Leave No Trace Plan (2019)



About Our Camp

Camp Name: Hammer And Cyclery

History, background: 2019 will be our tenth year delivering hundreds of pre-arranged bicycle rentals to Burners on the Playa. This funds our full time repair camp, events, bike drop, and lessons.

With a full complement of tools, learn to ride events, and a bike drop for Africa we were able to create as many as 7500 interactions at our little camp last year.

As a critical service in a punishing environment our bicycle repair crew is in high demand. I'm proud to say that we are up to the challenge.

We have a blast sharing our craft, showing Burners which miracles are possible (and which aren't) and how to avoid potential issues down the road ("It's probably not a good idea to brake by jamming your foot into the spokes"). Sometimes it takes a five minute fix and a quick lesson on gear shifting. Other times we work wonders on wheels that are nearly ruined (no questions asked :). For me, the highlight of our efforts came when one of our renters had reserved an extra bike for a friend that couldn't make it. He gifted his pre-arranged rental to a random Burner and risked losing his deposit if the bike wasn't returned. Though we did not receive every bike back, our gifted bike was returned to us with great appreciation.

Estimated Population: 100

Nature and scale of our activities: Bicycle repair, lock library, advice, and workshops. We are a high traffic camp due to the demand for bicycle repair (or just minor adjustments) on the Playa. We work with thousands of individuals and will maintain regular hours every day (10:00am to 6:00pm Sunday to Sunday).

As a camp we will:
- Plan Ahead
- Practice the 5 R's: Rethink, Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Restore, and Respect
- Keep our camp clean before, during and after the event
- Adopt the seven principles and practices of Leave No Trace at Burning Man
- Do what is necessary to protect and restore the Black Rock Desert
- Identify potential problems and issues that may arise
- Create a strategy or plan for Leaving No Trace
- We will educate all camp members about minimizing our impact on the playa

How we will organize for Leave No Trace

Our LNT leadership and structure: Camp leader and Burning Man veteran Seth Stattmiller will be responsible for disseminating and promoting our LNT plan to all camp members prior to other camp prep so as to minimize unnecessary production of waste at Black Rock City and get all members of Hammer And Cyclery into the proper frame of mind. Mr. Stattmiller will also plan and organize camp set up to insure that waste centers are accessible and secure and that all camp members are aware of disposal procedures. Stattmiller will also oversee camp breakdown and clean up with full participation from all other camp members. Stattmiller will be the first man on and off the Playa for Hammer And Cyclery and the last man out of BRC.

We hereby designate Seth Stattmiller as our Ambassador to the Black Rock Desert and leader of our Leave No Trace Team.

The team will help plan our purchases, what we bring to the playa, and encourage us to reuse, recycle, reduce, and restore our materials. They will think about how we and all of our stuff will get there and make it home again. The team will keep our camp clean and fun before, during, and after the event and delegate and enlist help when it is needed.

They will be responsible for cleanup and trash management in our camp, including activities and parties we host. They will make sure that our gray water does not impact the playa. They will see that all camp members understand and agree with the policies and practices of Leave No Trace at Burning Man.

They will oversee daily tasks and will have a plan in place when we get ready to leave. When it's time to break down and sweep our camp for every last trace. The Ambassador will make sure EVERYTHING left goes with us.

The Ambassador will encourage our participation in community line sweeps and restoration with our neighbors and DPW.

Seth Stattmiller will oversee our camp breakdown and cleanup.


Our Commitment to Leave No Trace

To minimize our impact on the Playa, we will follow these rules:

Before the event
- We pledge to Leave No Trace in and around our campsite, including our own and others' waste.
- We will read the survival guide and LNT tips.
- We will complete this camp's Leave No Trace Plan and share it with the entire camp.
- We will plan the assembly and takedown of our structures and decorations and tape the edges of our carpets.
- We will inventory vehicle space so we can pack out everything.
- We will take the packaging off of just about everything and stock up on reusable products and containers.
- We will shop for simple finger foods and prepare meals in advance to reduce waste.
- We will bring no glass, cheap trinkets, small feathers, and anything that might get left on the playa.

During the event
- We will check our camp daily.
- We will clean as we go, realizing that any trash or MOOP (matter out of place) can blow away or be buried at any moment.
- We will keep our recyclables, burnables, and non-burnables clearly separated for easy disposal.
- We will recycle our aluminum, either on-site or back home.
- We will have special cleanup crews for any high traffic activities we host and take care of any trash left by guests, invited or otherwise.
- We won't leave trash in or around the port-o-potties.
- We won't light fires on bare ground or dig pits, leaving scars. If we must burn, we'll use a public burn barrel or burn platform.
- We will burn only clean untreated wood or paper (nothing synthetic) and follow the safety guidelines for fires and burn scar prevention.
- We won't dig large holes or trenches.
- We will keep all items tied or weighted down, and leave papers at home.
- We will not dump any grey or black water on the playa.
- We will encourage members of our camp to carry a personal trash (MOOP) container and a cigarette butt container when they are outside camp.

After the event
- We will put aside time and have designated volunteers for the final cleanup.
- We will take all trash in sealed containers to a landfill and recyclables to a recycle center on the way home.
- After cleaning our camp, everyone in our camp will devote at least two hours to the general city cleanup (e.g. trash fence, local port-o-potties, cafe, etc).
- We will leave extra space in every vehicle on the way to the desert, knowing that repacking will inevitably take up more space and ensure that no items can detach during the ride home.
- We will pack out everything, including any unevaporated gray water and scum.
- We won't put trash in or around the port-o-potties.
- We will help out our neighbors and fellow citizens.

We will be Good Neighbors
- We will encourage our guests to bring their own beverage containers.
- We will help out our neighbors.
- We will adopt the space around our camp, making sure that it stays traceless.
- We will help careless or forgetful campers.

Here's how we'll do it

Design our camp in a way that is easy to keep clean: The bicycle mechanics' workshop will be set upon a well secured carpet of canvas to keep parts and small debris from reaching the Playa surface. Our trucks and trailers will give us a robust and secure location to store waste and recyclables throughout the week. This will also offer ample storage for all camp supplies with a place for everything and everything in its place so that messes do not need to be left out in the open. Our semi-trailers will also act as a wind barrier to minimize accidental loss of blowables in our main living spaces. The trucks will ring the camp to further reduce the impact of wind. We will contract with United Site Services for gray water disposal. Trash, compost, and recycling receptacles will be clearly marked and centrally located to avoid confusion and minimize effort in accessing these stations. Camp breakdown will be followed by a shoulder to shoulder walk through of our entire camp. Camp will be inspected and the shoulder to shoulder walk through will be repeated until the inspection comes up absolutely clean. We are bringing the necessary tools of the trade (rakes, brooms, etc.) to aid in this process.

Select materials and decorations for our camp that lessen waste and are recyclable or reusable: Hammer And Cyclery is the pick-up and drop-off point for used bicycles for pre-registered Burners. 90% will return to Burning Man year after year. Furthermore, Hammer And Cyclery will act as a collection point for broken down bicycles and parts. (We do not condone collecting bicycles on the open Playa. This is strictly prohibited.) These will be used to help other Burners keep rolling on the Playa. Anything left over will be hauled off of the Playa and used on future projects, donated to other bicycle programs and art projects, or scrapped and recycled (for more details visit HammerAndCyclery.com/donate.html). All decorations will be constructed in a way that makes them secure, robust, and reusable for years to come. We have learned from our mistakes in the past and will continue to improve our designs year after year to improve the sustainability of Hammer And Cyclery and minimize our footprint on Black Rock Desert.

Create a detailed plan for the breakdown/cleanup of our camp, accounting for every board, stake, and scrap, and pack necessary tools and supplies: We have a detailed checklist of construction tools and materials that will be used for set up and camp break-down to make sure we are leaving nothing behind. We have a detailed plan for camp construction that includes tested and prebuilt pieces to minimize improvised fixes that could take us off plan. The vehicles have packing plans that will allow us to account for everything we bring.

Plan for extra cleanup and trash generated by activities and parties at our camp: The Mechanics' work area will have a drop cloth to keep track of all small pieces. The public and private areas of our camp will feature prominent recycling bins (especially scrap steel) for waste materials generated by repair work and workshops.

Have a plan for proper evaporation or disposal of our grey water, including containers to haul out what's left: Our evaporation pond will be large enough to store water from several consecutive showers and our storage tanks will be the same tanks we used to bring water to the Playa so that we will be certain to have enough storage for grey water.

Plan enough space and storage in our vehicles for trash hauling: With the acceptance of broken down bicycles and parts donations, we have budgeted a significant amount of extra space to allow us to transport a large amount of extra materials off of the Playa. This planning has served us well in the past. We also have a backup procedure to allow for multiple trips if necessary.

Explain the ground rules to all camp members and post our LNT plan on our website. Hammer And Cyclery's LNT plan will be emailed to all camp members with check-ins from camp leader Seth Stattmiller to insure that each person has received and read this document. Furthermore, the LNT plan can be accessed at HammerAndCyclery.com/lnt_plan.html. The LNT plan is also an agenda item for our pre-trip meeting ahead of Burning Man. Finally, it will be possible to update residents throughout the week on our progress during Burning Man.

Plan a secured trash separation station with signage and tags and plenty of heavy duty garbage bags. Hammer And Cyclery's trash and recycling stations will feature heavy duty trash bags and bins. These will be transferred to designated storage space in our trucks as needed.

We will bring the following items for camp operations
- Separate, sealed containers for recyclables, burnables, and non-burnables, a found bin and signage and tags.
- Reusable dinnerware and utensils, including portable beverage containers.
- A large water container for camp water supplies (no small containers).
- 5-gallon bucket and painter's mesh for wet kitchen scraps.
- Containers for grey water disposal.
- Containers for smokers' butts.
- Tarps or other floor covering to 'catch' any items that drop.

We will bring the following items for our camp's breakdown, clean-up and restoration
- Big whiskbroom and push brooms.
- Flat blade shovel for burn scars or dune MOOP.
- Large landscape rake and smaller rakes for sweeping through dust piles.
- Stiff long handled broom for breaking up dunes.
- Rope and string for tying loose stuff down.
- Small spare bags for collecting trash as we wander.
- Lots on industrial strength trash bags: more than we think we'll need.
- Cheap work gloves for everybody.
- Long-handled sledgehammer for compacting 5-gallon buckets and driving stakes.
- Vise grips for removing stakes and rebar.
- Directions and hours of landfills and RV water dump stations.
- Magnets or magnet sweepers to remove every last nails, staples, scrap of metal.
- Vehicles and/or trailers to haul everything out.

Packing Out and Restoration of Our Site
- We will take away everything we brought with us plus a few things we didn't know we'd have and anything that turns up at our camp.
- Our restoration team will use flags and lights on the outside of our camp's border to define our boundaries, break up any dunes that formed around vehicles or structures, then divide up our area and begin line sweeps.
- If we don't have enough folks on our team to form one line across the site, we will break our space up into smaller areas and have each restoration volunteer deMoop their area.
- We will pick up all woodchips, broken glass, plastic debris, metal debris, fireworks, and plant material.
- We will complete restoration of any hotspots (micro-MOOP collections), or burnscars.
- We will try to give a helping hand to our neighbors.

Black Rock Desert Restoration
- We will each contribute at least 2 hours of community clean-up.
- We will pitch in with our fellow citizens and community service teams to restore the natural characteristics of the playa in our neighborhood, removing all burn scars, dunes, leftover debris, or other physical traces of our presence.
- We will participate in DPW line sweeps and local restoration efforts.
- We will volunteer for and support ecological protection and restoration of the Black Rock Desert.








Hammer And Cyclery and Re-Cycle, Inc share no official affiliations with Burning Man or Black Rock City, LLC.

2015





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HAMMER AND CYCLERY
(Playa address announced in July)
Open Daily 10:30am-5:30pm
Saturday Aug 29 - Monday Sept 7, 2020

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