What is the value of outdoor recreation?

1. What is the value ofoutdoor recreation? Different people value different aspects of outdoor recreation. Some people thoroughly enjoy the social aspects of activities such as bushwalking with friends, while others find the challenge of navigating through trackless terrain intellectually rewarding.

2. Reasons for participation in outdoor recreation • People participate in a range of leisure, sport and recreation activities in the outdoors for a number of reasons. - stress management/relaxation • In today’s lifestyle, people generally work longer hours and have less time for recreational pursuits, which can lead to increased levels of stress. • Experiencing nature is known to be a positive way to reduce stress and its effect. Muscle tension, blood pressure and electrical brain activity can all be reduced within minutes of exposure to an outdoor environment. • Visiting natural environments such as a national park or wildlife sanctuary can also contribute to a person’s physiological change towards relaxation and a faster recovery of mental fatigue.

3. - Enjoyment, challenge and excitement • Outdoor recreation can be taken just for fun. Whether it is a challenging activity like abseiling down a fifty-metre drop or sitting and relaxing by yourself, there is a range of opportunities available for everyone to enjoy the outdoors. Some people love the idea of just getting away for a few days from everyday routine and enjoying the simple life where there are no cars, responsibilities or television! Other people enjoy the experience of challenging themselves, such as paddling down white water rapids, bungee jumping or hang gliding. But whatever the choice may be, outdoor recreation should be seen as an opportunity to enjoy an experience that may be unable to be attained from usual everyday life.

4. - Enjoyment, challenge and excitement • A challenge is often perceived as a task or situation that exceeds an individual’s comfort zone or capacities—thus the challenge requires them to find that ‘something extra’. A challenge should ideally trigger emotions such as excitement, confidence, fear and doubt. The participant may experience success, failure, adventure, risk taking and uncertainty, especially when the outcomes of the experience cannot be totally predicted.

5. - Social interaction • Many outdoor pursuits require teamwork, cooperation and social interaction in order to achieve planned outcomes. Rock climbing and canoeing are great examples of these. With rock climbing, two people are needed to climb a rock face safely. One person climbs first, while the second person belays the climber to ensure their safety. Roles are reversed when the climber reaches the top of the pitch. To do this safely, the two people must communicate constantly throughout the climb. • In a two-person canoe, the person at the front provides the forward momentum, while the person at the back steers. Again, the two people must communicate and interact to successfully get the canoe to go where they want it to, as without interacting they will not succeed.

6. Appreciating the environment • Another reason people choose to participate in outdoor recreation is that it provides the opportunity to explore and appreciate Australia’s diverse natural environment. With this environment ranging from snow-covered mountains to tropical rainforests and from hot sandy deserts to beautiful coral reefs, the Australian outdoors has something to offer everyone. Having a greater appreciation for this environment, leads to a greater understanding of the environment and, in turn, to a realisation that we need to protect it.

7. Health and fi tness • The majority of outdoor pursuits require some degree of fitness not only to participate in them, but also to enjoy them. This requirement means people can either do the activity to improve fitness, or specifically train for the activity so they can compete at a higher level. Mountain biking is a great example of this. Some people simply ride once or twice a week for exercise and enjoyment, whereas others might train on a road bike 4 days a week and combine this with several weights sessions, in order to enter into competion. Either way, the outdoor activity is providing the motivation to exercise and, therefore, improve fitness and health.

8. Questions-Reasons for participation in outdoor recreation All questions must be written in folder with both the questions and answers 1) Create a mind map and write as many outdoor recreation activities as you can. A example has been done for you. OUTDOOR REACREATION ACTIVITY fishing Rock climbing

9. Questions-Reasons for participation in outdoor recreation 2)identify two outdoor activities for each of the following reasons for participation in outdoor recreation and justify why you have chosen them: •stress management relaxation • enjoyment, challenge and excitement • social interaction • appreciation of the environment • health and fitness 3) Using an outdoor activity of your choice, discuss the physical, social, intellectual and emotional outcomes that may result from participating in an outdoor recreation experience. - write a response for a 5mark question.

10. Questions-Reasons for participation in outdoor recreation 4) Discuss the reasons that extreme adventurers, like high-altitude mountaineers or big wave surfers, might participate in these activities despite the inherent dangers. 5) assess the health and fitness benefits of participating in regular outdoor recreational experiences. 3mark Question 6) Explain the reasons why some people like to participate in outdoor activities by themselves. Consider any spiritual outcomes in your answer.

11. Questions-Reasons for participation in outdoor recreation 7)Using the information in the text book ,powerpoint notes and your own ideas, think of reasons for participating in outdoor recreation. Prioritise your reasons in the ranking chart below and provide an explanation for each of your choices. Priority chart

12. What are the technical skillsand understanding neededfor safe participationin outdoor recreation? • In order to participate safely in various outdoor pursuits, people need to recognise that they require a number of skills. These include specific technical skills like map reading, canoeing or abseiling skills, as well as a variety of environmental and emergency management planning skills. The right combination of these skills cannot guarantee safety, but will certainly go a long way to minimising the risk inherent in outdoor activities. This lends support to the saying ‘proper prior planning prevents poor performance’, and it is worthwhile exploring the planning skills involved in outdoor recreation in more detail.

13. Planning skills • Ensuring maximum fun and safety in outdoor recreation requires some degree of planning. Whether this is quickly checking your tyre pressure and brakes before a 30-minute bike ride or the years of planning needed to climb Mount Everest, the degree of planning is likely to play an important role in the success of the activity.

14. - Environmental planning- eg weather venue The environment plays an important part in outdoor recreation and knowing how to plan a recreational activity considering all environmental factors is an important skill in the outdoors. Without this, the enjoyment and safety of the activity can be compromised. Important environmental factors to consider prior to partaking in outdoor recreation include: Weather—checking up-to-date weather forecasts prior to, and, if necessary, during, an activity is an important consideration. During overnight camps, think about getting weather forecasts twice a day, in the morning and evening. This way you have more notice if bad weather is on the way and can make appropriate arrangements. In countries like Australia, it’s not only the cold and wet weather forecasts that you need to consider, but hot and dry forecasts should also be treated with caution.

15. - Environmental planning- eg weather venue Venue—matching the skill level of the group with the venue, by planning exactly where to go walking, camping, riding or climbing is also an important consideration. By selecting an appropriate venue, a group leader can help ensure that some group members are not out of their depth while others are still challenged.

16. CASESTUDY Caving tragedy Expeditions in the outdoors are often delayed by poor weather. In some situations, groups are advised to stay where they are, rather than attempt to keep going in very poor conditions. Of course, it is important to be dry, have shelter and sufficient provisions. The following tragic story illustrates how poor weather conditions, combined with poor decision making, can be fatal. A party of students and teachers became stranded in a cave after heavy rain raised water levels in the cave. The group was delayed and began to worry about their families and the authorities, who would be anxious and waiting for their arrival. Two people decided to get out of the cave to communicate the situation while the others remained in a high part of the cave. Tragically, the two who left the main party drowned as they tried to get out. The rest of the party survived and were rescued. Planning skills 1. What are the risks associated with caving described in the case study above? 2. What information could have been left with family and authorities before the group set out? 3. How could the tragedy have been prevented?

17. – emergency management planning/risk assessment, eg escape routes, first aid preparation, communication modes with external authorities, reconnoitre of routes • Spending time planning what to do if things go wrong is an important investment that should be made prior to any outdoor adventure and something that all group leaders must do. This type of planning should include: • Identifying any possible escape routes, should the activity need to be cut • short for any reason, or if a group member becomes ill and needs to be • evacuated. • Identifying which phone numbers should be carried on the trip such as: • local police, hospital, national park offices, home contact numbers for all • group members, equipment rental company and transport company. In • addition, at what times will you contact outside people? • Reconnoitering (scouting) of the route by at least one group member prior to the trip.

18. Risk assessment • Developing a risk management plan is also an important step in any emergency management planning. A risk management plan helps to identify any potential risks as well as actions or precautions to minimise the risks. A partly completed risk management plan for an overnight bushwalk can be seen below.

19. -Food and water considerations Meal planning is one of the most important tasks to be addressed in the camping process. -Food items should be nutritious, provide energy and be easy to cook. -Types of food that could be taken may include processed, dry, fresh, vegetarian and meat products. -Transportability and storage ability are also important factors to consider, as many food products are lightweight, simple to reuse and reseal, and can be carried easily by all members. -Meals should be easy to prepare, as the group may not be at an actual organised campsite. -Disposable items can also be handy when hiking in the wilderness. Trangias and other types of cooking stoves can be useful in providing hot food, however, such equipment add to the amount of items to be carried and will take time to cool down after use. -Most importantly, the amount of water to be taken is a key factor in any form of outdoor recreation activity. Lack of water supply can lead to a range of problems including dehydration, dizziness and fatigue. The amount of water required should always be over estimated.

20. – resources for safe participation eg tent, protective clothing Campers should take the time to obtain appropriate outdoor gear. The type of outdoor gear and apparel taken can be the difference between success and failure. It is important for all members of the group to contribute to the planning process of an overnight camp. This ensures that everyone has their say and is aware of exactly what is required for the trip to be a success. Water is an essential resource that people using the outdoors should never go without. Carrying plenty of water or planning to set up near a flowing stream can be an effective means of ensuring access to water. Determining the type of tent to take for the trip is also an important. Factors that should be considered include size, strength and suitability for expected weather conditions.

21. – resources for safe participation eg tent, protective clothing Protective clothing and equipment is essential when camping to prevent or reduce the chances of being bitten by animals, sunburn, exposure to cold, or scratches and cuts from the elements within the natural environment. Effective use of resources should be employed where groups share items such as toilet paper and also the burden of carrying essentials such as water, cooking equipment and tents. When cooking, resources from the natural environment may be useful, such as sticks for carrying a hot billy can.

22. – legal and administrative requirements, eg permission, liaison with authorities, trip intention forms Many outdoor activities require access to national parks, waterways, state forests and reserves or private land. If a trip you are planning travels through these areas you may need to consider obtaining permission to access them, and to book campsites. Many organisations and private owners also require that you fill in trip-intention forms. These forms cover information such as the date, start time, number of people in the group, contact details, activities to be undertaken and an expected time of return. The forms are designed to notify the authorities that your group is in the area and lets them know what your intentions are if something goes wrong. Most trip-intention forms require you to sign out afterwards. If this is the case, you must do this, otherwise authorities may think you have not returned and start searching for you.