MOOP MAP INTRO
Citizens of Black Rock,
Thanks to you, Burning man is the largest Leave No Trace event in the world.
In 2006, 39,000 Burners from around the world converged on the public lands of the Black Rock Desert for the annual Burning Man event. We are proud to say that Black Rock City continues to be recognized by the Bureau of Land Management for not only maintaining Leave No Trace standards, but for setting high standards by which other recreation events are measured.
This victory is because of YOU.
As citizens of Black Rock, we are leaders in Leave No Trace. It is a matter of our integrity to restore the playa that allows us the privilege to build, and the power to burn.
And as we burn, so shall we restore. And as we restore, so shall we burn again.
Black Rock City will boldly continue to set the standard for leaving no trace — not simply because it is required of us, but because it is what we do.
Introducing the 2006 MOOP Map!
Conceived as an educational tool by the Playa Restoration Crew of the Department of Public Works, the 2006 MOOP Map is a gauge by which we can visually measure and track the MOOP Impact Trace of Black Rock City. A simple color code was established to approximate the severity of MOOP impact within the city camping blocks.
RED: High Impact Trace
YELLOW: Moderate Impact Trace
GREEN: Low Impact to No Impact Trace
The results of the 2006 MOOP Map tell us this:
- 20% of the city grid fell into the High Impact Trace Red Category.
- 40% of the city grid fell into the Moderate Impact Trace Yellow Category.
- 40% of the city grid fell into the Low to No Impact Green Trace Category.
With 40% each, it looks like the showdown will be between Green and Yellow. Smart planning and a focused effort have the Yellows poised to go Green. Unexpected issues and fatigue, however, could cause Yellow to slack Red.
Can the Green Team maintain their position for the others? Reach out your hands Green Team and pull!
Alright Reds, now you guys know the truth. Relax. Breathe. Pull your Team together. Set your boundary markers (very important but don't be stingy, give a little). Clear your area of big things first. THEN do your Line Sweep. Identify your problem areas, all the things that don't look right. Restore them. Go Green!
Additional MOOP Map results for 2006:
- The 2:00 to 6:00 side of the city had a greater tendency to leave a Moderate Yellow to High Red Impact trace.
- The 6:00 to 10:00 side of the city had a greater tendency to leave a No Impact Green to Moderate Yellow Impact Trace.
- The 2:00 side of Black Rock City left an overall higher impact than the 10:00 side.
- Although the tendency has been for city blocks to leave less impact the farther they are from the center; There were an alarming number of very large High Impact Red Zones toward the middle and back blocks. This is an alarming trend for the suburban back blocks of Black Rock City. Perhaps it is in this region where we do not have enough leaders of Leave No Trace, so it is now that I speak to YOU. You in the back blocks! You in your RV! You and your family! You and your camp! Know your neighbor. Get to know their neighbors. Converse, conspire and team up! Own it! Lead a line sweep—you can do it. Good deeds are contagious. It only takes a spark!
There were 122 Total Theme Camps on Esplanade:
- 12.30% left a Red Impact Trace
- 85.25% left a Yellow Impact Trace
- 2.45% left a Green Impact Trace
Due to sheer volume, Esplanade is consistently the hardest hit stretch of the Playa. Don't be discouraged. It is possible to go Green on Esplanade! In fact, one of the rowdier camps ever, Camp Carp, has been leading this charge. (It helps that it's populated by current and ex-DPW staff and their friends.) Get your Team and your tools together: magnet sweepers, landscape rakes, push brooms and flat shovels will make any impact issue disappear. Scout ahead, identify the issues, and restore.
Set your boundaries, spread out arms width, along your borders, and line up! Do your line sweeps, then line up and do it again. Do it until you find no trace. Look in your MOOP bucket and feel good about it.
2007: The Green Map
There you have it, Black Rock City. It's a neck-and-neck tie between green and yellow rounding the bend onto the playa. Since we have a pretty good idea we'll be at least as large as last year, is it still possible to leave without a trace?
Close your eyes… breathe… the answer is already in your hands there, Green Man!
The Top 13 Impact Trace and MOOP Issues to Watch Out For in 2007
13. Rebar, Tent Stakes and Ground Anchors
Do your part and get them ALL out of the ground. There's nothing that a pair of vice grips and some leverage can't pull out. And please do not hammer them into the ground; they only live to rear their ugly little head again some other day. We share this land; let's keep it safe for everyone to enjoy.
12. Abandoned Art, Abandoned Camps, Abandoned Stuff
Abandoning stuff on the playa is an incredibly irresponsible practice for participants known for their radical self-reliance. Make sure you that you see your things get off the playa.
11. Grey Water/Black Water Dumping
Dumping your grey/black water on the ground is nasty for the environment, and can get you a hefty fine from the BLM.
10. Dunes
The Black Rock Desert is known to be one of the flattest stretches of land on Earth. Dunes are formed when dust carried by windstorms bounces off stationary objects (camps, art, vehicles, etc.) and reforms on the ground, attracting more and more dust to the pile and exponentially creating a bigger dune. MOOP also causes dunes. A mere pencil can create a dune. In 2006, 3 carpets were found buried under dunes. Once they start, there is nothing to stop them, except us. Caught at an early stage, dunes can be stopped by simply raking them down with a landscape rake. Be sure to MOOP the area afterward. It's important to remember that we share this land for others to use, please keep it safe for vehicle passage by keeping your playa flat.
9. Fireworks Debris
Fireworks are not allowed in Black Rock City; unfortunately, some folks do sneak them in, and more unfortunately, the people who light them off are rarely the same people that clean up after them. Please pick up this debris if you see it on the ground.
8. Carpet Fiber/Debris
Carpets, rugs, and old tattered tarps are often shredded to bits, leaving behind micro-sized MOOP over large areas.
7. Cloth, Fiber and Rope Debris
Torn fragments of clothes, costumes, jewelry, and other fibrous materials.
6. Metal Debris:
Nails, screws, fasteners, metal slag, beer bottle tops, etc.–there is hardly anything on the playa that isn't fastened with metal. Whether your constructing something out of wood or welding, a magnet sweeper with a release handle (do a web search) will work wonders getting metal quickly and easily off the ground.
5. Cigarette Butts
DO NOT DROP CIGARETTES ON THE BLACK ROCK DESERT. THE PLAYA IS NOT A GIANT ASHTRAY.
4. Glass Debris
Broken beer bottles, broken windshields, etc.
3. Plastic Debris
Plastic bottle tops, packaging, baggies, zip ties, duct tape, caution tape, etc.–plastic is all too often airborne MOOP due to wind conditions and carelessness. Manage your plastic materials, keep them secure and recycle. Hint: Cut off the top of a 1 gallon jug of water and you have an excellent MOOP bucket.
2. Wood Debris:
Wood chips, bark, palettes, splinters, sawdust, boxes, cardboard, paper, etc. Though often thought to be "organic," wood is simply not found naturally the playa, and it is here where we must draw the line -- it's MOOP. The impact of wood is consistently the highest of all the traces and must be eliminated. We simply ask you to manage your wood. Place a tarp on the ground for your work zones, woodpiles, and burnable debris.
And now, Ladies and Gentlemen, the NEW #1 MOOP impact issue to watch out for on the playa in 2007:
1. Plants!
Plants, palm trees, pine needles, palm fronds, leaves, etc. -- just because the theme says "Green" doesn't mean that plants are a good idea for your camp or the playa. In fact, the Rule of Green Thumb says that they're not. Trees, plants, and leaves die, break, and shred, creating a huge mess of micro-sized MOOP spread out over a wide area. Factor in the dust storms and you've got a disaster to deal with on your hands and knees.
Remember hay bales? Yeah, that's why we don't use hay anymore. It's the same thing. And it doesn't belong. LEAF NO TRACE!
Join the War Against MOOP!
Playa Restoration Tools of the Trade
There is an art to leaving no trace and we lead no trace by example. Here are a combination of artist tools that can restore any impact condition back to its natural beauty. We ain't the Largest Leave No Trace Event in the World for nuthin' folks, so let's walk the talk and pass on the knowledge!
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Magnet Sweepers (aka Magnet Rakes)
Do you have any idea how much metal is found on the playa? Well, let's just say that pretty much everybody works in some way shape or form with metal. Whether you're staking your tent down, building a theme camp or art installation, or just straight up welding and cutting metal, you should make your life easier by using a Magnet Sweeper! All you have to do is roll them over your work area, listen as the magnet pulls the loose metal off of the playa, and then discard the metal in the trash using the clever release lever. Simple and inexpensive. Every burner should have one.
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Rakes, or better yet, Landscape Rakes!
Dust storms happen, dunes build up very quickly and you could find yourself on your hands and knees using your bare hands sifting for things that might well turn into MOOP. Use a rake, and pull the MOOP out. Landscape rakes are wider, can catch more MOOP, and can comb through more area. You can use the back end of the rake to cut down the size of the dune and pull it flat.
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Push Brooms
That dune that you're standing on that used to be the site of your camp... yeah, that can't be there. The dune will just get bigger and bigger as it attracts more dust and catches MOOP. When the winter rains come, that dune will just solidify into a big dune as hard as the playa surface itself which will suck for anyone using the playa, including us. Do your best and knock it down with a pushbroom. Or have a few on hand and watch how easy it is to restore the flattest real estate in the Black Rock Desert.
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Shovels
Got a disaster? Use a shovel. Dump it into a container. Haul it away. Leave No Trace.
Got a dune? Use a shovel. Spread it out. Flatten it. Leave No Trace.
Got a hole? Use a shovel. Fill it. Leave No Trace. -
Vise Grips
Okay, so you were a little excessive with the rebar and now you can't get it out of the ground. Do it our way and get some vise grips around that sucker. Give it a couple of rotations to loosen up the dirt around the rebar and then... TWIST back and forth vigorously while pulling upward (lift with the legs Hercules not your back). The dirt will act as bearings, working that rebar free of the playa.
For more information, email restoration. 
