This kind of event requires a permit within the park. We would be interested in talking with you about what you are planning on doing on December 15 since setting up water stops, etc is part of your plan in staging an event in the national park.

You can download a copy of our permit application from the website, www.nps.gov/vafo.

You can also speak with our permit staffer, Lisa Waterman, at 610-783-1087.

Will pass along notice of the planned event to the Chief Ranger.

Sincerely,

Barbara L. Pollarine
Deputy Superintendent

Thanks for being so pro-active to find this announcement of the event, and to ensure we’re in the process of getting a permit.

As the latest of many DVOA and Valley Forge Park orienteering events over the past 3 decades, we are aware of the permit process, and Mary Frank of DVOA has already been in contact with Lisa.

I apologize that this process is running so late - I understand that Mary Frank began contacting some park officials as early as a month ago, which was already later than we usually begin the process due to some confusion on our part. Then, I understand that Mary had contact information for a previous permit staffer and it took a while to get us redirected. The good news is that at this point I understand Mary spoke with Lisa Waterman yesterday, and that Lisa was planning to talk one of the park Superintendents, perhaps yourself, yesterday.

Some details you may need: (Mary has probably already given this to Lisa.)
This event will probably be quite small by ‘event’ standards - we currently expect about 30 to 40 people at the start, who will spread out rapidly as they go to find control points in and beyond the park.
We hope to start and finish from the Washington’s HQ parking area, which seems to still have plenty of parking for the small number of people we have, and the typical number of other park users in that lot. The two other ‘aid stations’ are actually outside the park, in nearby neighborhoods.
We do plan to hang controls (flags, tied to tree branches) on the day of the event, in the park, as we do with most orienteering events.

Again I apologize that we are running behind in the permit process, and I appreciate your proactive search to find this event announcement and help ensure we’re contacting the right people!

- Wyatt Riley, Course Setter & Co-Event-Director