Skip to Content.
Sympa Menu

msar-riders - Re: [MSAR] Training Conference idea?--facility

msar-riders@lists.ibiblio.org

Subject: Mounted search and rescue

List archive

Chronological Thread  
  • From: "IRVIN LICHTENSTEIN" <ilichten1@verizon.net>
  • To: <Jorene@CEOates.com>, "'Mounted search and rescue'" <msar-riders@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [MSAR] Training Conference idea?--facility
  • Date: Sun, 24 May 2009 23:05:52 -0400

The question is what facilities do you need and then what will they cost.  By law, at least in Pennsylvania, many public facilities are free, but unfortunately others have permit processing fees for large groups that cannot be waived. [The federal parks charge over $100 for paperwork, plus bill for services, the city now charges for police, cleanup, and requires a bond, state parks are free].  Others are forced to charge for cleanup or overtime because their budget can’t take the costs and the volunteer nature of the event doesn’t matter to the union members doing the work.  Similarly, we have had show barns donate the use of rings for fundraisers on off days but the quid pro quo was to let them have the food concession and only limited use of outdoor facilities for one day.  And we had to insure them. In the East the really large areas are public lands with typical parks ranging from 1200 acres to 9200 acres.  In some areas we have state parks next to federal sites for even larger sites but these often lack the fixed facilities because day trippers or tent camping is the user. 

 

Many non-profit facilities will cut their charges but not waive them.  The people at the Extension need funding for the 4-H as much as we do for MSAR.  I can grab 30-40 beds at a hostel, across the road from a former police barn which may have 20 empty stalls, less than 10 minutes from an interstate, but if I need classrooms or an auditorium I have to go 2 miles away to a city facility that is not climate controlled or equipped.  The use of a city ag school is being looked at because we might get a waiver for camping in the pastures across the street, there are hotels nearby, the school is fully equipped, and abuts an access point to the Wissahickon Valley portion of Fairmount Park. A large (450 acres) farm bordering the city is changing hands on the first of the month whether the new owners are friendly is not yet known.

The conservancies that control some large properties don’t even let the general public in to see them. 

 

Again, what do you want to teach or discuss?  This sets the needs for the facilities and the underlying costs. It is not that there are no facilities but do we want to rent the Devon show grounds, or June Fete Farm or Fair Hill or something else, for the weekend? We are competing for space and while it may be a buyers

market in some areas it is not in all.

 

Irv Lichtenstein    


From: msar-riders-bounces@lists.ibiblio.org [mailto:msar-riders-bounces@lists.ibiblio.org] On Behalf Of Jorene Downs
Sent: Sunday, May 24, 2009 9:39 PM
To: 'Mounted search and rescue'
Subject: Re: [MSAR] Training Conference idea?--facility

 

If you think outside the box for an MSAR-specific weekend training/conference and plan on horse camping, in many parts of the country there are huge farms and ranches, hunting preserves, etc., with owners agreeable to allowing use of their land within certain parameters. “No existing facilities” is simply a challenge to overcome with good logistics planning.

 

If there is any charge for use, sometimes the owner is willing to waive actual payment as a tax donation write-off. (Assuming a tax deductible status.)

 

- - - - - -

Jorene Downs

SAR & CERT

Mounted SAR

www.ceoates.com/msar

 

 

 

From: IRVIN LICHTENSTEIN

 

The facility to be used depends on the purpose of the conference.  […] And if you are going to teach or exercise MSAR tactics you need all the land and the horse support facilities. You also need to support the conference itself—meals, sanitary facilities, first aid crew, administration and logistics.  

 

[…] The major problem is finding a facility that combines all these features or can be adapted for use.  State/ County parks often have the land, camping sites, and may even have a nature center auditorium.  Unfortunately they may not have horse or dog accommodations and do not allow for exclusive use of an area.  Similarly, horseback riding vacation facilities may have the stalls but the cost may be too high for volunteers.  […] Could this activity be staged entirely indoors or in limited outdoor competition areas?  This would open the possibilities up to include show grounds and even the Pennsylvania Farm Show Complex.  Depending on the levels of support needed even a 4-H center would do, if you want to pay $600 per ring per day, plus crew.  And you still need overnight facilities in most locations.  […]

 




Archive powered by MHonArc 2.6.24.

Top of Page