Starts between 11:00 - 1:00 pm
Salt Marsh Nature Center, Marine Park, Brooklyn NY
Marine Park, Brooklyn NY
Saturday, January 31, 2026
WELCOME to the first HVO local event of the year!
SCHEDULE
On-site Registration from 10:30 a.m.
Starts - 11:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
Time limit - 2.5 hours
Control Pick-up - 3:30 p.m.
When leaving, regardless if you completed the course or not, report at the finish!
LOCATION
Outside Salt Marsh Nature Center, Brooklyn, NY:
https://maps.app.goo.gl/zbgiA5suVs3MWxtP8
Use the parking on the opposite side of Avenue U:
https://maps.app.goo.gl/1YacYpM3xS5Wgk9r7
Public transportation: take Q subway to Avenue U station, followed by Bergen Beach bound B3 bus.
REGISTRATION
We encourage everyone to pre-register, especially those using electronic punching, though registration will be available on-site as well.
COST
No fee required.
Donations are greatly appreciated.
COURSE SETTER NOTES
Marine park is Brooklyn’s largest park. Environmentally, it consists of 530 acres of grassland and precious salt marsh, protected as a Forever Wild Preserve.
Topographically, it is a flat landfill (1930s-1960s) with numerous pseudokarst depressions.
There are plenty of trails.
The area is covered - in more-less equals proportions - by impossible-to-travers overgrown patches, tall (up to 10 feet) thick salt marsh reed, aspen groves of different thickness, and semi-open or open spots.
The park was mapped in early 2023, minor updates were made in 2024 and 2026.
The map was drawn using ISSprOM 2019 orienteering map symbols.
COURSES, MAPS and PUNCHING
WHITE (beginners)
8 controls, length - 1.6 km, flat (elevation gain - less than 10 m)
Scale - 1:4,000. Contours - 2 meters. Paper size - 8.5"x11".
Punching - mechanical punch on card.
ORANGE (intermediate)
11 controls, length - 3.7 km, flat (elevation gain - less than 15 m)
Scale - 1:5,000. Contours - 2 meters. Paper size - 11x17".
Punching - SportIdent electronic punch. Bring your SI card. You may also rent an SI card at the registration, but their number is very limited.
GREEN/RED (expert)
26 controls, length - 7.2 km, flat (elevation gain - less than 35 m)
Scale - 1:6,000. Contours - 2 meters. Paper size - 11x17".
Punching - SportIdent electronic punch. Bring your SI card. You may also rent an SI card at the registration, but their number is very limited.
All courses are preprinted.
Clue sheets are printed on the map and - if requested - may be given separately.
Event director: Ching-Hua Chen
Course setter: Stefan Slutsky