Information dissemination
15. The park authority will ensure that all peak NSW orienteering and rogaining associations are made aware of the policy and procedures for orienteering and rogaining.
16. Organisers of orienteering and rogaining events will be responsible for providing all event participants with the bushwalking code of ethics. The park authority will give organisers copies of the code for distribution. This can be done when regional staff consult with event organisers to provide information about the area or park (refer to paragraph 27).
Preliminary consultation
17. It is in the interests of both the park authority and orienteering and rogaining groups to commence discussions and arrangements for events as early as possible. If you are proposing to hold an event in a park, please consult the park authority before lodging a written application for consent. This will reduce the processing time for your application.
18. Preparing for orienteering and rogaining events can take a long time. Preliminary consultations between the park authority and orienteering and rogaining groups can establish the suitability of a broadly defined area to accommodate such events. As planning progresses, further discussions between event organisers and the park authority should identify more specifically where events can take place.
19. Preliminary consultations should establish whether orienteering and rogaining are appropriate in an area under normal conditions. However, preliminary consultation does not guarantee consent for the activity. Orienteering and rogaining events cannot proceed in a park without final written consent from the park authority.
Consent application process
20. Where an orienteering or rogaining event is proposed in an area that contains a site or object of Aboriginal cultural significance, the event organisers must consult the relevant local Aboriginal communities and/or local Aboriginal Land Council about any potential impacts and associated cultural issues. The park authority can help with this process if required. If the park authority has concerns about the potential heritage impact of the proposed activity, it will seek advice from the Heritage Division of the Office of Environment and Heritage.
21. When you apply to hold an orienteering or regaining event in a park, you must include:
- the name and phone numbers of the relevant organisation and the contact person
- the title and status (for instance, local or national) of the event
- the proposed date, time and duration of event
- a map showing the assembly area, the start and finish points, and proposed control sites or courses. (NPWS staff must treat the information on control sites and courses as confidential.)
- estimates of the number of participants, organisers and spectators likely to attend the event
- arrangements for waste management (no-waste events should be encouraged where possible)
- arrangements for car parking.
Some of these details may not be known at the time you apply. In that case, the park authority may approve your application upon the condition that you’ll provide further information before the event. The park authority may also impose additional conditions.
22. Where orienteering and rogaining events are a common occurrence, the relevant local NPWS office should prepare a pro-forma consent document. Such a pro-forma could specify standard conditions for all events and also allow for particulars relating to a specific event.
23. At the discretion of the park authority, you can put in a single consent application to cover several events, as long as:
- all proposed events will be held in the one NPWS area (contact your local NPWS office to find out which parks are in a particular area)
- all proposed events will occur in the same calendar year (if an event is deferred until the next year, you’ll have to apply again for consent for that event)
- you give all the details for all the events in the application.
24. Consent is not transferable between any persons or organisations.
25. Consent may be denied where an identifiable group has breached the conditions of previous approvals, and should be denied to any group that has shown itself to be irresponsible and an unreasonable user of the park. The park authority will also provide details of the group that breached conditions to the relevant peak organising body for the activity.
Promotion and Education
26. Regional staff should view the consultative process between the park authority and local orienteering and rogaining groups as an opportunity to enhance community understanding of the natural and cultural values of the park in which the event is to occur. Where appropriate, event organisers should be given interpretive information about the park and encouraged to promote an understanding of the park's natural and cultural values among the event participants. This should help make participants more aware of the park’s management requirements.
27. Regional staff may also negotiate with stakeholder associations to undertake monitoring of the impacts of an event on the park over a realistic timeframe. These impacts could include trampling damage to vegetation, soil erosion, and the establishment of new but self-sustaining walking routes.