National Wildlife Refuge

[+Milbank]

Another great cache bits the dust because it is located in a Nation Wildlife Refuge.

 

This is a awesome area with many eagles, buffalos and deer. It has many parking area's and some of it is open to public hunting. The minnesota river runs through the area with many canoe launch sites.

 

There are designated hiking trails, restrooms, picnic tables, etc...

 

Local schools take there classes here on field trips. This cache was in is very large area and there is so much to see.

 

The first cache I tried to place was in this NWR and I did a three mile hike only to submit the cache and find out it could not be aproved. I was more then a little disapointed to find out it could not be aproved as this is really a great area, but rules are rules.

 

This NWR now has one less cache and I really want to do something to bring people to this area.

 

I want to waymark everything in it. I want to waymark the head office, parking area's, trails, canoe area's, everything!

 

It would also give me a reason to explore the area's of the park that I have yet to hike in.

 

I did a quick search on the forums and at Waymarking.com for National Wildlife Refuge and I come up with nothing.

 

Did I miss something in my search?

Is there a group or category already?

 

If so I must join.

 

If not we need to get one started ASAP and I would be happy to help manage it.

 

This is a catagory that I would participate in with a passion.

 

I feel Waymarking and NWR are perfect for each other and it would be a national crime not to have a NWR Waymarking category.

 

How about it?

Edited May 1, 2006 by Milbank

[+Milbank]

The NWR could be listed under nature.

 

Any idea's on how to waymark such a large area?

 

I'm thinking that on the one that had the geocache in the OP I could waymark the enterance to the auto tour.

I could also waymark the main office that is on the other side of that same section.

It would also be great to waymark the trails.

 

Would they all be sub categories?

 

I have done some more searching and could not find that a National Wildlife Refuge Categroy had been start so I will start the National Wildlife Refuge Group and ask that you join to help get this group started.

 

Thanks,

Edited May 1, 2006 by Milbank

[+silverquill]

The NWR could be listed under nature.

 

Any idea's on how to waymark such a large area?

 

I'm thinking that on the one that had the geocache in the OP I could waymark the enterance to the auto tour.

I could also waymark the main office that is on the other side of that same section.

It would also be great to waymark the trails.

 

Would they all be sub categories?

 

I have done some more searching and could not find that a National Wildlife Refuge Categroy had been start so I will start the National Wildlife Refuge Group and ask that you join to help get this group started.

 

Thanks,

 

Great!! This NEEDS to be done!

 

I believe one of the really important purposes of Waymarking is to document those places where traditional caches cannot be placed for one reason or another. This is certainly one of them.

 

Since there are really no subcategories as such -- only one level at which waymarks can be created -- finding a way to do a large area such as this is problematic.

 

One solution is simply to create a category for this particular wildlife refuge. Then your variables would be the various types of places within it -- buildings, entrances, trails, etc.

 

If you have just one category for ALL Nat Wildlife Refuges, then everything gets lumped together in one mess! The individual refuge could be a variable, and eventually we should be able to sort by variable (I think) which might help. Also, having the name of the individual refuge appear first in the title of each waymark would make it sortable and would get all waymarks grouped together. So you would have Big Stone Trail Head One, Big Stone Park Office, etc. along with

 

Just put some thought into the variables and how you would have them listed.

 

Also specify that these are U.S. Nationa Wildlife Refuges, unless you want to open it up to international ones.

 

I've joined the group, and would be glad to help in whatever way I can.

~~silverquill

[+WalruZ]

fwiw, it *is* possible to hide offset multi's in NWR areas, it's just more work. I have one in the Don Edwards NWR around SF bay. The physical cache is on public parkland nearby.

 

http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.aspx?wp=GCKXKV

 

Again, assuming you can find somewhere nearby for a physical, you can do something else neat. What you do is have a list of coordinates, A), , C), etc. and a list of pictures, each with a number. What a hiking visitor has to do is go to a coordinate and then determine which picture matches at that spot. That letter then gets assigned that number. assuming that the cache is at 37 AB.CDE 122 FG.HIJ, you make sure the numbers work out properly and there you have it - a nice hike with a cache at the end. They are also easy to maintain since the physical cache is probably easier for you to get to if it's muggled.

 

Which is not to say I don't appreciate Waymarking - i marked 3 today. I've just been seeing Waymarking as more of an urban/suburban thing, and caching as more of a rural/nature thing.

[+Milbank]

Some great input, thanks!

 

I have two officers and other members in the group.

 

I started adding some variable option.

So you can mark a Point of Interest (POI) inside the NWR and when you submit it you have the option of picking what type of POI it is that you are Waymarking inside the NWR. Here is just a quick list of what I come up with so far. I would like some more input on this before I take it to a vote.

 

Name Display Order

Parking Area 1

Picnic Tables 2

Public Fishing 3

Scenic View 4

Trail Head 5

Other 6

Visitor Information 7

 

What other POI would you like to be able to see waymarked inside a NWR?

 

Thanks,

 

Edited to update POI list

Edited May 1, 2006 by Milbank

[+Milbank]

This link may also be of some interest too.

 

http://www.refugenet.org/

 

Map

Edited May 1, 2006 by Milbank

[+Bernd das Brot Team]

I had an idea along the lines of "Wildlife Refuge" just a little bit broader: I thought of a category called something like Wildlife Watching Areas. It would not only cover NWR but also Natural Reserves, Whalewatching etc. Anybody any input on that?