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Residents of Crystal, Nevada, say off-road race caused flooding, trash and safety problems
Summary
Multiple Crystal, Nevada residents told Nye County commissioners that the Best in the Desert off-road race overwhelmed their small town with vehicles, noise, trash and damage to BLM flood berms that they say later caused flooding and property damage.
Residents of Crystal, Nevada, urged Nye County commissioners on Aug. 26 to act after two consecutive Best in the Desert races that left trash, damaged flood-control berms, and created safety and health risks for the community. Speakers said the staging and early-morning activity overwhelmed Crystal's roughly 30 full-time residents and that the event's cleanup obligations had not been met this year.Town resident Dawn Duncan described early-morning arrivals in the dark, heavy vehicle staging, engine noise and unmitigated dust control starting as early as 3:00 a.m. She said the race organizers failed to repair berms the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) had required be restored after the 2024 event, and that the unrepaired berms contributed to two flooding events that damaged roads and private property. "During this event, the residents of Crystal were held hostage and left traumatized by this racing organization and all the trash and debris they leave behind," Duncan told the commission.Homeowner Laura Vavrica said staging rules were enforced inconsistently and that some equipment and service providers were turned away, affecting local contractors attempting to access properties during the race. Other residents described finding significant trash, including a soiled biological bag with human waste near the staging line. Catherine Lilly and other speakers said they support off-road recreation when it is supervised, cleaned up and repaired.Where the county can act: commissioners asked staff to follow up with Best in the Desert and suggested the BLM, which issues special-use permits for desert land staging, should re-examine the permit given the history of noncompliance. Commissioner Strickland asked staff to contact BLM. "If they were denied a permit with BLM because of their lack of cleanup at one point, maybe BLM needs to take a hard look right now at what we've got out there," Strickland said. Evidence cited by speakers included photos and trash physically brought to the meeting. No formal county regulation was adopted; commissioners directed staff to investigate and coordinate with federal land managers and to look for ways to prevent repeated damage.
