New Mudskipper Orientation 2016

Welcome to Mudskippers The Ten Principles Who We Are (and Not) Sparkle Ponies History Camp Principles MOOP, MOOP, MOOP Participating as a ‘Skipper What Do I Bring? What About Showers? Camp Fees Drugs Questions

Create a Profile It’s going to be especially important for everyone to fill this out as we are going to be making one of those large picture boards with everyone’s mug on it—pretty much like the one Comfort and Joy has. Make sure to upload a picture where your face is visible.

The Ten Principles of Burning Man 1.Radical Inclusion 2.Gifting 3.Decommoditization 4.Radical Self Reliance 5.Radical Self-expression 6.Communal Effort 7.Civic Responsibility 8.Leaving No Trace 9.Participation 10.Immediacy

“I wish someone had told me to read the s. And, yes, that I should have rebar’d my tent more securely” “Nobody told me to come prepared to give back in some way – be it in gifting (items or services) or just helping with the camp (setup, tear down). It would be nice if everyone came with the expectation of giving, and not just receiving.” “I wasn’t prepared to wash my dishes and underestimated the community aspect of the Burn” “I wasn’t prepared for the dust” Things Newbies Say “Why did someone call me a sparkle pony?”

Don’t Be A Sparkle Pony

We Are A Theme Camp We apply and are selected by BM.org based on the following criteria: Camps should be visually stimulating, have an inviting design and a plan for bike parking and crowd management. Camps must be interactive. They should include activities, events or services within their camps and they must be available to the entire Burning Man community. Camps must be neighborly. This includes keeping sound within set limits, controlling where camp generators vent exhaust, and easily resolving any boundary disputes that arise. Camps must have a good previous MOOP record (for returning camps). Camps must follow safety protocols designed by the organization (this includes traffic management on the streets, proper handling of fuels, and any other areas defined by the organization’s production team including alternatives to RV lined streets).

History: Stepping From Water to Land Founders Bart, Gabriel and Graham first attend in 1993 Gabriel: “The origins of my first year were that I asked Graham if he had any plans for Labor Day weekend, and he said he was planning to go out to the desert for this thing that someone in a cafe was talking about called Burning Man, which they were not really able to describe very well but which sounded interesting. So Graham, Bart, and I piled in my truck with a tent, some water, and some food to see what was this mysterious thing in the desert was all about. At that time there were no roads, and the whole event was about the size of center camp now.”

History: Stepping From Water to Land Bart, Gabriel and Graham and other early gay Burners evolved their community into the huge collective village know as “Avalon Village” in a camp known as “UT” or “Uncharted Territories” In 2009, Avalon Village broke into separate camps and Mudskipper’s Urban Café was born – So, like the Mudskipper taking its first step onto land from water, the cafe took its first step to being its own entity The camp has grown to 70 campers in 2015 Check out more history of the Gayborhood and Mudskippers herehere

Our Principles: Just Do It 1.We are a participation theme camp 2.We are inclusive of all ‘Skippers and anyone visiting the camp 3.We respect each other and keep our eyes open for each other’s safety, health, and property 4.We step forward to add our sparkle and talent to the camp 5.We Leave No Trace and are ALWAYS MOOPING 6.We radically clean up after ourselves 7.We honor our commitments 8.We are responsible for our virgins 9.We don’t wait for someone else to do it 10.We help setup and/or break down the camp

We Are Not a Plug-and-Play Camp

How Do I Participate as a Skipper? Sign up for a volunteer shift Total 8 hours per Skipper for the week Smoothie Café Pretty Nail Salon Coffee Appreciation Belly Dancing Portrait Studio Late Night Chocolate Attack Beauty Bar Moose Knuckle and Camel Toe Crack is Whack Our your own event? Add your sparkle?

Here’s What Skippers Did Last Year

What Is MOOP? MOOP is an acronym for “Matter Out of Place”, a convenient way of referring to anything that is not originally of the land on which our event takes place. So everything that wasn’t originally on or of the Black Rock Desert, no matter how small, is considered MOOP, and is to be removed as part of our Leave No Trace efforts. MOOP also includes grey water, and the particulates contained therein.

What Do I Need To Bring? Remember, radical self reliance is a principle…Full List Here…Full List Here ItemWhy? TicketThere is nothing worse than getting all the way to the playa and forgetting your ticket and/or car pass WATEREven if you are on our water plan, bring a 5-gallon water jug to keep inside your tent Water bottles / CamelbackNeed an easy way to stay hydrated as you cruise around the playa SunscreenObviously you don't want to return to Babylon for skin grafting Bicycle (with a basket if possible) The essential transport for Black Rock City - bring a lock so that it won't disappear. Decorating your bike is also a good idea as when you leave crowded venues, it will be impossible to find your bike 90% of the time Head LampYou will not be able to live w/o one - also can be used when riding bike at night Goggles There are great ones out there that are air tight and change shade with the lighting - there's nothing worse than being blinded in a wind storm Gatorade or other electrolyte replenishing drinkFor obvious reasons All the alcohol you plan to drink For beer, bring CANS. Easier to crush and port out. For liquor, plastic bottles. For wine, boxed works well. Also keeps broken glass to a minimum. Extra car keysBelieve me, you don't want to get stuck on the playa with no car keys Moist towelettesGreat for sponge baths (some people use all week instead of showers) and getting playa dust off your bod Tent, Yurt, RV Sleeping space where you can also store your shit. Tents tend to be superhot to sleep in the morning so bringing a tarp to drape over will help you get that extra hour in the morning Inflatable mattress w/ battery-powered air pumpThey are comfy and prevent body heat from escaping into the playa Warm sleeping bag, extra blankets, pillowsYou won't sleep much but when you do, you'll be glad you thought of good bedding

What About Showers? Radical Self-Shower Reliance Skippers share a shower structure to minimize the Playa MOOP factor Bring a SOLAR shower bag Water? No, it’s part of your camp fees A tarp helps to keep your bag from leaking on the Playa We all work together to keep the water evaporating during the week – 70 people showering for a week is MOOP City One shower per day per person Remember, showering together helps conserve water and means that you can scrub each other squeaky clean. It’s also lots of fun. Join the camp shower team!

Shower Options

Camp Layout Since we are allocated a finite amount of space, we have already starting brainstorming camp layout This space limitation means that we have to be careful about the # of RVs, etc., to ensure that our infrastructure for up to 70 people will work!

Where Do My Camp Fees Go?

Very Important!!! When things break or go wrong with our camp infrastructure, we are all affected, there are no refunds, once the money is spent, it is spent. If someone plugs into our generator and it blows out, or if someone steals it, there is no more money to replace it, buy more food that spoils due to lack of refrigeration, keep the café running, or even give refunds, once the money is spent it is spent. We all lose. The playa can suck sometimes, but as a family, we will pull together and make the most out of a shitty situation. Be prepared, be adaptable and flexible to even the most harshest conditions and the worst situations, and have an open mind. And….. Reading s is important, how many times do we run into on the playa “I didn’t know” and we have sent out numerous s about the subjects….???? Read everyone. It will most definitely save you a lot of unnecessary aggravation the playa. XOXO

What About Drugs? Bring your own – remember radical self-reliance? Nevada is Strict!!! Law enforcement – uniformed and undercover – are everywhere Do not accept or offer drugs to anyone whom you don’t know (even Poppers are considered illegal) Keep license plate uncovered at all times Make sure everything on your vehicle works (brake lights, turn signals, headlights) If confronted by officers or rangers Always cooperate – you won’t win any fights on the Playa Don’t create reason for probable cause – don’t smoke pot, take pills, or otherwise get high in public (that’s what your car is for) Lock your stash in your vehicle If busted and you bring the law back to camp, officers can search everyone BE SMART

QUESTIONS?