WE ARE ON THE GROUND.
WHAT? It definitely ain't the Everywhen without a little spice and heat. This blog post is sprinkled with caffeine, delirium and very little sleep; I waved goodnight to the sun as it rose this morning.
And what was I busy doing? Packing up for the Allegory of the Cave event at Constellation City in the Black Rock Desert.
Now, I know the previous blog article stated that we've turned down the permit. And that's true. To best summarize what's happen since then, I'll quote Dust Daka as he describes our saga in the Black Rock Playa Camper Community:
"Some of you may be confused about what is up with Everywhen, which is understandable because they are now on Plan D. Let me offer a somewhat lengthy summary.
Plan A was a ticketed event for up to 1000 people, with a budget in the low six figures, including art grants. A commercial permit was applied for, and BLM had a long list of requirements that would have absorbed most of that budget. BLM also was requiring a gate, a fence, an exclusion zone, and the like, similar to Burning Man. Ticket sales fell short of the target, and BLM’s permit processing bandwidth proved to be limited (they are busy with “that other thing in the desert”), so Plan A was abandoned in mid-May and Everywhen announced that the event had been canceled.
Plan B was to go to the playa during Juplaya and set up as an unpermitted dispersed camp, as Everywhen has done for a number of years.
Plan C was triggered by a request from BLM about a week later that Everywhen resubmit an application, this time for a non-commercial camp of up to 200 campers. This happened in late May.
A few weeks after that (just a few weeks ago) BLM indicated that it would prefer to permit Everywhen as a commercial event. This would allow the permit to cover services such as portos, and also put Everywhen on a different fee schedule that would be easier for BLM to administer, and cheaper for Everywhen. Thus, Plan D.
Plan D is different from Plan A, because there are no tickets, no gate, and no fence. But Everywhen can do things (like a sound stage, light towers, portos) that they otherwise might not be able to do. Plan D is largely being funded by former Plan A ticket holders that have donated what they paid for their tickets. Everywhen Project is a non-profit LLC that can accept deductible donations.
So what is now happening is a permitted event for up to 200 campers, about 1 mile to the southeast of the 8-mile entrance. Those campers will be accommodated in an approximately 250 x 500 foot area named Backstage, which is adjacent to a 700 foot radius “art park.” The Backstage camp is full and several trucks will be rolling to the playa today.
Outside of the Backstage and art park areas, nothing is any different from an ordinary Juplaya. Independent dispersed campers are free to camp just as they would any other year.
A map has appeared on this page suggesting that dispersed campers interested in locating near Everywhen self-organize around five somewhat self-explanatory “zones,” being Party, Friends (of Everywhen), Food-Drink, Quiet, and Art Car. The approach behind the map is the exact opposite of Wade Harrell’s map for the renegade burn last year. Individual camps will not be pinned, and there is no placement of any kind. Folks will self-place on-the-ground, under typical Juplaya dispersed camping rules, and applying common courtesy. The map will be updated this weekend with actual coordinates from Everywhen’s arrival survey, as well as more detailed suggestions about how to choose a spot.
I hope this helps. Stay tuned. More to come."
-- Dust Daka So here it is; the permit to hold the very first official Constellation City at Black Rock Desert:
I think it's important to reflect and remember the journey it took the Everywhen community to get to where we are today. To celebrate that, a brief montage:
As we begin to build Constellation City and you formulate your Juplaya plans, remember this: disperse thyselves! LEAVE NO TRACE.
Here's where it'll be 40.7384, -119.2632
Check out the MAP
NO fire directly on the playa surface! All fire pits must be raised to provide a minimum 6” gap from the playa.
Any spilled fuels or non-water liquids must be picked up and removed.
LEAVE NO TRACE. Pack it in and pack it out. There are no trash containers. YOU are responsible for taking your trash home.
Secure your shade, tent and structure to the playa with lag bolts or rebar. Otherwise, the winds will blow everything away! Remove your anchors before leaving.
Need help? Have questions? Visit us at Backstage camp and go to the shade structure in the front, center alley. Ask for the mayor or ranger on duty.
Limited portos will be available but are crazy expensive, upwards of 6k. Feeling generous and believe in our mission? Consider donating 60.00 to the porto fund, HERE.
SEE YOU THERE!
Video from Everywhen at Juplaya 2021:
