The Commissar!

Where did that quote come from about how getting permission from a land owner is beyond the effort we are willing to do? That hurts our case very very badly. the forums...I said they are watching. It was also somewhat taken out of context.

because that is the only part that is an easy sell...

G28, we will be further down the adjenda now

lets stay productive here...we are being watched! You see how they take our words out of context...

I am told that if it passes today that it "should" be no problem to pass on the third reading tomorrow...its last chance before May 1. That it is now uncontested is not good at all...

I work on them when there is a dry spell for new "real" caches in my home range...unless I spot something I think would be one, then I take the pics etc. and look for a match...

I thought it was the machines that makes the ammo boxes, bison tubes, and tupperware...

Hydee, did you mean to imply that it is ok to dig a hole if you have landowner permission? That is how I read it but I thought that that was not the case... I agree with Mr Snazz's concern too...an accident waiting to happen.

If the law passed would I be able to get a baiter hidden in a graveyard listed on the Geocaching website? Just kidding, I know it would have to go in the baiting website ;-) the bill has just been updated to reflect the following... 4/26/2005 House Member(s) request name added as sponsor: Mahaffey

Out of state Geocachers can help by emphasizing the "poor for tourism" aspect of this thing, in addition to other relevant points, THANKS!

the first reading was when it was originally introduced before it was sent to committee...

Sadly, Huggy_d1, you hit the nail square on the head... Nice letter HL, mind if I plagiarize some?

"The fact that the State Archeologist has changed his position on this issue was of no real concern to her." What Dr. Leader (State Archeologist) said was that so long as specific written permissions were obtained from the appropriate landowner, that if we Geocache there was and should be of no concern to him. He is in support of the bill with the amendments. I would not say he is anti-Geocache or against us. He only wishes to protect what is his job to protect but I would also not say he is on our side.

tweezers or small hobby type needle nose pliars for extracting the ultra-micro logs from the exceptionally small caches...

a "haunt", and they can make themselves virtually invisible to muggles ;-)

most any will do for Geocaching if you can load cachemate or another page viewer. There are other options. Look in the resources pages on GCDC. If you want to do other cool stuff you may need to spend more to have that flexability... I got a TungstenE but wish I had kicked in some more Jack for a more capable unit...

No point in discussing this codswallop cause it ain't (my son tells me this is now a real word) gonna happen! Restrict in a few areas maybe but not without a fight! but the codswallop sucking codswallops have to answer to the voting public eventually...regardless of their below board tactics and outright lies... take a deep breath now, everything will be ok

My experience tells me that we are better left to police ourselves. The version of the bill that I heard last week is much better than its original iteration but this is truly a needless piece of legislation as we already have Trespass laws and laws relating to desecration and destruction of gravesites, monuments, and public properties. If those need to be strengthened then do that, but don’t pick on Geocachers and Letterboxers! I just came back from the State House where I had the opportunity to participate in a full committee meeting. While there I took the opportunity to ask questions of a new colleague who happens to be a professional lobbyist. I learned/confirmed that the real business that goes on here happens behind the scene before the doors to the meeting ever open and that everyone (voting participants) knows how a given bill will go before the meeting ever starts. Unless we get some help from lots of "friendly" House members this is going to be a done deal in the house. We need to focus on the Senate now or we will be squashed before we know what hit us! If you are in-state I implore you to contact your Senator and Representative NOW! If you are out-of-state contact the Chamber of Commerce, tourism board, SC PRT, and anyone else you can think of to relate this as bad for tourism, an apparently powerful lobby in our state. This bill will likely go before the full house tomorrow, the last day of the legislative week if those behind it are really willing to push this all the way through. To become a law it must pass the House and Senate and be signed by the Governor. As I understand it, the bill will have to go to the Senate by May 2 if it is going to make it in time to pass this year. Time is running out for this to happen but the game is not yet up. If you think this is going to be limited to SC you are sadly mistaken. Dr. Leader (State Archeologist) indicated last week that he was going to discuss this issue with the members of his nation-wide professional organization. This kind of Bill will likely start popping up all across the country and you must be prepared to respond early and effectively. The Commissar!

I was at last weeks meeting and there were at least three amendments that were voted on and passed for this bill and none of them are reflected in the online version of the bill. I did not make notes but two of the changes would be quite obvious...1 that adds that it is ok to hide in certain locations with specific written permission from the landowner, and 2 that it would be against the regulation to use a GPSr to find a "location" in SC. This could be interesting if it passes in this form since it would literally make it against the law to use GPS for any reason in SC...where would our GIS programs be with that! Sorry "insert name of Govt. entity here", you are in violation of our new anti-Geocaching regulation...go to jail and pay us the $100! The Commissar! PS - I was unaware of todays meeting so I can give you nothing useful there...

We usually establish if we are using the Huckle Buckle Beanstalk or Three Muskateer method before we conduct the hunt...that way no one is disappointed at the moment of truth. Which method chosen depends on the schedule for the day and the cache(s) in question, and of course there is weather... The Commissar!

Ok...from the Magellan camp... You can get a Gold for $~170 including shipping, topo maps from the GCDC garage sale area for $45, get a $20 SD card and you are set!

Sissy & CR sell small bison tubes really cheap too...

what is your best offer so far?

hmmm, I was thinking of locking the ammo box and locking it to a tree with the same lock. Mainly to keep it from washing away in high water but also to make it muggle resistant...