2013 National Outdoor Recreation Conference
and
IUFRO Conference on Forests for People

Have you had a chance to check out the conference program? With the addition of the IUFRO Conference on Forests for People, there are over 150 speakers presenting 120 topics in 55 sessions.  The planning team has put together five fascinating field educational sessions. And there are seven preconference tours and training, including Leave No Trace training, SCORP University and a trip to Mackinac Island.  Wow!  

Traverse City is one of America’s outdoor recreation wonderlands.  It’s a small town with all the amenities and culture of a larger city.  Bon Appetit has listed it as one of America’s Top Five Foodie towns.  There are nine microbreweries in Traverse City and 35 wineries in the region.  You don’t want to miss this conference!

I thought I would share some of the more enticing conference programs in this email.  If you want more detail, download the full program.

SCORP University – Pre-conference Training
Training session and discussion for State SCORP planners and others interested about statewide comprehensive outdoor recreation planning, the Land and Water Conservation Fund planning requirement to participate in the federal LWCF state financial assistance/grant program.


Field Educational Sessions

TART Trail Bicycle System
The Traverse Area Recreation and Transportation (TART) Trails is offering a session on regional trail development designed to explore how public-private partnerships can be developed to help initiate, maintain and expand non-motorized infrastructure designed to meet the economic, recreation, transportation, health and social needs of the community. Participants will learn about how unique partnerships have leveraged money and manpower to develop and maintain over 60 miles of trail in the region. The session will feature a leisurely 15-mile bicycle ride on the trails through Traverse City and stop at locations along the way.

Old Mission Peninsula - A national coordinated land use success story!
The Grand Traverse Regional Land Conservancy will be hosting a trip focusing on the multiple benefits (social, economic, cultural etc.) of a coordinated land use protection strategy on the beautiful Old Mission Peninsula in Grand Traverse Bay. This tour will showcase the on the local, regional and indeed national impacts of this effort and touch on areas of the township dedicated to fruit production, environmental protection, passive and active recreation, and the growth of the wine industry and associated tourism.

A River Reborn: Building a Prosperous Community through Dam Removal and Ecological Restoration
Join the Grand Traverse Conservation District for an exploration of the Boardman River Dam Removal Process.  Participants will board a bus at the Park Place Hotel to travel to the Boardman River Nature Center where they will receive a multi-media presentation on the largest dam removal project in Michigan History.  The session will include an examination of the unique, multi-sector collaborative process that was used to build community investment, raise over $4.5 million and manage the first of three dam removal projects to successful completion—on time, and on budget.  The session will conclude with a ~3 mile flat-water paddle from the Nature Center to Traverse City proper, within a short walk of the Park Place hotel.  Canoes, paddles and life preservers will be provided

Michigan Partnerships Gone Wild
Program demonstrations of DNR’s Recreation 101: Great Lakes Fishing in the West Grand Traverse Bay paired with “Catch & Cook” and “Gourmet Gone Wild” sessions including a chef-prepared meal, and finishing with DNR partnerships with the Michigan Grape and Wine Council and Michigan Culinary Alliance.

Pathways to Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore & the new Sleeping Bear Heritage Trail
Superintendent Dusty Shultz and Deputy Tom Ulrich will provide a behind the scenes orientation to the park. We will go into the park to experience the spectacular scenery and learn about the globally significant perched dune landscape, past and present recreational uses, and efforts to balance public access with protecting natural and cultural resources. Participants will have an option to bike the new Heritage Trail with NPS planner Barbara Jameson. We will learn about the history behind the Crystal River acquisition and working with local and national land trust to protect its ecologically important natural lands and resources.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Brenda Adams-Weyant
Association Manager
Society of Outdoor Recreation Professionals
(formerly NARRP)
PO Box 221
Marienville, PA 16239
(814) 927-8212
(814) 927-6659 FAX
Brenda@RecPro.org