BLM sets Burning Man closure

The site of Black Rock City will be closed to the public July 31 through Sept. 20, according to a release issued by the Winnemucca District Office of the Bureau of Land Management.

The festival’s permit allows nearly 70,000 people to spend the week before Labor Day camped out in the desert north of Gerlach.

The temporary closure affects 14,153 acres, or about 13 percent, of the Black Rock playa within the Black Rock Desert-High Rock Canyon Emigrant Trails National Conservation Area. It reserves the eight mile entrance to the Black Rock Desert playa solely for Burning Man ticket holders, but all other playa access points and nearly 87 percent of the playa remains open to public use.

The temporary closure will remain in effect three weeks prior to and three weeks following the Burning Man event in order to facilitate set up and preparation for the event, including fencing the site perimeter prior to the event and completing site cleanup following the event.

“Similar temporary closures for the Burning Man event in past years have been implemented with minimal disruption to other public uses within the area,” said BLM Black Rock Field Manager Mark E. Hall.

The BLM will post information signs and make maps available to the public that provide detailed information about the temporary closure and restrictions. This information will be available at main entry points around the playa, at the BLM Winnemucca District Office, at the Black Rock Visitor Center, and on the BLM’s website. The full text of the Federal Register notice for the temporary closure and restrictions can be viewed at http://bit.ly/2shRR0X.