Restoration at Frog Farm

Burning Man is launching a multi-year project to restore a thriving wetland ecosystem at Frog Pond, a private ranch at the edge of the playa thatís being leased to provide water for the event. This magnificent oasis, with 8 free-flowing artesian springs, has been greatly changed by over a century of different uses. Burning Manís recent use has altered the landscape in ways that arenítí all positive.

While weíre present on this land, we have a brief opportunity to focus Burning Manís creative energy to leave it better, richer and more alive than when we arrived. At the height of fall bird migration, the migratory community of Black Rock City will build habitat for migrant wildlife.
Together we can create the best possible island of life in this ocean of dust.

Wetland restorationists and environmental artists will craft a site-specific plan to create wetland habitat in a human-use setting, an esthetic environment with maximum wildlife value. We will explore the intersection of art, science and our ideas about nature, using cutting-edge restoration techniques to create a living landscape that is also a work of art. A volunteer-based project integrating wild art and rigorous science will give birth to a living community that enriches our surroundings and our consciousness.

What form will this ambitious project take? Itís up to you, the experienced, visionary environmental professionals and artists who will come together to make it happen! Dedicated participants with experience in ecological restoration, wetland ecology, environmental engineering, hydrology, landscape design and installation art are needed to plan and execute this cutting-edge project:

Ecological restoration professionals crew leaders and dedicated volunteers
Biologists, ecologists, hydrologists, civil/environmental engineers and wetland scientists
Plant and wildlife experts familiar with Great Basin and high desert wetland systems
Surveyor/ mapping & GIS whiz
Artists specializing in large-scale, site-specific environmental installations
Landscape architects and native plant landscape contractors
Highly experienced heavy equipment operators

What is ëEcological Restorationí?
Ecological Restoration is a new field of applied biology that seeks to enhance or recreate the function and integrity of degraded ecosystems and enhance plant and wildlife habitat. Itís part of a growing movement that sees lifeís highest goal as knowing and caring for our home planet, not maximizing power and profit. Though weíre very good at degrading landscapes, weíre just starting to try rebuilding damaged environments. Doctor Dune and Scrub J work in volunteer-based ecological restoration and education in San Francisco. Weíve seen what can happen when a community comes together to be stewards of their environment. When the participants learn about the desert and rally around Earth stewardship, Burning Man can mobilize tremendous power for change over many years.

The extent and type of work at Frog Pond has yet to be determined, but itís a prime candidate for Ecological Engineering, the new art and science of shaping the land to maximize its system function. Itís hardly a pristine environment, so why not alter it more with the conscious intent of making it a better place for wildlife and people for generations to come?

ìRestorationî can mean many things in different contexts. We could simply ëremediateí the site, fixing the worst damage or putting things back the way they were before Burning Man showed up. At the other extreme, we could try to exactly ërestoreí the conditions of 200 or 2000 years ago. We canít turn back time, and we donít have to copy the past to have a positive effect. We canít ërestoreí to a primitive state and exclude use- itís impossible and wouldnít make sense. We need to consider the siteís history, current functions and role into the future of the desert. Looking to the future, we can ëenhanceí the site to an altered but improved condition. No one can come in from outside and dictate the best course for this land. We will gather experts to consult with the landowner, locals, land managers, and conservancy groups (i.e. Ducks Unlimited) to come up with a plan thatís best for the land and its people.

For ecological visionaries, this is a chance to do restoration the way weíve always dreamed- on our own terms. Because Frog Pond is private land and the owner supports restoration, we have a unique opportunity to create whatever we can dream up, relatively unbound by the usual government red tape or corporate profit motive. The Burning Man Organization is committing its long-term operational support to transforming this land into a thriving oasis. Since we will control all phases of restoration planning, execution and maintenance, we are free to combine cutting-edge restoration science with artistic design and execution. The act of restoring nature is both a scientific study and a type of performance art, where the canvas is the land and the brushes are the hands and hearts of the community. The restoration plan can include functional design elements such as earthworks, brush sculptures, fences and patterned plantings to make artistic statements while creating optimum wildlife habitat. Pools, tubs, paths, viewing areas and other facilities for people can be integrated into the design. With creativity and dedication we can build a new environment that will accommodate present uses and maximize the siteís long-term habitat value.

==> Picture below from Petrified Log Restoration work

What could we do at Frog Pond?
An abundant supply of fresh water is a priceless gem in the desert. We can spread this resource over the most area in the wisest way to do the most good for the most things for the longest time. In subtle or striking ways, we will change the landscape and flow of water to make all the things people and wildlife want from a managed natural oasis.
It is important to see this as a multi-year project- we can work wonders but not overnight and not without a really good plan. Weíll come up with that plan during and after the 2002 event, but there are many things we can do this year that will get things started.
This year we can:

Fence off wetland areas and ponds to protect them from cows and prevent cows getting stuck
Construct animal watering troughs
Plant cottonwood and willows, install fencing and irrigation
Fence off areas from 20í X 20í up to100í X 100í to allow natural plant regeneration
Collect annual seed for broadcast by volunteers
Build ìbrush habitat sculpturesî
Remove invasive tamarisk trees

By spring 2003 we will create a plan for the earthmoving, grading, planting, fencing and other activities over the following year or two. Much of the work will be done in spring and summer, leading up to a huge outpouring of volunteer labor before and during the event.
Much of the final design has yet to be imagined. We can make minor changes to existing features or dramatically reshape the landscape. We can make an unobtrusive, naturalistic setting or an overtly created, artistic environment. Our design process will take many factors into account:

Create habitat for / usable by:

Mammals- access to water, brush structures & earthworks

Deep ponds, gently sloping shallows and banks, grading up to low islands and ridges with bushes and trees
Precise grading to construct the most area and diversity of habitats
Piping, water collection, transport and storage, channeling, distributing to pools and wetlands

Why should we restore this place?

Burning Man will show its long-term commitment to the Black Rock environment by creating something more important and lasting than the participants or the event. Like Burning Man itself, wetland restoration will be a giant living art installation, a fusion of technical skill and enthusiastic imagination. Both are about creating communities by applying creativity and hard work in a harsh environment. Just as the event creates a setting for participants to work wonders, restoration will create the conditions for wild life to flourish.
Once we set it in motion, the event participants will focus their tremendous creative energy around this higher common goal. During the event and throughout the year, the residents of Black Rock City can muster an unparalleled volunteer force to turn visions into reality. When the community rallies around Earth stewardship, Burning Man can mobilize tremendous power for change over many years. New technology and innovative art, in the service of new ideas and evolving spirituality, can transform the land and change lives, unleashing limitless possibilities.

Pictures from Public Lands Day at the end of September 2002 - show below are before and after pictures of a road that has now disappeared!

The entire volunteer group that was up for public lands day - includes Marian (jack rabbit), Earth Guardians, great DPW volunteers, awesome Americorps volunteers, and of course, our incredible organizers from Friends of Black Rock and BLM (who provided an amasing feast on Saturday night and Sunday morning).