Keep the weekly stand-off dust record for Trona beside the Searles dry lake (2026-07-18)

Trona sits on the shore of Searles dry lake, where mineral-processing operations and exposed playa surfaces send alkaline dust through a town that has been shrinking for decades and has little voice left. Dust days here are real and mostly unrecorded at street level. A disciplined weekly photo-and-observation record from public streets — never from the playa itself — gives Trona's remaining residents evidence in their own hands. Standard: US EPA NAAQS particulate standards; Mojave Desert AQMD dust-control rules — SDG 11, SDG 3. Proof: Weekly timestamped photo set plus dust observations from the same vantage Method (US EPA NAAQS particulate standards; Mojave Desert AQMD dust-control rules — SDG 11, SDG 3.): 1. Stand at the named public street vantage at the same weekday hour. 2. Photograph the playa horizon, visible dust plumes, and dust films on cars and sills. 3. Record wind direction, temperature, and whether dust obscures the ridgeline. 4. Note any strong mineral or chemical odor without approaching any facility. 5. Upload photos with GPS and date and log the observations. Done when: Weekly timestamped photo set plus dust observations from the same vantage

Where

Public street vantage near Trona Rd & Center St, Trona, CA 93562

Pay

$80 proposed

This packet is not funded yet, so this figure is a proposed price and not money waiting in escrow. If a buyer funds it, approved proof settles that price onchain. If nobody funds it, approved proof earns provable credit toward the work instead of cash. You see which before you claim, never after.

Proof

Weekly timestamped photo set plus dust observations from the same vantage

This is exactly what gets it approved. Nothing settles without it.

Level

entry

Open until

2026-07-25

How this work is done

A documented method, so this packet comes out the same whoever does it. Typically 45–90 minutes. Method of record: EPA NAAQS community ambient-air screening (PM2.5)

Bring

• calibrated PM2.5 monitor
• GPS phone
• wind/weather note source
• hi-vis vest
• camera

Steps

1. 1. Choose >=3 points (near-source/roadside, mid, background); record GPS at each; stay off the roadway.
2. 2. Photograph each monitoring location.
3. 3. Log PM2.5 (ug/m3) at each point over a comparable peak period.
4. 4. Record wind direction, time, and nearby source activity (e.g., truck traffic).
5. 5. Compare readings to the NAAQS reference.
6. 6. Enter the PM2.5 logs, wind/time, source note, GPS, photos into the proof record; sign.

If it does not match the plan

• Roadside work near heavy traffic -> stay off travel lanes; hi-vis at all times.
• Near-source PM2.5 well above background and NAAQS -> flag an environmental-justice exposure concern.

What counts as done

• PM2.5 logged at >=3 points (near-source / mid / background)
• Wind direction + time recorded
• Source-activity observation recorded
• GPS waypoints + location photos

Proof is measured against these, not judged by taste.