[Moonbase-chat] Burning Man in the NY Times

Mon, 1 Sep 2003 11:00:23 -0700

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Hope you had a great burn people.
Em xxx (That's Nurse Wasabi to you!)
Trouble in Counterculture Utopia
By BILL WERDE

LACK ROCK DESERT, Nev., Aug. 31 — From all across the desert they came, with
luminescent wires in their hair or war paint on their faces. As drum circles
pounded out tribal rhythms and roving sound systems blasted techno beats,
they walked in their elaborate homemade costumes or drove in bizarre
vehicles. They hooted and they cheered, and most of all they came to burn
the Man.

The 77-foot-high, skeletal neon-colored Man towers above the center of the
Burning Man festival. Every year this weeklong event creates Nevada's fifth
largest city in population (about 30,000) before culminating on Labor Day.
This year's Burning Man has largely been business as usual. Burners, as
festivalgoers are known, can wander five square miles of theme camps, art
installations, music, performance pieces and other Burners, expressing
themselves in wildly free-spirited ways.

"Burn the Man!" hundreds cried, their faces aglow with the yellow-orange
light of flame. "Burn him!" Others voiced compassion; a chain of 15 or 20
people snaked through the crowd with signs that read "Free the Man." At 9:40
p.m. a barrage of fireworks and explosives lighted the Saturday night sky
and the Man disappeared beneath a pyre that swirled more than 150 feet into
the dusty desert air.

The corporation that organizes the event, the Black Rock City L.L.C., has
held the festival here, about 120 miles north of Reno, almost every year
since moving it from San Francisco in 1990. But even as this year's desert
dramas — imagined or certifiable — unfolded, most of the artists and
revelers have been blissfully unaware of another set of Burning Man
theatrics centering on about 200 acres a half-hour drive away.

Black Rock Desert may be synonymous with Burning Man to the thousands who
come here each year, but it is another swath of desert in Washoe County,
those acres owned by Black Rock City in the adjacent Hualapai Valley, that
may determine the future of the event and the $10 million or so a year that
it pumps into the hard-pressed local economy.

Festival officials call that land the ranch, and they say it is essential to
the future of Burning Man. The acreage is a staging ground where the
organizers prepare for the festival and store its considerable
infrastructure. It is covered with piles of mechanical and structural debris
from previous festivals; a Quonset hut housing woodworking and metalworking
shops; fuel tanks; and remnants from dozens of past art installations. But
to the site's neighbors and a powerful local businessman, the land is an
eyesore and a fire hazard; to county officials it is a splitting headache
because it is at the heart of a dispute that after a year of legal and
political wrangling has arrived at a stalemate.

Black Rock City bought the land for $70,000 in 2001 because its use of the
festival grounds was limited to a month or so a year, under a permit from
the federal Bureau of Land Management. That purchase quickly roused
opponents. One complaint — its source has not been revealed by the
authorities — prompted a three-month investigation by Washoe County
officials. The county's planning commission ultimately approved three
special-use permits for things like storing vehicles, custom manufacturing
and salvage operations. The commission also attached more than 90 conditions
that had to be met to bring the property up to health, safety and fire
codes.

The commission's approval drew an appeal by five residents, who cited
insufficient water supplies, potential fire hazards and leftover debris.
Among those residents are Michael B. Stewart, whose businesses in the area
includes Orient Farms, where he grows garlic; and High Rock Holding L.L.C.,
a geothermal power company. On May 13 Washoe County commissioners sided with
them, reversing the planning commission's approval by a 3-to-2 vote and
denying Black Rock City the special-use permits. The company's director,
Larry Harvey, likened the ruling to a vote to shut down the Burning Man
operation.

Fewer than four weeks later Black Rock City filed a lawsuit seeking $40
million in damages from the county if it were forced to cancel its festival;
this year's event was allowed to proceed while a compromise with the county
was being negotiated.

Whether the parties can reach an agreement is far from certain. Sitting at
their kitchen table, Lou and Sylvia Fascio, who were among the residents who
signed the appeal, show photos to support their claim that the Burning Man
operation is a hazard. One shows a 110-foot-long bus converted to look like
a dragon, which they say was driving without a permit on a local highway.
Others show what appear to be piles of junk and Burning Man workers idly
watching a substantial blaze on the property.

"Let them move to Mustang," Mrs. Fascio said, referring to a nearby town.
"None of us here in the valley want them here."

Festival organizers say they are bringing their fire preparedness up to
code, installing fire breaks around the property and keeping 40,000 gallons
of water on hand. They also say they have removed 30 truckloads of debris
and 20 abandoned cars.

Mr. Harvey, the chain-smoking, Stetson-wearing impresario of the festival,
acknowledges that some complaints about the property's appearance are
legitimate, but he contends that Mr. Stewart wants the land for water.

"Three underground rivers intersect below the property," Mr. Harvey said.
"And Fly Geyser is right next door. Mike Stewart owns a geothermal plant and
has made an offer on the property. So what is this really about?"

Mr. Stewart declined to comment. But Donna Potter, the environmental
coordinator for Mr. Stewart's companies, said the idea that Mr. Stewart
wanted the land for geothermal development was ridiculous.

With a $40 million suit hanging over them, Washoe County officials are
working on potential zoning solutions and establishing new deadlines for
complying with county codes. A meeting has been set for Thursday involving
county commissioners, Burning Man representatives and their local opponents.

"We're hoping to educate the commissioners about the issues," said Marion
Goodell, Burning Man's communications director. "We're determined.
Worst-case scenario: we'll spend a lot of money, and we'll be on that
property. Best-case scenario: we'll work with our neighbors and the county
and be on that property."

Mr. Fascio is equally resolute. "I don't know why they want a meeting," he
said. "As far as I'm concerned, the county commissioners said no. What's
left to discuss? Let them have their day in court."

No court date has been set, but Black Rock City officials said they had
begun to entertain offers to relocate their event. One possibility is a
Paiute reservation at Pyramid Lake in Nevada; another, in southern Nevada,
is in Esmeralda County, whose officials have been courting the event,
Burning Man organizers say.

Neither is a perfect fit. Esmeralda is closer to Los Angeles than to San
Francisco, home to more Burners than any other city. And while moving the
event to a reservation would keep some government regulators at bay, the
Paiute are intolerant of nudity, drugs and alcohol, all of which are common
at the festival.

"We need five miles of perfect playa just like this,' said Will Roger,
Burning Man's public works director, referring to desert and waving his hand
toward the bustling festival grounds. "That's not so easy to find."

Mr. Roger gazed at his art car, a 1986 Chevy Sprint converted to resemble a
giant carp and customized with 30-foot flame throwers. "This is a matter of
perspective," he said. "What our opposition calls rubbish, I call art
materials. What they call a salvage yard, I call a recycling center."

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<DIV><FONT size=3D2>
<H2><SPAN class=3D870235917-01092003><FONT face=3DArial size=3D3>Hope =
you had a great=20
burn people.</FONT></SPAN></H2>
<H2><SPAN class=3D870235917-01092003><FONT face=3DArial size=3D3>Em xxx =
(That's Nurse=20
Wasabi to you!)</FONT></SPAN></H2>
<H2><FONT face=3DArial>Trouble in Counterculture=20
Utopia</FONT></H2></NYT_HEADLINE><NYT_BYLINE version=3D"1.0" type=3D" =
"><FONT=20
face=3DArial><FONT size=3D-1><STRONG>By BILL=20
WERDE</STRONG></FONT><BR><BR></NYT_BYLINE></FONT>
<TABLE cellSpacing=3D0 cellPadding=3D0 align=3Dright border=3D0>
  <TBODY>
  <TR>
    <TD><FONT face=3DArial></FONT></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><NYT_TEXT>
<P><FONT face=3DArial><IMG height=3D32 alt=3DB=20
src=3D"http://graphics7.nytimes.com/images/dropcap/b.gif" width=3D30 =
align=3Dleft=20
border=3D0>LACK ROCK DESERT, Nev., Aug. 31 =97 From all across the =
desert they came,=20
with luminescent wires in their hair or war paint on their faces. As =
drum=20
circles pounded out tribal rhythms and roving sound systems blasted =
techno=20
beats, they walked in their elaborate homemade costumes or drove in =
bizarre=20
vehicles. They hooted and they cheered, and most of all they came to =
burn the=20
Man.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=3DArial>The 77-foot-high, skeletal neon-colored Man towers =
above the=20
center of the Burning Man festival. Every year this weeklong event =
creates=20
Nevada's fifth largest city in population (about 30,000) before =
culminating on=20
Labor Day. This year's Burning Man has largely been business as usual. =
Burners,=20
as festivalgoers are known, can wander five square miles of theme camps, =
art=20
installations, music, performance pieces and other Burners, expressing=20
themselves in wildly free-spirited ways.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=3DArial>"Burn the Man!" hundreds cried, their faces aglow =
with the=20
yellow-orange light of flame. "Burn him!" Others voiced compassion; a =
chain of=20
15 or 20 people snaked through the crowd with signs that read "Free the =
Man." At=20
9:40 p.m. a barrage of fireworks and explosives lighted the Saturday =
night sky=20
and the Man disappeared beneath a pyre that swirled more than 150 feet =
into the=20
dusty desert air.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=3DArial>The corporation that organizes the event, the =
Black Rock=20
City L.L.C., has held the festival here, about 120 miles north of Reno, =
almost=20
every year since moving it from San Francisco in 1990. But even as this =
year's=20
desert dramas =97 imagined or certifiable =97 unfolded, most of the =
artists and=20
revelers have been blissfully unaware of another set of Burning Man =
theatrics=20
centering on about 200 acres a half-hour drive away. </FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=3DArial>Black Rock Desert may be synonymous with Burning =
Man to the=20
thousands who come here each year, but it is another swath of desert in =
Washoe=20
County, those acres owned by Black Rock City in the adjacent Hualapai =
Valley,=20
that may determine the future of the event and the $10 million or so a =
year that=20
it pumps into the hard-pressed local economy.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=3DArial>Festival officials call that land the ranch, and =
they say it=20
is essential to the future of Burning Man. The acreage is a staging =
ground where=20
the organizers prepare for the festival and store its considerable=20
infrastructure. It is covered with piles of mechanical and structural =
debris=20
from previous festivals; a Quonset hut housing woodworking and =
metalworking=20
shops; fuel tanks; and remnants from dozens of past art installations. =
But to=20
the site's neighbors and a powerful local businessman, the land is an =
eyesore=20
and a fire hazard; to county officials it is a splitting headache =
because it is=20
at the heart of a dispute that after a year of legal and political =
wrangling has=20
arrived at a stalemate.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=3DArial>Black Rock City bought the land for $70,000 in =
2001 because=20
its use of the festival grounds was limited to a month or so a year, =
under a=20
permit from the federal Bureau of Land Management. That purchase quickly =
roused=20
opponents. One complaint =97 its source has not been revealed by the =
authorities =97=20
prompted a three-month investigation by Washoe County officials. The =
county's=20
planning commission ultimately approved three special-use permits for =
things=20
like storing vehicles, custom manufacturing and salvage operations. The=20
commission also attached more than 90 conditions that had to be met to =
bring the=20
property up to health, safety and fire codes.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=3DArial>The commission's approval drew an appeal by five =
residents,=20
who cited insufficient water supplies, potential fire hazards and =
leftover=20
debris. Among those residents are Michael B. Stewart, whose businesses =
in the=20
area includes Orient Farms, where he grows garlic; and High Rock Holding =
L.L.C.,=20
a geothermal power company. On May 13 Washoe County commissioners sided =
with=20
them, reversing the planning commission's approval by a 3-to-2 vote and =
denying=20
Black Rock City the special-use permits. The company's director, Larry =
Harvey,=20
likened the ruling to a vote to shut down the Burning Man operation. =
</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=3DArial>Fewer than four weeks later Black Rock City filed =
a lawsuit=20
seeking $40 million in damages from the county if it were forced to =
cancel its=20
festival; this year's event was allowed to proceed while a compromise =
with the=20
county was being negotiated.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=3DArial>Whether the parties can reach an agreement is far =
from=20
certain. Sitting at their kitchen table, Lou and Sylvia Fascio, who were =
among=20
the residents who signed the appeal, show photos to support their claim =
that the=20
Burning Man operation is a hazard. One shows a 110-foot-long bus =
converted to=20
look like a dragon, which they say was driving without a permit on a =
local=20
highway. Others show what appear to be piles of junk and Burning Man =
workers=20
idly watching a substantial blaze on the property.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=3DArial>"Let them move to Mustang," Mrs. Fascio said, =
referring to a=20
nearby town. "None of us here in the valley want them here."</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=3DArial>Festival organizers say they are bringing their =
fire=20
preparedness up to code, installing fire breaks around the property and =
keeping=20
40,000 gallons of water on hand. They also say they have removed 30 =
truckloads=20
of debris and 20 abandoned cars.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=3DArial>Mr. Harvey, the chain-smoking, Stetson-wearing =
impresario of=20
the festival, acknowledges that some complaints about the property's =
appearance=20
are legitimate, but he contends that Mr. Stewart wants the land for=20
water.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=3DArial>"Three underground rivers intersect below the =
property," Mr.=20
Harvey said. "And Fly Geyser is right next door. Mike Stewart owns a =
geothermal=20
plant and has made an offer on the property. So what is this really=20
about?"</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=3DArial>Mr. Stewart declined to comment. But Donna Potter, =
the=20
environmental coordinator for Mr. Stewart's companies, said the idea =
that Mr.=20
Stewart wanted the land for geothermal development was =
ridiculous.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=3DArial>With a $40 million suit hanging over them, Washoe =
County=20
officials are working on potential zoning solutions and establishing new =

deadlines for complying with county codes. A meeting has been set for =
Thursday=20
involving county commissioners, Burning Man representatives and their =
local=20
opponents. 
"We're hoping to educate the commissioners about =
the=20
issues," said Marion Goodell, Burning Man's communications director. =
"We're=20
determined. Worst-case scenario: we'll spend a lot of money, and we'll =
be on=20
that property. Best-case scenario: we'll work with our neighbors and the =
county=20
and be on that property."
Mr. Fascio is equally resolute. "I don't know why =
they want=20
a meeting," he said. "As far as I'm concerned, the county commissioners =
said no.=20
What's left to discuss? Let them have their day in court."
No court date has been set, but Black Rock City =
officials=20
said they had begun to entertain offers to relocate their event. One =
possibility=20
is a Paiute reservation at Pyramid Lake in Nevada; another, in southern =
Nevada,=20
is in Esmeralda County, whose officials have been courting the event, =
Burning=20
Man organizers say. 
Neither is a perfect fit. Esmeralda is closer to =
Los Angeles=20
than to San Francisco, home to more Burners than any other city. And =
while=20
moving the event to a reservation would keep some government regulators =
at bay,=20
the Paiute are intolerant of nudity, drugs and alcohol, all of which are =
common=20
at the festival.
"We need five miles of perfect playa just like =
this,' said=20
Will Roger, Burning Man's public works director, referring to desert and =
waving=20
his hand toward the bustling festival grounds. "That's not so easy to=20
find."
Mr. Roger gazed at his art car, a 1986 Chevy =
Sprint=20
converted to resemble a giant carp and customized with 30-foot flame =
throwers.=20
"This is a matter of perspective," he said. "What our opposition calls =
rubbish,=20
I call art materials. What they call a salvage yard, I call a recycling=20
center."</NYT_TEXT></DIV></BODY></HTML>

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