+StarBrand Posted February 6, 2006 Share Posted February 6, 2006 I got a call today from the local Parks and Recreation director. He wants to work with our local Geocaching group to get MORE geocaches placed in the local parks. He even invited me to place 2 in the local Zoo - I expressed concern about the admission charge and he agreed to let anybody with a handheld GPS and mentioning geocaching in for free!! I have a meeting next week with him and local law enforcement to go over geocaching guidelines and local placements so we can avoid any "public alarm" problems with caches. He wants every local park to have an area that would be good for hiding geocaches. He would like to develop unique containers for hides as well. All this because he sees the value of bringing in even a small number of out-of-towners to spend time here. Wow - I like this...... (just sharing) Quote Link to comment
magellan315 Posted February 6, 2006 Share Posted February 6, 2006 Wow, so I guess I have to plan on taking a vacation in Nebraska some day. Quote Link to comment
+I.R. Geonut Posted February 6, 2006 Share Posted February 6, 2006 No Doubt! Free Zoo! Quote Link to comment
+briansnat Posted February 6, 2006 Share Posted February 6, 2006 It's not the first time one has approached geocachers. It has been happening more and more. Many land managers, park staffers and local officials see the value geocaching brings. Its a low impact, low cost way to provide recreational opportunities and introduce people to what their park, town, etc... have to offer. Quote Link to comment
+russell_53040 Posted February 6, 2006 Share Posted February 6, 2006 Hay thats cool. Now I dont have to pay to get into the family reunion. Quote Link to comment
+KKTH3 Posted February 6, 2006 Share Posted February 6, 2006 That's cool! We took a trip to Scottsbluff last summer for two specific reasons: To visit the zoo and geocache! We even found your cache located just outside the zoo after they kicked us out of the zoo (stayed all the way until closing time) We might have to do a similar trip next summer now. Quote Link to comment
+Isonzo Karst Posted February 7, 2006 Share Posted February 7, 2006 I accompanied a cacher on a scouting hike for the placement of 6 caches in a property where the land manager wanted the caches to attract hikers and to point out the habitat restoration work being done. Haven't heard back yet on when those caches will actually be placed, but it was neat to be contacted at all. Quote Link to comment
+Jennifer&Dean Posted February 7, 2006 Share Posted February 7, 2006 Very cool! It is great to hear stuff like this. Good luck getting them set up! Quote Link to comment
+ranger-rob Posted February 7, 2006 Share Posted February 7, 2006 (edited) I got a call today from the local Parks and Recreation director. He wants to work with our local Geocaching group to get MORE geocaches placed in the local parks. He even invited me to place 2 in the local Zoo <snip> I can see the page for one of the zoo caches now <wavy imagination lines> "Terrain:1 Difficulty:5 ... Located in the rear corner of the Bengal Tiger exhibit and surrounded by shredded clothing and various bits of gnawed swag, this 5-gallon metal can is painted day-glo orange and has the Groundspeak logo imprinted on it for easy identification. The key to getting to this cache is speed ..." </wavy imagination lines> Edited February 7, 2006 by ranger-rob Quote Link to comment
+StarBrand Posted February 7, 2006 Author Share Posted February 7, 2006 I can see the page for one of the zoo caches now <wavy imagination lines> "Terrain:1 Difficulty:5 ... Located in the rear corner of the Bengal Tiger exhibit and surrounded by shredded clothing and various bits of gnawed swag, this 5-gallon metal can is painted day-glo orange and has the Groundspeak logo imprinted on it for easy identification. The key to getting to this cache is speed ..." </wavy imagination lines> They have an ultra large model of this variety - also nearby lion brothers. I however was thinking more along the line of including it in the outdoor section of the chimp exhibit. Quote Link to comment
+Elde Posted February 7, 2006 Share Posted February 7, 2006 I accompanied a cacher on a scouting hike for the placement of 6 caches in a property where the land manager wanted the caches to attract hikers and to point out the habitat restoration work being done. Haven't heard back yet on when those caches will actually be placed, but it was neat to be contacted at all. I think the trick is to ensure that 'invited' caches are good ones. Land managers may want to caches to attract people to their locations - but cachers don't want a .1 mile grid of just-another-cache-cuz-I-can. Quote Link to comment
+ranger-rob Posted February 7, 2006 Share Posted February 7, 2006 They have an ultra large model of this variety - also nearby lion brothers. I however was thinking more along the line of including it in the outdoor section of the chimp exhibit. Having seen chimps (in a zoo) and what they throw when they're agitated, that could be very entertaining for everyone but the designated "retriever". Might want to include some Handi-Wipes and Fabreeze as part of the swag. Quote Link to comment
+Isonzo Karst Posted February 7, 2006 Share Posted February 7, 2006 I think the trick is to ensure that 'invited' caches are good ones. Land managers may want to caches to attract people to their locations - but cachers don't want a .1 mile grid of just-another-cache-cuz-I-can. It was remarkably easy to find attractive cache placements that corresponded with their flyer - sinkholes, mature longleaf pines (they flat top at around 100 years, we found a beaut), wetlands restoration and so on. I think it's going to be a really nice hike loop. Though I suspect that the bureacracy will move so slowly on it that it won't get published til it's too hot for most folks to want to walk in that kind of open mature pine woods. Quote Link to comment
+The Leprechauns Posted February 7, 2006 Share Posted February 7, 2006 Check out the nice cache page, positive logs and interesting photo gallery for the very nicely designed cache at the Cleveland MetroZoo. Our friends at Cleveland MetroParks were among the earliest land managers to realize the benefits of working with geocachers. They also have a sense of humor! Check out the decoy cache container inside the lemur cage: Quote Link to comment
+TeamStuckey Posted February 7, 2006 Share Posted February 7, 2006 I was out caching in a local park this weekend when I struck up a conversation with a guy walking his dog. This is a remote park around a city reservoir with lots of trails and quite a few caches. He was interested in what I was doing, so I eventually explained the game and let him find a cache with me. Imagine my surprise when he mentioned that he was the country tax assessor. Fortunately, he loved the idea. He went on to show me a fairly well hidden path that led to an island (only accessible by land in the winter when water is low). Then he showed me a hidden stand of pine trees. He thought the idea was cool - saying "it is a great way to get taxpayers to see their beautiful parks." Quote Link to comment
+Colorado Cacher Posted February 8, 2006 Share Posted February 8, 2006 Two in the zoo. I would be real picky which cage gets the fake tree container. Quote Link to comment
+mb3 Posted February 8, 2006 Share Posted February 8, 2006 This is great news! Maybe it will spread. Quote Link to comment
Rupert2 Posted February 8, 2006 Share Posted February 8, 2006 It is wonderful to hear about a great situation like this. I guess it is time for me to plan a little get-away to Nebraska! It might even make a good location for a geowoodstock? Thanks for taking the time to promote geocaching in your area. Quote Link to comment
ju66l3r Posted February 8, 2006 Share Posted February 8, 2006 Darn, I was so expecting you to save a bunch of money on your car insurance by switching to the Gecko... Quote Link to comment
+Team GPSaxophone Posted February 8, 2006 Share Posted February 8, 2006 I got a call today from the local Parks and Recreation director. He wants to work with our local Geocaching group to get MORE geocaches placed in the local parks. He even invited me to place 2 in the local Zoo - I expressed concern about the admission charge and he agreed to let anybody with a handheld GPS and mentioning geocaching in for free!! I have a meeting next week with him and local law enforcement to go over geocaching guidelines and local placements so we can avoid any "public alarm" problems with caches. He wants every local park to have an area that would be good for hiding geocaches. He would like to develop unique containers for hides as well. All this because he sees the value of bringing in even a small number of out-of-towners to spend time here. Wow - I like this...... (just sharing) I enjoyed my last trip to Nebraska (not including the car trouble before I got there). Having more caches would encourage me to visit again (besides, Sidney has the closest Cabela's to here) Quote Link to comment
+Bluejaytoo Posted February 8, 2006 Share Posted February 8, 2006 This is great news! Maybe it will spread. It is spreading. I've been contacted by a board member of a very large county park (2700 acres), asking me if I'd be interested in teaching a geocaching class there. There are currently 2 caches hidden within the park, but lots of room for more. I'm considering holding an event there, because there's a beautiful lake, a swimming beach, picnic grounds, and miles upon miles of hiking trails. I've also been contacted by a local tourism promotion agency. They are encouraging us to place caches in some remote areas where they would like to see more activity. They are offering to provide swag for the caches, and are even considering subsidizing the minting of a local geocoin. I'm debating on whether to start it out with several normal caches or one epic multi... Quote Link to comment
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