The Great Swamp Watershed Association will join with a New York-based orienteering group to co-sponsor an orienteering meet this Sunday (May 6) in the Loantaka Brook Reservation in Harding Township. The meet is open to the public, with a $7 admission charge per individual or group.

Several courses of varying degrees of difficulty will be available to test the skills of all comers, from novice to expert. The courses will begin and end in the Kitchell Road parking lot. Participants may begin at any time between 11 am and 1 pm. Instruction sessions will be available for beginners.

Long a popular sport in Europe, orienteering is a game in which an individual or a group (usually no more than five) uses a map and compass to search for markers placed throughout a natural area.

There are several levels of difficulty. Easy courses are short (under a half-mile) and the markers (called "controls") are few and in plain sight. The more difficult the course, the longer it is and the more controls there are – and the harder they are to find. Participants can follow a course for recreation and the enjoyment of nature, or they can compete against others, for the best time. Plan on spending from 30 minutes to three hours.

The Watershed Association is collaborating with the Hudson Valley Orienteers, a Pleasantville, NY-based voluntary organization that stages meets regularly in the New York-New Jersey area. The Loantaka Brook venue offers some of the least-difficult courses, and is ideal for novices.

Additional information: Course maps are supplied to all registrants. Participants should bring compasses if they can; some are available for loan. Clothes that will protect against thorns and briars should be worn, as well as shoes or boots that will tolerate the swamp in springtime. Protection against ticks is also advised. Advance registration is not necessary. Starting times are staggered. The meet will be held rain or shine.

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