Why Nature’s the Best Place To Connect With Others – an Interview With Mappa Outdoor

Driven by a love of nature and the constant curiosity to understand it, Ava Graham and Michael McAtomney founded Mappa Outdoor, which runs community events to educate and connect people to the great outdoors.

Mappa Outdoor is one of the three recipients of 2024’s Explore Fund grant from The North Face. The fund aims to create access and drive equity in the outdoors. To learn more, I chatted with the community organisation’s founders, Ava Graham and Michael Mcatomney – partners in life and business.

One year on, it’s clear that Mappa is doing more than just connecting people to nature – it’s connecting people to each other.

Brooke Nolan: What’s Mappa Outdoor?

Ava and Michael: We host a whole range of outdoor events in partnership with what we call our field experts. We partner with someone who has specific knowledge in a particular area – say, birds, plants, or marine life, and we work together to craft an experience that our community will love and learn from.

We’re based in Melbourne, so a lot of our events happen around there, but we’re just about to have our first interstate event in Queensland next month, which will focus on birding.

So what’s your favourite event?

Michael: I’d say birding. Birds are often overlooked because they’re so common in Australia, but once you start observing them, it’s fascinating to see the variety and habits they exhibit across different areas.

Ava: Birding is one of my favourite activities too – we both have an affinity with birds. I also enjoy rock pool rambles and exploring intertidal zones. These areas are incredibly biodiverse and resilient ecosystems, making them fascinating to explore.

Why did you launch Mappa Outdoor?

Michael: After working in marketing and communications for a long time, we’d grown tired of desk jobs. We’ve always been outdoorsy and love hiking, running, and exploring with our dog, so we wanted to create a business that reflects our passion for nature.

Ava: It was curiosity that really drove us to start Mappa Outdoor. I’m originally from the States, and when I moved to Melbourne five years ago, one of the first things I noticed was the birdlife. It was so vibrant and something I just hadn’t experienced back in New York.

I was always asking, ‘What bird is that?’. There are obvious ones like magpies and cockatoos, but then you start discovering fairy-wrens and all the others. I just really wanted to know more. While there are great apps like iNaturalist, I wanted to be out there with an expert, someone who knows what they’re talking about.

What’s been an unexpected side-effect of starting Mappa Outdoor?

Ava and Michael: Moving here, we didn’t have a big network, and it’s hard to make friends and meet people as adults. It really is. We wanted to create a genuine and authentic forum for like-minded individuals to enjoy the things they love.

The success of that element became really clear recently when we were doing a video shoot with The North Face for Earth Day. We needed people to get involved, so we called out to the OG community members.

People just started showing up to support. A year ago, these connections didn’t exist, and now people have new friends, have explored new areas, and have learned new things.

Who’s Mappa Outdoor for?

Ava and Michael: We always wanted it to be very inclusive and not intimidating, which means we’re for both the outdoor curious and the outdoor enthusiast.

We’ve had people do their first-ever hike with us. Equally, we get people with whom you can swap trail stories for hours about multi-day hikes. There are also people driven by a desire to learn more about nature and biodiversity but who don’t know how to access those areas.

And what’s been the biggest highlight so far?

Michael: There’s always nerves going into a new experience, especially the first time we run it. When the tickets sell out, people come, they enjoy themselves, and the guide thinks it went well – that’s a definite highlight.

Ava: It just confirms our suspicion when we started that we weren’t the only ones with an appetite for something like this. And of course, receiving The North Face Explore Fund grant has been a huge highlight!

What about the biggest challenge?

Ava and Michael: The paperwork! There’s so much potential for growth and impact, but it can be challenging to build those connections while handling all the administrative tasks and working full-time.

There are lots of logistics such as dealing with permits, and other nitty-gritty details that you just wouldn’t necessarily think about.

What’s next for Mappa Outdoor and how will The North Face Explore Fund grant help you get there?

Michael: Being just the two of us and funding it ourselves, resourcing has been a challenge. The North Face Explore Fund helps significantly with that. But it’s also about credibility. Since receiving the grant other brands have reached out to get involved too.

Ava: We’re also crafting some exciting new experiences, such as a rock climbing workshop where we’ll have an expert geologist who will speak to the various rock formations from both a geographic and a cultural perspective.

The living world is a ceaselessly fascinating place and there are so many corners that we would like to uncover and explore.

What’s the ultimate aim for Mappa Outdoor and how can our readers support you?

Ava and Michael: Issues like climate change and the loss of biodiversity are significant. As a small business, we can’t make monumental changes, but we think that educating people can make a difference.

When people understand a place better, they tend to care more about it. Hopefully, this is then translated into personal habits and how people go about their daily lives.

As for how people can support us, please just spread the word! And of course, come and join us at an event. If there’s something particular someone would like to learn we’re always open to ideas too.

Check out Mappa Outdoor or head to our Explore Fund page to learn about the other recipients of The North Face Explore Fund grant.

Photos by @carmenzammit for The North Face