Greetings MOOP maniacs and line sweepers extraordinaire! I’m here in Gerlach with 120 members of your DPW Playa Restoration home team. They are preparing to enter the damp, sticky and frigid playa — armed only with MOOP sticks, shovels and magnet rakes — to eradicate the final traces of Burning Man 2013.
The season is skidding to a close as we dodge rainstorms and near-freezing temperatures; we may even get a little snow this evening. Summer is officially a dusty memory, but still the MOOP lines march on.
As many of you have remarked, the line sweeps are covering a lot of ground this year, and in record time. On Day 4, 45 city blocks disappeared under the moopers’ feet. And yes, the Playa Restoration All-Star team is one hell of a crew — but the line sweeps’ pace ultimately depends on YOU, and how well Black Rock City practices Leaving No Trace. When the city blocks are green and MOOP-free, the Resto line sweepers move at a fast clip. And this year, we’ve encountered a whole lot of green blocks.
In fact, we’re seeing green this year in all sorts of places. So while Playa Restoration continues marching through the city grid, let’s take a moment and turn our eyes elsewhere: far out in the deep playa, where the Temple of Whollyness once stood.
This year’s Temple of Whollyness was stunning for a number of reasons. Created by Gregg Fleishman, Melissa “Syn” Barron, and Terry Gross, A.K.A. Lightning Clearwater III, the Temple was built entirely without metal hardware, a feat of geometry that is truly mind-boggling. Add to that the memories, prayers, emotions and tributes brought here the people of Burning Man, and the towering pyramid became hallowed ground, the spiritual center of Black Rock City.
In truth, Burning Man has been honored with incredibly moving, artistic and astounding Temples year after year. But year after year, once the structure and its memories have burned away, the Temple site is strewn with bits of MOOP, traces left by the tens of thousands of visitors who came to pay tribute.
Until this year.
In 2013, the Playa Restoration Special Forces team is reporting that the Temple site is impressively clean, green and MOOP-free. It’s cleaner than we’ve ever seen a Temple site, which is a huge testament to the crew’s Leave No Trace commitment. It’s even more impressive when you consider that every one of the thousand pieces of wood used were routed and sanded on site in the Black Rock Desert.
For the enthusiasm with which they embody the Ten Principles, and for everything they give to Black Rock City without leaving a trace behind, the Restoration crew honors LNT Lead Amy “Maven” Bunker and the entire Temple of Whollyness crew with a Resto award for Leaving No Temple.
How to Leave No Temple: photos from the crew
Maven and the Temple crew documented their MOOP control, prevention and cleanup efforts in a photo series. Prepare to be impressed; we certainly are.
Temple of Whollyness, we salute you and are proud to award you for your extraordinary contributions to Black Rock City, and your success at Leaving No Temple in 2013.
MOOP Map Live will continue soon with an update on the progress in Day 5. Tune in soon to find out how it went!
We can’t thank you enough Resto Crew!! Sending WARM love your way.
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Thank you!!! Warm is good. We like warm.
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The Temple was awe-inspiring this year, and the Temple crew are equally amazing! Thanks to everyone involved.
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Simply sublime… Heartfelt thanks to all of you.
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What happened to the Inukshuk in the center of the Temple?
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I want to thank you peeps from the bottom of my heart. Without your work, every year, there would be no next year.
I do have a request. I’m a member at Distrikt, and every year we spend days and countless hours ensuring that every scrap, every fiber of thread is picked up. Lessons have been learned over the years. We were sure this was our green year. We have dedicated teams and camp members that are out three times a day, every day. During strike, the entire camp is on MOOP duty. Yet still, after four years, we have never been awarded GREEN.
We’d like to be told exactly what the restoration crew is looking for, besides trash. I’ve been told though channels, if the crew is slowed down in an area, that’s grounds for a YELLOW or RED. Tell us what would slow the crew down. Water on the ground, if so what does the restore crew do? Should we leave the ground un-disturbed (i.e. raked or dragged). Help us help you.
It’s frustrating on our parts, to say the least. We WANT to be responsible and good burners by leaving no trace.
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Ken – sending you an email :)
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