Corpus Christi BWB Beach Clean-Up Nets 8,000 Pounds of MOOP

Sound Stage at sunset (Photo by Jessica Richman)
Sound Stage at sunset (Photo by Jessica Richman)

“My burn name is Parsec,” Patrick Brown of Corpus Christi, Texas told me. “I am previously of Arcattack, still fart around with them but doing chemistry full time at the moment. Been doing BWB events since right after Katrina. Brought 300 pounds of meat to feed the town of Pearlington at the one-year anniversary of the Katrina effort.”

This is exactly the (gender-neutral) cowboy way Burners talk about their adventures, and it was music to my ears. But Parsec isn’t talking about the town-sized bacon party in the Black Rock Desert. He’s talking about disaster relief efforts with Burners Without Borders, which is increasingly part of the Burner job description these days.

Fire fan (Photo by Alex Herrera)
Fire fan (Photo by Alex Herrera)

Parsec and Corpus Christi BWB have made local headlines recently for their work cleaning up “The Bowl,” a stretch of beach in the Corpus Christi area that would make a great place for a burn if it hadn’t been totally trashed and neglected. Shotgun shells, furniture, parking blocks, MOOP city. But Corpus Christi BWB rounded up a bunch of volunteers and started cleaning the place up last year. “It’s been well over 8,000 pounds of trash,” Parsec told the Corpus Christi Caller-Times. “We removed four trailer loads and a 15-foot dumpster, and it’s still a mess and still continues.”

“Corpus Christi BWB is me, Jay Guerrero, and Liz Creme,” Parsec says. “There are only a handful of Burners in Corpus. I mainly pull volunteers from Austin and San Antonio and Dallas and Houston.” It’s a small organization, indeed, but there is a plan. BWB is working out the jurisdiction stuff with the authorities, but when the plan goes ahead, Parsec believes there will be a replicable model for BWB groups to work with officials to clean up neglected places like The Bowl and make them available for the kinds of respectful leave-no-trace get-togethers Burners do best.

About Burners Without Borders

Burners Without Borders was born in Biloxi, Mississippi during the 2005 Hurricane Katrina disaster relief effort. When the hurricane struck during the Burning Man event that year, volunteers traveled directly from Black Rock City to the ravaged area to fill in where government relief efforts were falling short.

Since then, BWB volunteers have worked on relief projects all over the world. Its annual grant program helps would-be volunteers realize their vision of making a difference in their communities.

If you would like to get involved, please contact BWB through the Burners Without Borders website.

About the author: Jon Mitchell

Jon Mitchell

, a.k.a. Argus, was publisher of the Burning Man Journal, the Jackrabbit Speaks newsletter, and the Burning Man website from 2016 to 2019. He joined the Comm Team as a volunteer in 2010 and as year-round staff in 2014. He co-wrote a big story about spending 24 hours at the Temple of Juno in 2012. His first Burn was in 2008.

8 Comments on “Corpus Christi BWB Beach Clean-Up Nets 8,000 Pounds of MOOP

  • Tanno says:

    I live in Corpus Christi and I’ve always though that The Bowl could be cleaned up permanently if there was some kind of vehicle pass fee implemented. The proceeds from the passes could go to cleaning up the area, and also towards funding a massive burn. BMorg or other associated entities could get in on this and the ground level right now. There is much public support for this kind of thing, and also a lot of money to be made.

    If the model works then Burner culture could spread throughout the south. The whole region could be the next Bay Area on steroids. First we’d need to bring in the artists to the blighted areas and then the coffee houses and bars would follow. Then Burners could move out of Oakland and repopulate these awesome locations with our culture and get rid of the general riff raff to make it safe for us.

    I can’t wait for something like this!

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  • Hey You says:

    I’ve always thought that North Padre would be a really great place to hold a Texas Decompression… I’m not familiar with “The Bowl”. I love the beaches and water down there though, very nice.

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  • Ginger Snap says:

    2014 was my first Burn, shared it with my daughter, Athena. It was AWESOME!!! Feel proud to know we have a Burners without Borders group in Corpus Christi..so glad they are here. I hope it sparks more Burner activity in this area.

    Ms. Ginger Snap

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  • Rum Punch says:

    As a native to Corpus Christi who now resides in San Diego , I’ve always felt that Corpus Christ had so much potential. Its absolutely a city that needs some motivation to develop its beauty. I’m optimistic that changes are on the horizon both in the Downtown area and on our beaches to improve Corpus Christi and open it up to a growing burner community. I understand how frustrating working w/ the city can be , but nothings impossible.

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