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It pays to get permission...


roziecakes

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I wanted to share a story that I'm pretty pleased about. I recently placed an earthcache in a park in Central Oregon. When I first contacted the land manager he did not have a good opinion of caching in general, told me it was littering, etc. He also told me he wanted to pull all the caches in the park... one of which had been out since 2001!! But, he was willing to chat with me about it... Well, today I went and had a great meeting with him, and I tell you what, it pays to be friendly, ask permission and to educate land managers about caching.

 

When I left he was thrilled about the earthcache, and in fact, encouraged me to place another one in another park that he manages, *and* the caches that are currently in the park get to stay! Yay! He also says that he is okay with caches being placed as long as people just call and ask permission.

 

So it goes to show... don't be afraid to ask. It all worked out 100% better than I thought it would. Now I'm just waiting for that earthcache to finish getting published :(

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Congratulations on winning over someone with good outreach. Just a thought for the future. Since there is no container for an Earthcache I don't really see why you would need permission.

 

Thanks guys!

 

As for permission with Earthcaches, actually the reviewers are quite stringent about permission, and it's one of the guidelines for placing them. They ask for the name and phone number of the person who gives permission.

 

In fact, my other earthcache that I submitted; I forgot to get the name of the person I talked to, and even though I posted a phone number in my reviewer note they won't publish it until I can get the name, which I'm certainly willing to do, but it's easier said than done since the folks who answer the phones aren't in the office much.

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I was seeking permission over the last week for 2 caches in a community. Talked to a few different people (with appropriate authority) and was given blanket permission to place on any property that is owned by the city. I'm very excited.

 

AWESOME! That opens you up for a lot of possibility :(

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Congratulations on winning over someone with good outreach. Just a thought for the future. Since there is no container for an Earthcache I don't really see why you would need permission.

 

You are still bringing people to a specific spot. If that spot is sensitive, the land manager may not approve of the increased traffic.

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Congratulations on winning over someone with good outreach. Just a thought for the future. Since there is no container for an Earthcache I don't really see why you would need permission.

 

You are still bringing people to a specific spot. If that spot is sensitive, the land manager may not approve of the increased traffic.

 

Exactly. I think that's why they have the rules that they do. Also, some earthcaches require that people take samples...

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I was seeking permission over the last week for 2 caches in a community. Talked to a few different people (with appropriate authority) and was given blanket permission to place on any property that is owned by the city. I'm very excited.

 

AWESOME! That opens you up for a lot of possibility :(

 

I have a ton of options now and there's such low cache density I don't have to worry about that either. Everyone was very supportive. They were happy to find out from me about a cache that was placed in a recently remodeled park and happy that I put a NA on it so the recent remodel didn't get damaged unintentionally too (which it would have with where it is). But they were more than happy to let me do my thing. No sneaking around looking for loop holes for me.

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I wanted to share a story that I'm pretty pleased about. I recently placed an earthcache in a park in Central Oregon . . . .

 

This is a great story. I have long felt that one of the benefits of earthcaching is the chance to begin a dialogue and build a relationship with park officials who would not otherwise be supportive of our game. It is one reason why I never have believed that virtual alternatives to traditional caching (limited to earthcaches these days) create a conflict or an excuse for park managers to disallow traditionals. Instead, it can be a way to open the door as your experience shows.

 

Of course in my area the NPS officials who approved my last earthcache still equate traditional caches with littering and environmental destruction, told me they would never permit regular caches, and removed 97% of the grandfathered caches from the park some time ago. But it still gave me a chance to discuss caching with them, which I never otherwise would have done. So who knows. . . that kind of discussion is at least a start. And I am glad to know it can be more than a start.

Edited by mulvaney
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This is a great story. I have long felt that one of the benefits of earthcaching is the chance to begin a dialogue and build a relationship with park officials who would not otherwise be supportive of our game.

 

Oh yes, I completely agree! I think that he was as receptive as he was because the earthcache was different, and it opened the door for me to explain about traditional caches as well.

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It is one reason why I never have believed that virtual alternatives to traditional caching (limited to earthcaches these days) create a conflict or an excuse for park managers to disallow traditionals. Instead, it can be a way to open the door as your experience shows.

It can go either way. Obviously, it's better when there is a positive outcome for real geocaches as a result of the earthcache conversation, as in the OP's excellent example. But there are land managers who reached opposite conclusions specifically due to the availability of earthcaches as an alternative to real geocaches. You'd be kidding yourself if you denied that this fact exists.

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arent all cashing boxes have to have permssion?

Yes and no. All caches are required to have 'adequate' permission. The proper amount of permission is unique for each cache (and location) and may mean that a cache requires no actual permission or express written permission signed by the POTUS, or anywhere in between.

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I started caching a while ago and got got caching banned on a natural resource area. It was actually some cachers who decided to take a short cut through private property to get to the cache. (Read the listing for parking directions people!) The police were called and adventures ensued. I got contacted a few hours after the incident by a cacher in another state who had found the cache. How she found about the incident I do not know. It took me two meetings with the property stewards to correct the situation and caches are now allowed on the property.

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But there are land managers who reached opposite conclusions specifically due to the availability of earthcaches as an alternative to real geocaches. You'd be kidding yourself if you denied that this fact exists.

 

Maybe, but the land managers that ban traditional caching in my area do not so because there are virtual alternatives (whether it be waymarks or earthcaches) but because they decided that containers had caused problems and were not appropriate. The earthcaching model invites these officials back into the game - ideally not just as permission givers but as partners. And I think that is a stronger place to begin discussion about other forms of caching. Perhaps I am an optimist, but I am glad that nymphnsatyr in this case was able to make that happen.

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It is one reason why I never have believed that virtual alternatives to traditional caching (limited to earthcaches these days) create a conflict or an excuse for park managers to disallow traditionals. Instead, it can be a way to open the door as your experience shows.

It can go either way. Obviously, it's better when there is a positive outcome for real geocaches as a result of the earthcache conversation, as in the OP's excellent example. But there are land managers who reached opposite conclusions specifically due to the availability of earthcaches as an alternative to real geocaches. You'd be kidding yourself if you denied that this fact exists.

 

The frog in hamster's clothing makes a very good point. I'm sure that's happened before, possibly quite often. Thanks for metioning it.

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