Here are a few off-the-hip ideas for "reaching the public." As I thought about about this topic, I thought I should remind myself that honey catches more flies than vinegar, that I should assume everyone who visits the Park wants to do the right thing and needs only educating and reminding.

This past summer I gave a voluntary one hour talk and demonstration to elementary and junior high kids to try to teach them some basic canoe camping skills. I presented them with my two young nieces, whom I named something like Loretta Light Pack and Kathy Kitchen Sink. As I presented each piece of equipment and talked about its use and passed it around, I gave a cumbersome, heavy version to Loretta and a compact leightweight version to Kathy. Loretta's pile grew bigger and bigger. I actually used a kitchen sink for comic relief and contrasted it with a small fold up camp kitchen. And, of course, Loretta had a big cooler and Kathy had a small soft one that could be collapsed after it was empty and could fit inside a pack hung from a tree (I have a great, very small, two-to-one mechanical advantage rope and pulley system). In the food department I contrasted tomato paste in a tube with the can and bottle versions. At the end, we packed all of Kathy's gear into a backpack that she shouldered. I even set up a lightweight tent and had a tandem kevlar canoe for them to carry either one person at a time or in two's and the various ways to lift and carry. That was a huge hit.

A video could be made showing the same process, to be played at numerous locations, including the Visitor's Centre and access offices, where it could be in a DVD player that visitors could play for themselves and be recommended to everyone getting an interior permit.

The poster idea is a good one. Posters could have a bright diagonal line separating two images, one showing, for instance, a tree with a nail in it and a tree wrapped with a bungee.

Educating children is critical. Create a board game in which good behaviour is rewarded and unwanted behaviour penalized.

Signs at the busiest portages explaining good etiquette would be great.

Everyone likes to be rewarded for good behaviour. How about a photo contest with many levels getting prizes (e.g., a t-shirt) for documenting good and bad camping (no faces, please).

Those suggestions are not anonymous. They come from me, John Scarlett.

Hi John and all

I'm messing around with "cartooning" over the next couple of weeks. In order to keep the imagery "simple", I'm wondering if a "white background" would be best, eliminating any "background" .. or if it'd be better to draw in a simple "Algonquin background"?

A few days ago, I started my efforts by drawing the outlines of firepit rocks .. then scanning it into my graphics program, and then "flood-filling" in graduated rock colouring, and then "mousing-drawing" the wood and grills (it was tedious). Here's the result for an example of "Reducing Our Impact" firewood-wise ...



From a time-taken standpoint, I'm thinking I should just take some up-front time to hone some "all-paper" pen and colouring skills. I'm thinking the results would be more "real" or "spontaneous" looking.

While I'm asking your opinions, do you think just plain images of the "items" involved would be adequate .. or, should there be "characters" involved to give the posters a kind of "cartoon" or "graphic-novel page" appearance with "dialog balloons" .. with the "character(s)" delivering the actual "message".

I'thinking that a substantial part of the need for education is of the "younger" element .. and that the "graphic-novel" or "comic-book" type of posters might elicit a better response from the younger and beginner campers.

Any thoughts?



Barry Bridgeford
Executive Committee
Algonquin Backcountry Recreationalists
http://www.ABRweb.ca

I have found with younger ones it's always better to add a simple message in basic script ie: comic or balloon script.
For example you could say (left)- Why use this much (right)- when this will do

Here's a comparison of 'hand-coloured' vs. 'computer generated colouring-in'.

I'm now leaning toward 'ink-drawn' outlines and 'computer generated colouring-in'.

It makes for a stronger visual effect.



I'd appreciate it if you (the members) could please post or email me bridgeford@abrweb.ca any 'typical camper' photos you may have accumulated over the years. I'm woefully short of such 'model shots'. I definitely need some examples to work from to create a range of 'Algonquin cartoon characters' to incorporate in the ABR educational materials.

This was made in a program that came with my Mac, it's called "comic life". Very simple to use (took 5 min to make this) converts photos to comics,then place your bubbles and add text.

I like the cartooning idea, to involve kids. As a dad, I know, if you want to sway grown-ups behaviour, get their kids onside, and they will guilt/embarrass, and otherwise harass their parents into comformity...(LOL) look at recycling and waste reduction through the schools,and what messages are the kids taking home to mom and dad all the time.

How about letting the kids colour the cartoons, or some of them on their own. I know they wont necessarily have crayons with them in the park, but some will if car camping and just going out for a day paddle etc, and if not, it is a good take home reinforcement tool, to be coloured at home. something like 2 pictures, and colour in the one with the proper action/message. Or a spot the difference motif. good vs bad

1 tool as a posibility of many.

Greg

Here's an update to my "skill-development" efforts. Just a header and two frames.

If you're using Firefox, you can "right-mouse-click" over the image and select "View Image".

That'll shrink it down so you can view it all at once without having to scroll.

Feel free to comment.

Wow it all looks GREAT!!

When we have some literature or information available I would be more than happy to distribute anything to the schools in the Kingston and surrounding areas..

That is once a program is set-up and we have the same methods of approaching the kids, then it'll be easier to educate.