Backcountry Upkeep
ABR Incident Report
The Algonquin Backcountry Recreationalists encourage campers to formally report backcountry upkeep needs, incidents and commentary to park management.
In support of Algonquin Park's new "Forestry-Recreational Visitor Comment Management System", in July of 2008, we produced the Algonquin Backcountry Recreationalists Incident Report.
You can download the report form here in PDF format, print-up a number of copies and carry them with you on your backcountry trip.
The form provides locations to record a variety of information .. an incident location map sketch, an incident diagram, GPS co-ordinates, detailed commentary and photo availability information.
These Incident Report forms can be used to record backcountry field notes. They can then be finalized at home, combined with photos (hardcopy prints or online image files) and forwarded to the park office. Alternatively, they can simply be dropped-off at an access point or park administration office when leaving the park.
The ABR hopes that copies will also be forwarded to us, so we can monitor the scope of feedback.
July 30, 2008
Effort To Improve Upkeep Feedback
At our February 29th (2008) meeting with Algonquin Park management in Barrie, and from follow-up phone conversations, it appeared that the ABR's promotion of combining a campsite numbering system with a maintenance-need feedback process would be supported by the park's own "campsite maintenance database", which was close to being completed by year's end.
Over the past couple of years, the park has established a database combining their old system of "long-worded position descriptions by lake" (example: "second site south of Chipmunk Creek") with precise GPS co-ordinates for almost all of the campsites.
We were informed that the park was also preparing a five character designation for each campsite (example: "DIC-11 for Dickson Lake campsite number eleven"). These identifiers were intended to appear on special copies of park "values maps". We were told that these maps would be kept at each access point office, so that campers could identify where they had camped when they report a maintenance need or a complaint upon leaving the park.
The ABR recommended that to best utilize the involvement of campers in reporting maintenance requirements (example: a tree fallen across a campsite or a damaged latrine) it would be preferable to also have an on-site indication of its actual "maintenance ID number". This would eliminate any confusion at to exact location and would allow a camper to feedback an accurate report should they leave the park after-hours or away from an access office. The park had indicated they hoped to have their maintenance ID numbering system completed by the end of 2008.
August 7, 2008
Update: In the fall of 2008, park management informed us that they do not intend to mark individual campsite signs with their "maintenance ID numbers", nor do they intend to make their campsite "maintenance ID numbers" available to the camping public. The ABR is disappointed that the park has decided to not share their maintenance ID numbering system. We believe that the accurate identification of individual campsites is necessary, in order for a maintenance-feedback program to be fully effective. The ABR recommends that campers continue to use detailed descriptions, photographs and GPS co-ordinates to identify locations within the park.