 2004

CONTACT: Jamie Thompson, Public Affairs Officer, (775) 623-1500

BURNING MAN FESTIVAL: BIGGER, COOLER, SAFER

Burning Man, the annual festival of art and self expression in the Black Rock Desert went off nearly flawlessly this year. "We were very pleased at how well things went," said Dave Cooper, the Bureau of Land Management's (BLM) manager of the Black Rock Desert-High Rock Canyon Emigrant Trails National Conservation Area. "There were no serious injuries and while luck is always a factor, some of the adjustments made following last year's event definitely contributed to this year's success."

BLM meets with the event organizers, Black Rock City, LLC, several times between events to discuss ways to improve management and administration, to make the festival safer each year than it was the year before, and to protect resources. Among changes implemented this year were increased oversight by Black Rock City, LLC at the temporary airport and more stringent enforcement of the rules applied to "mutant vehicles" (the highly imaginative vehicles of all sizes used by participants to cruise the playa). "Mutant vehicles found to be unsafe or not in compliance with Black Rock City's operating plan were impounded for the duration of the event," said, Robert Lutz, BLM safety officer for this year's Burning Man event.

"The cooperation among BLM, Black Rock City, LLC, and the many cooperators involved is extraordinary," said Winnemucca BLM Field Manager, Terry Reed. "They work hard, together, to assure that participants in the Burning Man event, area residents and the general public are as safe as possible during a time when many additional people temporarily relocate to rural northwest Nevada."
Cooperators for this year's event included the following among others: the Federal Aviation Administration, Pershing County Sheriff’s Office, Nevada Highway Patrol, Nevada Division of Investigation, Nevada Department of Transportation, Nevada Bureau of Health Protection Services, Nevada Environmental Protection Division, Regional Emergency Medical Services Authority (REMSA), Gerlach Volunteer Fire Department, Gerlach General Improvement District, Gerlach Justice Court, Washoe County Sheriff’s Office, Washoe County Road Division, Pyramid Lake Tribal Council, and the Union Pacific Railroad.

The population of Black Rock City reached a record 35,511 people at noon on Friday, September 3rd. Based on U.S. Census data from 2000, this made the temporary metropolis on the playa the seventh largest city in Nevada for several days. "This was an increase of just over 16% from last year," said Cooper, "making the safety at this year's event noteworthy."

The weather was the big news. Beginning Wednesday at noon and continuing through most of Thursday and for a good part of Friday, the winds were steadily strong with even stronger gusts. For the first day and half the winds blew out of the southwest, then shifted 180 degrees and blew just as hard out of the northeast for the second day and a half. Since the playa is oriented along a SW to NE line, the winds blew along its entire length, creating dust storms that lasted for many hours punctuated by periods of total whiteout conditions.

To top it off, the morning lows on Thursday and Friday were in the low 40's and high 30's with the high temperature on Thursday only reaching the low 60's. This took many "Burners" by surprise and sent them scrambling through their belongings and seeking help from better prepared neighbors for anything that could be worn or wrapped to shelter them from the suddenly frigid conditions. But the participants are a hardy bunch and weathered the cold and dust in anticipation of improving conditions for the burning of The Man on Saturday night. They were not disappointed as Saturday was a clear, warm day and the blaze created when the 40-foot wood and neon Man went up in flames provided warmth well into the night.

National BLM regulations require that BLM charge Black Rock City, LLC $4 per person per day for the seven-day event. The fee for this year's Burning Man event, payable in installments, will be approximately $707,000. The money is used to cover BLM’s costs to permit and administer the event, including BLM and some cooperator law enforcement costs. In accordance with the Fee Demonstration Program, funds remaining after these costs are paid are used to improve resource protection, facilities and services in the immediate area.

This year, at its peak, there were 62 BLM employees working at the Burning Man event. Of these, 18 were administrative and operations people. The law enforcement presence included the remaining 44 BLM personnel, 12 Pershing County Sheriff's Department personnel and units from the Washoe County Sheriff's Department, Nevada Highway Patrol, and the Nevada Division of Investigation. These State and federal employees were assigned to the event for anywhere from one to three weeks.

Each year, BLM, the Pershing County Sheriff's Office and Black Rock City, LLC set up an Incident Command Post (ICP) on the playa about a quarter mile outside of Black Rock City. BLM administration and law enforcement activities are conducted from the ICP, which also includes a dispatch center that enables BLM, the cooperating agencies and Black Rock City, LLC to communicate with the outside world through radio and satellite phone communication (cell phones don't work in the Black Rock country).

Law enforcement statistics were mixed compared to last year. BLM rangers issued a total of 218 citations (an increase of 41 or 23%) and made one arrest (down 80% from last year's five arrests). Of the total citations, 114 were for drug related offenses (up by 12% from 2003), 56 for violations of closure orders (up 6% from a year ago), and the remainder for miscellaneous violations ranging from urinating on the playa to vehicle safety violations to disorderly conduct. The one arrest was for assault on a federal officer.

The Pershing County Sheriff’s office worked 27 cases, made four arrests (down by one from last year's five arrests) and issued two citations (down from the nine issued a year ago). This year Pershing County Sheriff's deputies conducted alcohol compliance checks at six locations inside Black Rock City where alcohol was being either given away or bartered. "All six locations failed the checks and were issued warnings," said Sheriff Ron Skinner. "We will ensure that State laws relating to alcohol use and distribution are followed and enforced inside Black Rock City just as they are elsewhere in the county. We are especially concerned that alcohol not be distributed to minors attending the event. This is an issue that we will work with BLM and Black Rock City to resolve before next year's Burning Man."

The heavy traffic leaving Burning Man on two-lane roads, during what is called the "exodus", is always a concern. This year was a very safe one, with most Burners exercising patience as they kept their places in closely-spaced lines of vehicles, one of which stretched for the entire 75 miles from Gerlach south to Fernley. Traffic headed north to Cedarville, California was lighter than that, but still heavier than it has been in past years. The only serious traffic accident involving Burning Man participants within 100 miles of Gerlach was a four-vehicle pile-up that occurred at 9:15 p.m. on Labor Day, Monday, September 6th on Modoc County Highway 1 about three miles south of Cedarville. A local resident driving south crossed the centerline in front of six northbound vehicles filled with Burners heading home in a group. The southbound vehicle struck the lead northbound one, and the next two northbound vehicles crashed into them. There were five injuries, two of which were serious and required air transport. The California Highway Patrol in Alturas reported that it took an hour before the road could be reopened for traffic and by that time there were at least 300 Burner vehicles backed up in the traffic jam.

The Nevada Highway Patrol worked 113 shifts to cover the event, the majority during the days when traffic was heaviest on Nevada Highway 447. Most activity involved assisting motorists, 430 of them, down 60 from last year. NHP handled 8 accidents, down 10 from last year's 18. Three of these involved property damage and 5 involved injuries. There were no fatalities. Two DUI arrests were made, 217 citations were written (133 for speeding), and 246 warnings were issued.

REMSA recorded significant decreases in medical treatments this year. Patient visits were down 22%, from 2,011 last year to 1,569 this year, transports by ground and air from Black Rock City to Reno were down by 24%, from 50 to 38, and injuries due to vehicle accidents (aircraft, mutant vehicles, cars, trucks, scooters, bicycles, etc.) were down from 19 to 6. Most importantly, there were no deaths or serious injuries. "This is quite an accomplishment when you realize that it happened in a Black Rock City that grew at an annual rate more than three times that of Clark County," added Cooper.

"Burning Man is by far the largest special recreation event permitted by the Bureau of Land Management," said Cooper, who served as the Incident Commander for BLM at the event, "and we are very pleased at how well things played out this year. All of the cooperators who worked so long and hard to assure that the event would be a safe and enjoyable experience for those in attendance are to be congratulated. In the coming year, together with our cooperators, we will continue to assure that the public lands and resources that host and surround the event are protected and that public safety measures are examined and improved wherever possible."
 

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