Discussion: Reasons to Say Yes

In the discussion thread 'Canceled!' AZ has posted to a link to a document designed to explain orienteering to land use managers. I think the document in its original form came from Quantico OC. In my opinion the paper is as good an explanation of orienteering and why a land manager need not say 'no' to a request to hold an orienteering event at that venue as I've ever seen.
However I'd like to see it go a little further. We need an explanation of why they should say 'yes' to such a request. There is a difference. The land manager, be it a state or county official, has to answer to bosses who eventually answer to political bosses who answer to the citizen/ voters.
It helps them to know what orienteering does for its participants, at least some of whom are 'citizen/ voters'.
Are you following me so far?
I am wearing two hats here. In Ottawa we will soon be making a pitch to one set of land managers to make sure orienteering is specifically allowed in their master plan. In SW Florida I speak to park officials regularly about introducing orienteering.
I have a bit of a pitch I use but there could be more benefits I'm missing. Can you add anything to the following recital?
Orienteering is for everybody – all ages, gender neutral, able bodied and disabled – but not everybody takes to orienteering. To enjoy orienteering it helps to have a sense of adventure, a sense of direction and a sense of humour.
Teachers tell us that they like orienteering as a sport for their students as the results usually bring a different student to the front of the class. Those who dominate in football, basketball and the like find themselves back on equal footing with the ‘nerds’. The ability to read a map and stay ‘oriented’ levels the playing field.
Parents tell us how excited their young children get when they ‘discover’ the sought after marker on the trail ahead, how they get to point out some of the wonders of nature – perhaps deer, perhaps beaver in a nearby pond – as they make their way around a course.
Orienteering as a sport does not allow the use of GPS units for navigation. The sport does teach its participants the same navigation skills that are built in to a GPS – which direction and distance to go, which route to take. The sport gives the participant a set of survival skills that are very transferable and useful when venturing farther afield.
For the more competitively inclined the chance to start orienteering in Ottawa’s Greenbelt has led to skill development taking some of our young and not-so-young to national and international events.

Can you give me more ideas on the positive benefits of orienteering for the general public? Let's make it easier for the land managers to say yes.

In some cases, the benefit can be money. I overheard the meet officials at a recent event remark that they were giving the park over $1000. This did include camping, etc. but still, with budgets the way they are, money can be a reason to say yes.

Along those same lines, an event at a park does bring some extra money into the surrounding community. I expect it's small in terms of the overall economy (time for J-man to step in), but still, people attending the event will buy gas, groceries, etc. and maybe even lodging if it's an overnight event.

Another thing is just usage. Having an event would mean another 20-500 people are at the park and this should help bolster the parks attendance numbers. I don't know how park budgets are set, etc. but I would think that attendance is somehow factored in so, having more people, could mean more money in next years budget.

Wow, I guess everything I've said is related to money!

edit--I thought of something else and that is the MAP. Yes, the park will claim to have a map but how good is it? The orienteering map will show all sorts of things that the standard park map won't and some of these can be very interesting to park people. For example, having all the stone walls and cellar holes can be a big enticement for a park since it documents items of historical significance. Likewise showing all the marshes, vernal pools, etc. and their relation to each other can be of great interest to many park officials as well as others.

Glen Schorr is very good at talking up the reasons to say yes with land managers and local communities. You may want to contact him directly.

Just to harp on the MAP again, the items of historical significance can vary from one area of the country to another. Here in New England we have stone walls and cellar holes. In DVOA land there are all the charcoal platforms. In CO and WY, there are the prospector pits, in NC there are the old moonshine stills. I think most parks would be thrilled to have all these documented.

The environmental director at Pacheco State Park in California was delighted to get our map, as it had a lot of distinct lone trees marked on it. She could use it as the basis for a tree survey.

More focus on students, youth groups, home-schoolers, and families:
Small group interaction and decision making. Leadership.
Problem solving - set a plan, execute it, adapt as needed.
Risk taking.
A hike with a purpose. A 'fresh' reason for exercise and being out-doors.
Spatial skills of relating 2D map with weird symbols & colors to the landscape.

Orienteering maps - and even local orienteers - can help in case of an emergency in the park. I believe it was Backwoods who led firefighters into the Dundas Valley years ago. If someone is injured on a remote trail, good mapping of the area can be very helpful. We've been asked to provide maps for medics at other types of events - biking, trail running, etc. The maps they usually use tend to be simplistic park trail maps.

Any decomposed bodies, the mapper will find them.

In my talks with Whistler/Blackcomb their interests are definitely financial. They want people coming to the resort, either directly as participant in the event or indirectly as coming based on hearing about how great it was in Whistler from the people that did come. They are all about selling beds. And I don't mean that in a bad way - they realize that they need to support event organizers who will bring people into the town, so it is a mutually beneficial situation.

They are also very interested in repeat business. I was a little worried the first time we put on a big event here that it would be a one-of, but now we've done 2010 Western Canadians, 2012 BC Champs, 2014 Natinoals, and who knows what next - 2018 NAOC?? ;-)

They also like that our events are short (3 hours max-ish) so that participants will spend part of the day doing other activities. And that they are multi-day. So participants will be around for quite a while.

I think they also like that it is a "healthy" and "outdoor" and "adventure" and "family" and a bit "extreme" sport, as these are the types of activities they want associated with their Whistler brand.

Similar to AZ's comment (on a MUCH smaller hill mind you), GHO was recently approached by a ski resort in southern Ontario asking about hosting an Adventure Running Kids race or family weekend in April or November. The resort borders a very large forest that we already have mapped. The resort was upfront in saying that orienteering is an activity that can be done when there is no golf and no skiing (the shoulder seasons). Their aim is to fill beds during that time of the year with the hope that people will also come back in the peak season as well.

Orienteers also are quite tame indoors. They will not party too hard. They might get the floors a bit dirty though, and the clothes and shoes drying can be a bit smelly.

Ever seen a JWOC after party?

Orienteering has low environmental impact on the host area. Negative impacts are limited mainly to localised tracking around some (not all) control sites which generally disappears within days. It is an inherent feature of navigation-sports that each competitor selects their own route, thus dispersing runners across the map, as opposed to routing the entire field along the same set course (as in trail or XC races). Event centres are temporary; lightweight, mobile equipment is preferred. Except in the case of major events, control flags and event centres usually appear and disappear on the day. Additional benefit for the land use manager is that scheduling is easier if activity is contained to one day.

Orienteering can work around hazardous or sensitive areas, or even other "park" users. These areas can be marked out of bounds, and courses can be planned to avoid them. This is best achieved through early and open discussion between land use managers and orienteering event planners. Ideally, in order for orienteering planning to occur, parties would agree a cut off date where no further out-bounds areas will be imposed. Land use managers may be surprised at the lead time required, particularly for major events.

@Hammer: Perchance, was a major O-event (COCs / NAOC) held at this same ski-area many (~20) years ago?

@Nick - it is a very good point that Land user managers may be surprised at the lead time required. This has been especially true for the Whistler event. For major events we need to have confirmed dates well over a year in advance, and as you point out, there needs to be an understanding of the course planning process, so they realize what we're doing and how far in advance we're doing it.

but, these are Gord's "reasons not to say no" rather than "reasons to say yes" ;-) Still, I'm going to update the document with this point. Thanks.

@guy: yes it is Horseshoe Resort that approached us. 1994 COC and NAOC terrain

AZ makes a very good point about choosing words that match the land manager's vision for their land. Around our local areas, I always refer to it as a "family event" and mention that we'll have some seniors as well as kids. It makes us sound so darned wholesome. :)

@AZ - yup, fair enough.

In respect of "reasons to say yes", you're right that each land manager will have their own objectives and there is no substitute for doing your research and adapting your phrasing to match theirs. In fact, O should always be looking for win-win outcomes (because we need access to someone elses land), and the only way to do this is to understand what your local land manager(s) are trying to achieve.

O provides free promotion for public park networks. A series of park events showcases the interesting areas of each park, takes people to parks they've never visited before, and often into new areas of parks they have visited. Land manager doesn't have to pay anything or do anything - all they have to is let the O club organise the events. They might even get their logo plastered all over the map/website/pamphlets etc...

WRT O being a "family sport" - its true, though I sometimes worry that the 'family' angle leaves the impression that O is not a serious sport with a definite pointy end. So, I like to say that O allows for a spectrum of competitors to participate simultaneously, from young children to senior citizens, and from recreational to elite athletes.

One further thought... beware the term "event". If it means something different to your land manager than it means to you, find a safer word. For example "race". To some Council/Park Board people, "events" are music festivals, farmers markets, conferences, expos, movie sets, parades, or logistics-heavy sports events like triathlon. If you're trying to run a low-key O event out of the trunk of your station wagon, you will find the permissions process a little over the top.

Usually, an orienteering group is in a pretty good position to 'guarantee' they will leave the area cleaner (less garbage) than when they came. On a personal level orienteers tend to pick up garbage and empties anyway; with a bit of promotion and planning O groups can be even more proactive.

@TheInvisibleLog, I'm pretty sure most American orienteers are too square to party like that, and the Canadians are too polite to make such a mess.

Ok its set. NAOC 2018 - Horseshoe Valley - mid October.
By then we should be able to add a Copa del Americas to the week.
Merde! I am hijacking my own thread!
Back to the point.
Nick. You have hit on a couple of great points. Thank you. The park series idea will be pertinent to a discussion Ottawa OC will be having with one of our land managers.
It never occurred to me there could be a negative connotation to 'event' but then I was too much of a jock to attend Woodstock. 'Race' had suggested to me a gang of people tramping through the woods. Alternatives?? Gathering? Activity?

Happening.

@gord: nope to NAOC at HV in '18. We have hosted that race more than our fair share but GHO is considering a 2017 Nationals/COCs bid.

But back to the thread. It is easy for a land manager to say no but easier to say yes if it brings in money especially since there is no infrastructure costs on their side. So we should be willing to pay more or partner with them to raise money for a cause.

The largest trail run locally needed a new trail built.
The host club of the race built it AND used lots of
Money from the race to pay for the expensive bridge as well.

GHO paid for the search and rescue map of the same area. Btw this was the idea of our then president Pierre B. Who is now a OOC member. We are viewed as partners so easier to say yes because we have saved them money.

Another thought---many organizations now have "Mission Statements". Take a quick look at the park or land managers website and see if there is one. If so, read it carefully and point out ways to the land manager that orienteering can fulfill parts of their mission statement.

Cash tends to make a lot of missions accomplished.

@nick - you make a very good point about the word "event". In my meeting with Whistler/Blackcomb I realized that it took a while for them to translate my "event" into their "race".

It was also interesting when I stopped at a winery to ask about sponsorship. They were very wary of "event" and much happier when I confirmed with him that it was indeed a "race" (and in particular he was not interested in people walking through the bush, but in a sporting race).

I also got two other questions from Whistler Blackcomb that point to two other things they are interested in knowing (and that I should add to the document):
1. "why do you want to use this particular bit of land?" In their case they wanted to understand why we didn't hold the race in the high alpine where the views are spectacular.
2. "Who else lets you run on their land?" or "Where else do you run?"

Different messages for different audiences, eh. Around here, the civic authorities are trying to be known as "the events capital" of the place. Same when talking to potential participants, "race" for one, "stroll in the forest" for another, "family" is anathema to another. Two ears, two eyes, one mouth.

Do you have letters of reference from other venues you use?