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Geocaches in National Parks & Reserves


Tuena

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I sent an email to Groundspeak requesting the addition of a question to the ‘Tool for reporting & editing cache listings’ & they suggested "Since this is a concept that would affect all geocachers I am going to suggest that you post this in the Geocaching.com Web site forum".

 

My email:

 

I just read my Groundspeak Weekly Notification & the first article contains this:

 

When Will My Geocache be published?

 

"Please remember that reviewers take time to ensure that all geocaches meet the published guidelines. For a greater time savings, make sure that your proposed geocache meets all of the guidelines and that all information has been provided".

 

The published guidelines clearly state that in certain cases you must have the approval of land managers before you can place a cache. National Parks & Wildlife Service policy in NSW Australia forbids the placement of geocaches in their parks & reserves. Their policy is as follows:

 

Orienteering, rogaining & geocaching

 

Geocaching is an adventure game based on a 'treasure hunt' theme where participants in one party use a handheld GPS device to search for sealed caches left by other parties. Geocaching is not permitted in areas managed by the NPWS.

 

The relevant web page is:

 

http://www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au/npws.n...ocaching+policy

 

I recently archived & removed my geocache as I was concerned about the damage being done to the flora at certain caches I had visited.

 

Would it be possible to include an additional question in the ‘Tool for reporting & editing cache listings’ which specifically asks whether permission has been obtained from the relevant land manager?

 

The question, generic in nature, could be along the lines of:

 

If placing your geocache in a National Park or Reserve, have you obtained the authority of the relevant land manager?

 

A link directly under this question would lead the person to the Cache Listing Requirements & Guidelines.

 

Also is it possible for the reviewer to deny permission when geocaches are placed in National Parks in NSW. I note that Google Earth highlight's whether the waypoint being observed is in a National Park.

 

As geocaching grows in popularity it is important that we do everything in our power to reduce the impact the activity has on our natural resources.

 

Thank you

 

Tuena

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Would it be possible to include an additional question in the ‘Tool for reporting & editing cache listings’ which specifically asks whether permission has been obtained from the relevant land manager?

 

The question, generic in nature, could be along the lines of:

 

If placing your geocache in a National Park or Reserve, have you obtained the authority of the relevant land manager?

...

Tuena

A problem with posing a question dealing only with permission from national park or reserve land managers is that there are many other instances where obtaining permission is also important such as private property, city parks, cemeteries, etc. It is better to leave the question of whether permission has been obtained open-ended so all potential situations are included.

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Would it be possible to include an additional question in the ‘Tool for reporting & editing cache listings’ which specifically asks whether permission has been obtained from the relevant land manager?

 

The question, generic in nature, could be along the lines of:

 

If placing your geocache in a National Park or Reserve, have you obtained the authority of the relevant land manager?

 

A link directly under this question would lead the person to the Cache Listing Requirements & Guidelines.

 

Also is it possible for the reviewer to deny permission when geocaches are placed in National Parks in NSW. I note that Google Earth highlight's whether the waypoint being observed is in a National Park.

 

As geocaching grows in popularity it is important that we do everything in our power to reduce the impact the activity has on our natural resources.

 

Thank you

 

Tuena

When you submit a cache you check a box stating that you have read and understood the guidelines for placing a cache. There is a link on this statement that takes you to guidelines.

 

The problem is that there are many different land management agencies all around the world and they have different policies regarding the placement of geocaching. The guidelines suggest that you contact local caching organization to find out if there are any regulation in your local area. In addition caches are reviewed before being published by a local volunteer reviewer who are generally aware of the regulations. The reviewer will not publish a cache that he/she knows to be in violation of a local land managers regulations.

 

The problem is making geocachers aware of the guidelines so they pay attention and noy simply check a box without thinking. Several people have suggested a yes/no series of questions that have to be answered. Most of the reviewers can tell you which of the guidelines most often cause problems for cachers so perhaps we should have a few questions and then a general comment that the cacher needs to understand all the guidelines and that a cache the doesn't meet all the guidelines might not be published.

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First, before the hordes of USA cachers post replys, that link is for the Australian National Parks & Wildlife Service, which is where the OP is located.

 

I agree with tozainambokuk with leaving the question open-ended. Something like, "You have permision from the land owner or land manager to place this cache." with a check-box.

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I agree with tozainambokuk with leaving the question open-ended. Something like, "You have permision from the land owner or land manager to place this cache." with a check-box.

That may be a bit too open ended. To be truly open ended you should simple say as the guidelines currently do that "you have adequate permission to hide your cache in the selected location." What is needed is something that indicates that the hider needs to determine adequate permission, and not just that someone else hid a cache here so it must be okay. If you are hiding the cache in a public park or wilderness area you should determine the agency that manages that land. You should then attempt to find out if they have a geocaching policy. That may just be to ask the local caching organization if they know of any policy. More and more management agency are adopting formal geocaching regulations so sometimes a web search will turn these up. If there is no policy, most cachers will tell that it should be OK to place a cache. Geocaching should be viewed like any other activity that you can do in the park. Placing a cache on private property, should entail trying to contact the owner or manager for permission. However, there is certainly room to debate whether you have adequate permission to hide a cache in a parking lot that is opened to public.

 

I don't think the OP meant to open the can of worms as to what adequate permission means. What they are asking is for Geocaching.com to help make cachers aware of the rules that certain land managers have and to help in the enforcement of these rules.

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I don't think the OP meant to open the can of worms as to what adequate permission means. What they are asking is for Geocaching.com to help make cachers aware of the rules that certain land managers have and to help in the enforcement of these rules.

Well, a reviewer generally does this whilst considering the cache for publication. I just submitted 2 new caches and the reviewer replied with links for the appropriate permission grantors.

 

The problem with putting such links on the cache submission page is two-fold:

 

Most cachers don't fill out the submission page until the cache is placed (I believe that is how one is instructed to proceed by the "how to place a cache" tutorial, but I haven't read it in a long time). Therefore they would not see the permission link until after the placement. OK because the cacher can still apply for permission after the submission.

 

There are far too many permitting authorities and caching policies to keep up with and they are constantly changing. Therefore maintaining links to all of them from the submission page would be a nightmare for the webmaster.

 

A simple "Who gave permission to place this cache?" and a text box would be a better choice but that would not be acceptable for those who assume adequate permission because no one said "no."

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