Portland Parks & Recreation: Summer Nature Camp Staff Park Maps
In the summer of 2021, we were hired by Portland Parks & Recreation’s Environmental Education Department to design a series of staff maps for four of their summer nature camp locations. These maps were designed as an important resource as the summer camp program returned after a year of absence during the first phase of the COVID19 pandemic.
Summer 2021 marked the first time since the beginning of the pandemic that any summer camp was held, and the majority of the staff were new hires and were unfamiliar with the site locations. Because of the changing nature of the pandemic and evolving policies by the state, summer camp programs had less time than is typical to prepare. These staff maps were created as a support tool to familiarize new counselors with the parks, provide assistance with navigating the parks during camp, and get new staffers quickly up to speed.
In each map, we included important public information such as:
The park’s trail system, parking, and public restrooms
Sites and areas that were specially designated for use by the camp counselors and day camp attendees.
Temporary restrooms set up for the camps, gathering areas
Sites that were given unique summer camp names such as “Fairy Forest” or “Rolling Hill.”
We also worked with staff to support safety protocols by marking locations at the parks where poison oak is common.
The Staff Maps focused on four different locations around the city of Portland: Hoyt Arboretum, Powell Butte Nature Park, Mt Tabor Park, and Oaks Bottom Wetland.
We created them in colors that complemented Portland Parks & Recreations signature dark green brand colors, so that they could be used in handbooks this year and years to come. They were also designed to be laminated for use during camp sessions. Lamination made it possible for staffers to make notes, draw routes, or mark activities for each day and/or week.