Thank you to everyone who sent their public comments to the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) regarding the new stipulations that the BLM wanted to impose this year. The good news is that we got most of what we wanted, including a 5-year permit. Following is a summary of the results.
There will be no population cap this year. The BLM is allowing us 6% growth per year, which is about what we anticipate based on ticket sales and historical data. If the population exceeds that amount then we will have to address any infrastructural challenges. As in past years, any evictions of unruly participants will be handled by the Black Rock Rangers in cooperation with law enforcement officers. Also, we will be allowed to deduct working staff from fee calculations as we have done in the past. The BLM is still planning to make Burning Man pay the bill for local law enforcement costs on top of the fees that Burning Man already pays. Black Rock City, LLC is currently deciding whether to appeal this stipulation or not.
On a related issue, the BLM needs to respond to the over 4,000 participants who sent in public comments. In order to help save some trees, we have agreed to send out the BLM’s response on the JRS, and post on our website. Following is the BLM’s Notice of Decision including a link to related documents:
United States Department of the Interior
BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT
Winnemucca Field Office
5100 East Winnemucca Boulevard
Winnemucca, Nevada 89445
http://www.nv.blm.gov
6/7/06
NV-020-06-EA-11 (NV25.11)
Dear Interested Public,
The Winnemucca Field Office has authorized a five-year Special Recreation Permit for Black Rock City LLC to conduct the Burning Man event for the years of 2006-2010. The permit may be renewed for up to four additional years, subject to satisfactory permit compliance. The permit must be authorized annually following an event evaluation, site inspections, and cooperator’s coordination meetings. The final decision to authorize a five-year permit was based on analysis of the potential environmental impacts and public comments. The decision incorporates elements of the proposed action and alternatives proposed in the preliminary Environmental Assessment (EA).
The final Environmental Assessment, Decision Record/Finding of No Significant Impact, and permit stipulations are posted on-line at the Winnemucca BLM Field Office web-site at http://www.nv.blm.gov/Winnemucca/. Please contact the Winnemucca Field Office to request a hard copy. If you have any questions or require further information, please contact Dave Lefevre, Outdoor Recreation Planner at (775) 623-1500.
Sincerely,
David C. Cooper, NCA Manager [para_end]
