kwmr_time_capsule
COMMUNITY RADIO: Dozens of people will place their predictions for the future inside a time capsule that will be buried on Black Mountain Ranch, courtesy of KWMR. Many contributors to the station's spring pledge drive did not want to participate.     David Briggs

The idea of burying things for the future is a pretty old idea. “But the idea of opening something at a specific time in the future is an American phenomenon,” dating back to the late 1800s, said Amanda Eichstaedt, executive director and station manager of KWMR. She’s been researching time capsules since the station decided this spring to bury one at Black Mountain Ranch. The time capsule, the brainchild of Point Reyes Station resident Richard Kirschman, will be filled with documents from anyone that contributes $50 or more to the station. Since the station’s recent spring pledge drive, which is still about $10,000 short of its $40,000 goal, 50 people have committed to the project. The time capsule—or capsules, as up to four two-foot long, six-inch diameter stainless steel tubes will be buried—will generally be reserved for things that can be scribbled on archival paper. The station also prefers the scrawl to be predictions about life a century from now. Those who want to offer small objects can make requests, which will be decided in a case-by-case basis. (Some capsules are much larger; Ms. Eichstaedt noted that one capsule buried in Kansas in 1975 includes a Chevy Vega.) The capsules will be registered with the International Time Capsule Society in Atlanta, and the Marin County Free Library’s history center will keep the coordinates and instructions. “Hopefully it’s a way to trigger: this should be dug up,” she said. Copies of submissions will be posted online, but people can opt out if they prefer to keep their materials private. Ms. Eichstaedt has been surprised that many people who pledged $50 or more during the drive declined to take advantage of the capsule; so far only one person has sent a document, which reads less like a prediction than an apology for environmental degradation. The Fairfax resident wrote, in part, “I tried to sound alarms, as did a heartbroken minority. I practiced the 5 precepts of Buddhism. I wrote books on how and why to go vegan. I imagined you wondering how we could have been so selfish. So please know that many of us tried to make things better. I hope that among you a larger percentage of people than in my time wake up to the beauty and preciousness of our planet. I hope you find a way to forgive us.” For information, call KWMR at (415) 663.8068.