CollinsStevenA

Managed lands (insofar as Fish and Game) shouldn't have trails to stay on. You have to be able to roam. After all you are supposed to find your deer. Especially if you didn't get a clean kill and it ran on you. Which as it happens is a form of caching. So if I am tracking a wounded deer and using a gps to create a bread crumb tail...am I geocaching? If I use a GPS to locate my tree stand for bow hunting, am I geocaching? If I get lost and try and find my way back to my truck, am I geocaching?

When geocaching is outlawed only outlaws will geocache. They will pry my GPS from my dead cold fingers.

Sorry, I can not post a link to the official notice because they have not posted it to the ND State web site yet. I had to request the notice using the public records law. Once they post the notice I will put a link here. I do have a word document with the notice.

For me the issue is not the volume of land being restricted or the number of caches now off limits. The broader issue is the perspective that the geocache community is some how more disruptive to wildlife or that we have a negative impact on the wildlife management areas. I believe as a whole, the geocache community has the least impact and is the most environmentally conscious group using public lands. The fact that laws are in place to restrict this group is myopic and serves only a diminishing number of hunters.

There were not public discussions or notices prior to the ban. It was buried in a legislative funding bill. The issue arose from a complaint by a bow hunter that people geocaching disturbed his hunt. Since hunters pay fees and geocahers do not...yata yata yata. Steve

Geocaching is banned on all North Dakota State Wildlife Management lands. I have "cut and paste" the news release annoucing this ban: "Published June 07 2009 Fargo Forum" By: Associated Press, INFORUM BISMARCK - The state Game and Fish Department says paintballing and geocaching are banned in state wildlife management areas under new rules. Supervisor Scott Peterson says those activities create a ``considerable amount of unnecessary disturbance to both wildlife and wildlife habitat.' Geocaching is a treasure-hunting game in which someone hides a container and posts the coordinates online. Here is the actual public use notice from the North Dakota Game and Fish Department. Public Use Regulations for State Wildlife Management Areas NORTH DAKOTA GAME AND FISH DEPARTMENT The following rules are authorized by Chapter 20.1-11 of the North Dakota Century Code and established in Chapter 30-04-02 of the North Dakota Administrative Code. 1. Public access and use. All state wildlife management areas are open for public hunting, fishing, and trapping, except as provided under this chapter, governor’s proclamation, other valid rules and regulations or laws, or as posted at public road entry points. ... sub pars 20 20. Geocaching prohibited. 1. No person shall engage in any form of geocaching on any state wildlife management area. 2. The term “geocaching” refers to an outdoor treasure-hunting game in which the participants use a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver or other navigational techniques to hide and seek containers (called “geocaches” or “caches”). A typical cache is a small waterproof container containing a logbook and “treasure,”. If you want to see the full document contact me. I believe this is a true WTF moment. Steven A. Collins