Welcome to Park Quest 2009 -- Adventures From Mountain to Sea

Who may participate
Teams must register on-line. A team is a family unit consisting of at least one adult and one minor 16 years old or younger. We encourage the entire family to participate in all Park Quest activities. Registration is limited to 300 Teams. Team members may not be employees or dependents of employees of the Maryland Department of Natural Resources or Park Quest corporate sponsors in order to be eligible for prizes. The facilities and services of the Department of Natural Resources are available without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, or physical or mental disability. It is the participant’s responsibility to have the necessary skills, and equipment for a safe and environmentally sensitive visit.

Registration
Complete all registration materials on-line at the DNR website www.dnr.maryland.gov After submitting the registration, teams will be issued a Park Quest Passport.

Park Quest Passport
The Passport is presented upon arrival at any staffed Park Quest sites to gain access to materials needed to complete the Quest. At self-directed sites place the Park Quest Passport on your dashboard in plain view (remember to take a pen and paper with you at self-directed sites so that you can record clue information to be written in your passport). The Park Quest Passport provides the team with free access to day-use facilities on the day of the team’s Quest. For additional services, such as camping, teams will be subject to applicable service charges. You must maintain and present the original passport issued upon registration with all applicable endorsements to be eligible to register for the Finale events.

Quests
There are 14 Quests for 2009. All Quests must be completed between the dates of May 9, 2009 and July 26, 2009. There are Quests located at the following parks: Assateague State Park, Pocomoke River State Park, Janes Island State Park, and Tuckahoe State Park on the Eastern Shore of Maryland; In Southern Maryland, Greenwell State Park and Calvert Cliffs State Park will host Quests; In central and northern Maryland, there will be Quests at Elk Neck State Park, Patapsco Valley State Park, and Seneca Creek State Park; Western Maryland will be represented by Gambrill State Park, Washington Monument State Park, Western Maryland Rail Trail, Deep Creek Lake State Park and Swallow Falls State Park. Quest instructions can be downloaded from the DNR website. Teams must complete their Quest by following the Quest instructions and answering all the questions on the Quest form. Completed Quests are verified by Park Service staff and the team’s passport is endorsed. Participants will then log their successful completion of a Quest on the DNR website located at www.dnr.maryland.gov/parkquest. The local Park Service employee will log the team’s name and number, acknowledging completion of the Quest on the Park Quest log.

Park Quest Finale
Teams that successfully complete at least 8 of 14 Quests are eligible to compete in the Park Quest Finale on August 8, 2009 at Tuckahoe State Park. Teams must present their original Park Quest Passport and have all endorsements and applicable activities to verify completion of 8 Quests in order to register for the Finale events. Finalists will be notified by email of their eligibility based on the logged number of completed Quests on the DNR website. However, the completed Passport presented at the Finale registration is the final factor determining eligibility to compete in the Finale activities.

Finale events are competitive with the cumulative winners being awarded prizes. Finale events will vary from physical to memory-oriented competitions. At least one adult and one minor in each event will qualify as a team. All events must be completed in order to be eligible for prizes. In addition to competitions, door prizes will be awarded during the Finale event. Teams must be registered for the Finale and be present as a team on site to be eligible for the door prizes.

Accessibility
Park Quests are physically challenging. Persons with disabilities can be accommodated with advance notice. Contact the facility directly at least one week prior to the day you want to complete your Quest and request assistance. Park Service personnel will make appropriate accommodations as available.

Photos and Diary Entries
Park Quest teams are requested to document their Quest experiences on the DNR website. All photos and entries become the property of the Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and may be used to promote or document the activities of the Maryland DNR and/or the Maryland Park Service.

Additionally, the Maryland DNR, in partnership with Maryland Public Television (MPT), will be offering teams the opportunity to record video of their Quests. All videos will be submitted to MPT and become the property of MPT.