nfa

Hi, Tom Martin's Phone at the Region 5 DEC office is 518-897-1291 Thanks for all you do for geocaching, if there's any way I can help, please just email me and I'll do it. NFA-Jamie

Hello, I just spoke with Tom Martin, the DEC Region 5 head ranger and permitting guru, and the news wasn't good. He told me in no uncertain terms that "No physical Geocaches may be placed on State Forest Preserve Land inside the Adirondack or Catskill Parks". He added that while his rangers are under orders to take any geocaches they find while out patrolling, they are not looking for them (and he said he knows that there are a couple of hundred in the 2 parks). I find this depressing, as the language he used left no room for interpretation or wiggling. It would seem that we need to start higher up the food chain...he said that this came from the state DEC office, so we should maybe look to our elected officials to remedy this problem. NFA - Jamie

Be careful when mentioning the DEC's issues. The mear mention of such issues, even if they are unfounded, may actually lend credibility to them. Simple explain the what geocaching is, family friendly, environmentally friendly etc... If and when the DEC expresses it's concern/issues we should have examples of caches that have been in place for years, the amount of visitors and proof that the caches had no adverse effects. Hi, After reading your response, I agree with you, we shouldn't open with a defnsive posture, we should simply try to acquaint the reader with the benefits and upsides of geocaching. Thanks, NFA - Jamie

Ok...so let's work together... What should we do...talking about working together is a start, but that seems to be all that's happening here and at the NYGO site... I would like to do something, what should it be? I think that getting a clear picture of the NYS DEC policy on geocaching is a good first step...there have been a number of significantly different secondhand assessments of DEC policy on this and the NYGO site, but they cannot all be correct, they differ too much. Depending on what the actual policy is, then drafting a letter to send to our NYS representatives to suggest an alternative approach (assuming that the DEC is taking an approach that is geocaching unfriendly) would be the next logical step. Such a letter should contain the DEC's issues with geocaching and our counters to those issues. It should also contain reference to the way that other states have dealt with geocaching and cache placements. It should be a carefully crafter document that geocachers in NY can get behind, and then send en masse to their representatives. just my thoughts, NFA - Jamie

Gee...have a nice day too... When I last spoke to the Region 5 (Raybrook) DEC office, they said that they were not allowing or approving permits for any physical caches inside the park, and that this was their interpretation of the broader DEC policy. I responded by altering my proposed new caches to virtual caches, whick earned me a spanking from the folks here at geocaching.com for overusing the virtual cache concept... I would be willing (not happy, but willing) to pay a permit fee to place my caches inside the Adirondack Park, but the DEC does not seem willing to let me... I would be happy-ish if they do indeed go forward with the $25 fee + insurance idea that somebody has suggested is the new policy, as this gives us a place from which to start a campaign to win their hearts and minds over to geocaching. I'm not a big fan of the ostrich approach of burying my head in the sand, and hoping that things work out, or that nobody notices me, but I wish Rocky good luck in his efforts. Interested to find out if there is a DEC-wide policy, NFA - Jamie

Hi, I think that a nalgene container anchored to the bottom of a body of water, below the freeze-line would be watertight. It would be interesting to try... NFA - Jamie

Hello, I would be more than happy to adopt a cache (or more than one) in Upstate NY State...ideally within 60 miles of Saranac Lake. A prime example of a cache needing adoption is Sprucy McHedgehog by Team Slacker (GC3F21). The last 5 experienced geocachers to look for the cache have not been able to find it, and there has been no response from Team Slacker. I live a few miles from the cache, and would be more than happy to restore it, and maintain it. Please get in touch if I can help. NFA - Jamie

Hi, I visited the NYGO forums, and looked around...it looks like the same conversation over there...I would like to help NYGO and/or Geocaching.com with any effort they are making to help educate the NYS DEC about Geocaching, and to help persuade them to change their minds about the ridiculous new policies...please get in touch with me ASAP so that we can get started. NFA - Jamie

Hello, I live inside the Blue Line, and am upset about the unfairness of the DEC position on geocaching. Snowmobilers run rampant all over the park, excreting noise and air pollution, not to mention beer cans and Mcdonald's wrappers, with minimal interference from the DEC. Why should geocachers be picked on while snowmobilers have the run of my/our public lands without the unfair restrictions? Geocaching is lower-impact than them, and can bring lots of economic activity into economically challenged areas of the park year around. I think that we should organize a letter/email campaign to reach out to our senators and congresspeople, telling them that we would like a fair shake on the use of our public lands. I would not propose that geocaching be totally free from oversight, but the DEC's current stand is outrageous. We should be able to get a Temporary Revocable Permit (TRP, a bureaucratic tool of the DEC that already exists) that allows us to place geocaches on a 1-2 year basis, at which time, the state of geocaching on public lands can be reviewed by the DEC, and we could go on from there. Are there any other New Yorkers interested in starting a campaign like I mention above? Please respond on this forum, and we can get started on the road to changing the DEC's minds about geocaching. NFA - Jamie