Bureau of Land Management inspected Burning Man site after stormy year

After a chaotic festival plagued by rain, mud and dirty toilets, Burning Man has passed its annual Bureau of Land Management inspection, by the narrowest of possible margins. 

That Burning Man passed its inspection at all is somewhat surprising given how much of a mess the festival created this year. Unseasonal rains turned the playa into a mud pit, with conditions deteriorating such that that festival goers were urged to conserve food and water. Cleanup crews were onsite working for six weeks following the festival, which is standard procedure for the organization. 

“Despite the challenges the weather threw at all of us, and as we see in the way the Burning Man community activates year-round and around the globe, the best of the Burning Man community shined through at this year’s event,” Burning Man Project CEO Marian Goodell said in a statement. “Participants rose to the challenge and came together with innovative solutions to problems and incredible expressions of generosity.”

This positive comment comes despite the fact that Burning Man only passed by the skin of its teeth.

For the inspection, 120 sites around Black Rock City were examined at random. A site fails inspection if it contains more than one square foot of debris or litter per acre. Burning Man passes the inspection if fewer than 10% of the sites exceed that threshold (meaning, fewer than 12 sites). Of the 120 randomly selected sites, 11 failed, meaning that Burning Man passed inspection with absolutely no room to spare. It may have been close, but Burning Man managed to extend its streak of passing every inspection since the current model started in 1999.

BLM personnel’s comments in the release about the overall conditions of the playa were slightly more muted. 

“While there are still some rough patches out there, the winter weather should mitigate those issues, and come spring the playa should be in nearly the same condition it usually is,” said Andy Boerigter, a BLM’s field manager with the Black Rock Field office.