Society of Outdoor Recreation Professionals is proud to present the 2014 National Outdoor Recreation Conference

“Thriving in a New Economic Reality”

The early bird deadline is April 18 – register now and save

The Society of Outdoor Recreation Professionals is proud to present the 2014 National Outdoor Recreation Conference. This year we are featuring presentations that demonstrate how you are adapting and thriving in our new economic reality. You will learn about innovative partnerships, diversifying funding sources, use of technology to streamline, entrepreneurial solutions, adaptive reuse of aging facilities, cultivating political and community support, and other case studies that present new ideas and tools to succeed in today’s economic reality.

Session Spotlight

Communicating with our many stakeholders is an important but sometimes challenging task of a successful outdoor recreation project. Learn from several SORP members and their colleagues about the different approaches they’ve taken in listening and learning from their stakeholders.

Benchmarking: The Art of Talking to People on Benches in an Effort to Keep Them Happy

Intercept surveys are an incredibly useful tool for gaining a solid understanding of existing park user’s perspectives and desires as well as understanding who your agency is currently serving. Intercept surveys generate the type of information professionals crave when developing system plans, master plans, and project plans.

However, this level of outreach can be awkward (walking up to strangers and asking for all kinds of personal information – yikes!!!) and intimidating (resources, bias, data entry/analysis…where do you start???). And what do you do with the information once you have it?

This presentation will walk you through parallel studies conducted in 2008 and 2013 across a system of 19 park units encompassing 27,000+ acres whose annual visitation exceeds 5 million and discuss how to share and use the survey findings to guide thoughtful decisions and long-term plans. Join SORP members Thomas Mercier, Research & Evaluation Coordinator and Kelly Grissman, Director of Planning, Three Rivers Park District to hear about examples that will provide insight on the realistic expectations of the resources required and project outcomes.

A Road Runs Through It

Park planning can be greatly affected by past history. Strong and independent pioneers settled the Ozarks in the mid-1800s. A hardscrabble existence fraught with peril refined the Ozark character. Today, some descendants are thriving and others continue to get by in a beautiful and unforgiving landscape. For all, their ties to the land remain strong and independent, helping further shape today’s Ozark culture. At Current River State Park, local perspectives have been shaped by experiences with the Ozark National Scenic Riverways. Not all of the experiences have been regarded as positive by the populace. The long-festering cultural clash came to a head when local authorities unilaterally pushed a road into the new state park. Join SORP member Bill Bryan, Director of Missouri State Parks, and learn how Missouri reconciled with park neighbors to move forward with the new park even though A Road Runs Through It.

Building Your Plan for Community Engagement and Outreach

The East Bay Regional Park District is comprised of over 113,000 acres in 65 parks and over 1,200 miles of trails within Alameda and Contra Costa County in California. The district, serving the Bay Area for 80 years, is dedicated to improving access to and use of the parks by members of groups that are underrepresented, such as persons with disabilities, the economically disadvantaged and elderly park visitors.

In early 2011, the district opened the Tidewater Boating Center which was funded by State Prop 40 monies to provide outdoor recreational opportunities to under-resourced populations. Through successful partnerships with low-income schools, cities and local non-profit organizations, the district has been able to increase access and awareness of outdoor recreation programs and services in the regional parks. Join SORP member Anne Kassebaum, and her colleagues from the East Bay Regional Park District as you learn how to develop strategies to successfully engage under-resourced populations, develop deep engagement experiences for youth and families in the outdoors and how to utilize community mapping to develop strategic partnerships for engagement and outreach.

Seeking public input through online surveys for resource management planning

Public input is an important factor when preparing a state park Resource Management Plan (RMP), the purpose of which is to document management responsibilities for balancing the use of water and land resources related to recreation. With the growing public demand for outdoor recreation, it is critical to take the public’s interests into consideration. Survey participants were obtained from various sources including Facebook, cabin and campground reservation, golf course membership, and state park friend groups. The SERVQUAL (Service quality survey) was modified to assess park visitors’ desired and perceived service quality for the Oklahoma State Park system. The results provide managers and decision-makers valuable long-term direction and guidelines for effective and efficient management of natural resources. The presentation focuses on the process of obtaining survey participants and developing the survey instrument. You won’t want to miss this session from SORP members Stella Liu and Nicky Wu from Oklahoma State University.

Join the Society of Outdoor Recreation Professionals for their 2014 National Outdoor Recreation Conference May 13-16 in San Francisco, California. Outdoor recreation professionals from local, special district, state, and federal agencies; private sector firms and consultants; university faculty and students; and non-profit organizations gather annually to share success stories, collaborate on challenging situations, and strategize new solutions.

Visit www.recpro.org/2014-conference to learn more, download a preliminary program and register for the 2014 National Outdoor Recreation Conference.

Early bird rates are available through April 18. Register now to save $100 or more on your registration.

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Brenda Adams-Weyant
Association Manager
Society of Outdoor Recreation Professionals
PO Box 221
Marienville, PA 16239
(814) 927-8212(814) 927-8212
(814) 927-6659 FAX
Brenda