BartlettGoonies

Hi, This just popped up in our weekly new caches. This is awesome and exciting to see the Forest Preserve making this effort. Lynnea Jensen is great to work with. I highly recommend anyone interested attend! Timm BartlettGoonies Link -> http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.aspx?ID=363032 Come to Herrick Lake Forest Preserve at the East Picnic Shelter on April 22nd between 9:00 am and Noon for a meet and greet with a DuPage County Forest Preserve Ranger. Ranger Lynnea Jensen will be on hand to assist you in using the current guidelines for placing caches in DuPage County Forest Preserves. There will also be available: 1. Permit instructions 2. Permit applications 3. Lynnea will have a booklet of maps with her for your review which will show restricted and allowable areas for cache locations within each preserve to help you plan for future caches. Also, 10 new caches have been placed in Herrick Lake Forest Preserve. These locations will not be posted until the day of the event. We will have a TB exchange box There will be a log sheet to log your TBs in and out. So come and enjoy this event brought to you by GONIL, White Dane & Irish Setter. Hope to see you there.

Thanks for the update Tom, People seem to be enjoying our cache, and hopefully the process can continue to improve and will provide for a fun and safe environment for Geocaching in the forest preserves. Based on the visits to our cache (sticker #2), which I checked on yesterday, and reported via email, I think that our cache has been reasonably successful. Coyotes, deer, hawks, and other wildlife have been spotted by us and others, making the trip very valuable for most. Dave and others have been a pleasure to work with so far, and I am looking forward to some warmer weather so that we can get out again and do some more Geocaching with the family. Sincerely, Timm Bottoni BartlettGoonies

I got a call from a nice lady at the DuPage County Forest Preserve asking if I could check our cache and provide and update via phone or email. I checked it yesterday and sent her an email. This is the first time I have actually gotten a call or provided an update, and I am guessing its because they watch the cache log, and if they see activity they know its OK. I realize that the rules are a pain in the posterior for most, but since our cach is minutes from our house its really no big deal to check on it if there has been no activity to it for over 30 days. If you are not willling to check on your cache, then its likely to just become garbage anyway. I want the DuPage County Forest preserves to remain "preserves" so that my kids, and everyones kids can have a place minutes from their homes to see deer, and coyotes, and hawks, and beaver dams (which have all been spotted near our cache by various people) Timm BartlettGoonies

Hi ALL - we visited our Official DuPage approved Geocache today and found it in fine order. On our way out we met a female Ranger who was very nice, and by stroke of luck was looking for our cache so that she could put the new official numbered sticker on it, replacing the original one which was not numbered. According to her, there are only two official Geocaches in DuPage county forest preserves. The bad news is that they will be going through the Geocaching.com site and asking owners to submit the paperwork, and meet the requirements at some time in the near future. The good news is, that they are easy to work with. Its no big deal - well the clear container is a bit of a pain, but that may change, who knows. The permit is free, the sticker is free, the ranger met me on a weekend when I first placed it, and even helped me hide it. DO NOT BE DISCOURAGED BECAUSE THERE ARE RULES! DuPage is NOT TRYING to discourage GeoCaching - they just want to make rules that make sure its safe for everyone and everything out there. Timm Bottoni P.S. While we were out there we flushed two Woodcock, and a large 8-10 point Buck Whitetail ALSO - regarding the contact every 30 days - ahem, well lets just say its no big deal.

I am pleased to announce that DuPage County Forest Preserve is VERY easy and helpful to work with on this. I placed our first cache yesterday, and from start to finish, the people are helpful, professional and courteous. The DuPage County Forest Preserves are a wonderful assembly of parks, events and resources that we need to keep wonderful. DuPage County Forest Preserve Web Site You can find my first cache here...Goonies Goodies I hope to add more regular caches in the area. The only thing I wish they would change is the use of a clear container, since these usually don't hold up as well as the ammo containers through the wide seasonal changes we have here. I found a good one that we had at home, but I need to find a source for good but inexpensive waterproof containers that are large enough and durable enough to hold the usual treasure and log book. So the process goes like this... You find a spot that looks good, and will likely be OK. You contact them via email - see my earlier post on this, letting them know where you plan to put it, so that they can say yes or no based on their known areas they don't want people geocaching in. You fill out the special use form, its a Word doc they sent me. I included a copied and pasted map, and emailed it back to them. You wait a week or so until they get back with you on it, and talk to a Park Ranger who will be assigned to it. You get your clear container ready, with a list of your initial goodies, and meet the ranger when they set up a time and location to put it out there. The ranger OKs it and puts the DCFP sticker on it, and walks out with you to place it. He even helped me cover it up with tree pieces to hide it better. I hope everyone has a fun and safe geocaching experience in DuPage County Forest Preserves. Timm

Hi all! I have emailed the DuPage County Forest preserve and gotten very encouraging replies. Here is the basic information. The permits are free and the goal is to allow Geocaching in Forest preserves, but to have rules to keep people and the environment safe. They will have maps posted online eventually, but it will take a while becuase its one of many things their IT department is working on. I was given approval to post these messages. that I got back from David at dandrusyk@dupageforest.com -------------- Original message -------------- Thanks for your message. Here is what you will need to do to set up a geocache on Forest Preserve property. You will need to fill out a special use permit which you can get from our Visitor Services Dept. You may call them at (630)933-7248 or pick one up at the Forest Preserve Headquarters in Danada Forest Preserve. With the permit, you will need to include the coordinates and a map showing the location of the cache. A ranger should contact you within a week of submitting your permit. You can contact me if you have any more questions. David Andrusyk Forest Preserve District of DuPage County Naturalist Tri-County State Park (847)429-4670 -------------- Original message -------------- The permits are free. We are currently working on putting together maps that will eventually be posted online. Right now they are not available. What I suggest is to have an idea of where you would like to place the cache and then fill out a permit. If the location is in an area where we don't want it (ex.: high quality ecosystems, endangered and threatened species locations etc.), the rangers will try to give you an alternate location. Or, you can give me a call (or email is fine) and let me know what preserve you are thinking and I can direct you to an area that would be acceptable. -------------- Original message -------------- About posting my name, that's fine. If there are concerns out there I would be happy to address them. DuPage County Forest Preserve wants geocaching to stay here, but in order to keep it here, we have to have some control on where caches are being placed. This is not only for public safety, but also to protect natural areas that may be more sensitive, or have endangered or threatened plants and animals

Hi, Can anyone provide more information on who to call or email? There is nothing on the DuPage County Forest Preserve Web site regarding this. Also - it looks like they have one cache of their own that they have already set up. Thanks, Timm

Well it seems to me that there are already hundreds in DuPage county forest preserves of which none will meet these requirements. Most of the requirements aren't that bad, and in fact are common sense things for all geocachers to follow, except the ones about the container, the permit, the sticker and the preplacement meeting. Especially since they are encouraging "virtual" caches that might send people to all sorts of places that defeats the whole purpose of these rules.

Where is this policy posted on the Internet? I have searched everything I can find on the DuPage county Forest Preserve website, and other sites and have not been able to find this policy posted anywhere. Just wondering...

Thanks - now it all makes sense Timm

I understand everything but (D/T) on the results page when you do a search. It must relate to size of the cache, but what exactly does it mean and what do the numbers relate to? Thanks, Timm