Discussion: Printing courses on yellow maps

Hey Mikell,

You have a lot of experience with printing courses on maps that are mostly yellow. What have you found to be the best color composition for course overprint so that it is nice and visible against the mostly yellow background? (I am printing courses on a golf course map and am unhappy with the results.)
Thanks!

Boris,

I have always used the default colors in OCAD course setting--basically purple, 30% cyan and 70% magenta. It's always stood out well to the point I've never really given it a second thought.

Funny though, yellows, on the other hand, I have messed around with almost incessantly over time, trying to make the difference between full open and rough open easier to see.

And a question for you:

Not so long ago in your log I think I saw that you had written something about a permit from the Forest Service wasn't required for 75 or fewer participants. Are you sure about that, and how did you ascertain that?

Thanks Mikell! Good idea to mess with the yellow instead of the purple.

As long as we were not charging fees, I believe the following applied: https://www.fs.fed.us/specialuses/special_non_com_...

If you think that's wrong, please let me know. What paperwork do you fill out for Forest Service permits. And what's the process like? We will start charging event fees this spring, and I'd like to be prepared.

Yes, that all looks correct, and I didn't realize you weren't charging fees. It was precisely that which I was wondering about--if you had discovered some rule or regulation allowing you to charge without a permit.

And it has been very vaguely in my mind from many years back about some kind of an exception (no permit required) for groups of 25 or less--which I see addressed in that link. What was once 25 is now 75. Good to know and see it officially.

So for our official events, we have operated under a multi-year permit for 10+ years. A multi-year permit is good for 5 years, has an annual fee, and assesses a 3% fee on event revenues (entry fees.)

An annual permit is good for 1 year, has a base fee for the permit, and assesses a 5% fee on event revenues.

So from that you can see relative advantages/disadvantages of each. If you know you're going to want to be active for at least 5 years, then the choice is a no-brainer.

I would guess the above would be standard across the National Forest system.

Then, for each year we want to conduct events, we have to submit an operating plan--basically dates, areas, anticipated numbers of participants, how we plan to conduct the thing. That might or might not be subject to some back and forth depending on concerns, conflicting demands, imposition of certain requirements, whatever. In the end it either gets approved or it doesn't, and it always takes a long time.

I'm sure this part--operating plan, requirement for same, how elaborate it ends up being, etc--varies greatly from District to District. Here, I have worked with about a half dozen Recreational specialists (or whatever the job title is) over the years and two different District Rangers. How much effort and time it has taken to get permits and operating plans has varied quite a bit depending on the particular person in charge of the permitting. Do it long enough and I would guess you will be able to make the same observation.