Going, going, gone!

[+crouchcrew]

As a result of the new State Park rules, all of the older state park caches that were formerly grandfathered are now being required to have a permit and brought up to code. If it is deemed that they are in violation it is mandated that they be archived by June 1st.

 

Such is the case of two old wonderful caches at Deception Pass that I recently adopted, Goose Rock, http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.aspx?guid=343a8d17-eda5-430a-b9e8-8baf32fa1f6d and Deception View- http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.aspx?guid=9e5f9e7b-6fc2-4abf-bbdc-98f717bd3524

 

After filing permits for both they were denied due to the classification of the land area: "designated natural forest areas or natural areas."

 

Since they are both wonderful old classic caches with wonderful views I thought I would notify the caching community of their fate and give them the chance to visit and log them while they still can. June 1st is the date for them to be archived.

[+Samukai]

Thanks for the heads up! I will make a point of getting out there soon; those look like some great spots.

[+Sol seaker]

Thank you so much CouchCrew for posting this!!

 

I was going to add Camano Island Cache which was scheduled to go due to lack of owner response, but it looks like the owner has finally responded and Ranger Tina has finally gained ownership of it. She has been maintaining it for years. I'm glad the owner pulled through at last to pass on that oldie in a beautiful state park.

 

Are there any others out there that people know of?

[+lamoracke]

I hope Ewok Forest stays, looks like the owner has recently logged on, so hoping that one will stay.

http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.aspx?guid=868df1d3-ecdc-4066-9365-b814443b8725

 

2001 cache, part of the Washington History challenge.

 

Goose Rock has been so long, I can't remember how that one is hidden, but I would hate to see that one go. Probably the best spot in that park.

Edited April 9, 2013 by lamoracke

[+lamoracke]

Thank you so much CouchCrew for posting this!!

 

I was going to add Camano Island Cache which was scheduled to go due to lack of owner response, but it looks like the owner has finally responded and Ranger Tina has finally gained ownership of it. She has been maintaining it for years. I'm glad the owner pulled through at last to pass on that oldie in a beautiful state park.

 

 

Yeah Tina!

[+crouchcrew]

Goose Rock is not hidden on the balding area or the protected fenced in meadow but that whole top is off limits to caches. The Deception View is not far from the existing trail on a smaller trail that goes down to the water but is still in their off limits area. So sad!

[+hydnsek]

As a result of the new State Park rules, all of the older state park caches that were formerly grandfathered are now being required to have a permit and brought up to code. If it is deemed that they are in violation it is mandated that they be archived by June 1st.

 

Such is the case of two old wonderful caches at Deception Pass that I recently adopted, Goose Rock, http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.aspx?guid=343a8d17-eda5-430a-b9e8-8baf32fa1f6d and Deception View- http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.aspx?guid=9e5f9e7b-6fc2-4abf-bbdc-98f717bd3524

 

After filing permits for both they were denied due to the classification of the land area: "designated natural forest areas or natural areas."

 

Since they are both wonderful old classic caches with wonderful views I thought I would notify the caching community of their fate and give them the chance to visit and log them while they still can. June 1st is the date for them to be archived.

This is a good heads up. But to avoid any misinformation, I'd like to clarify a couple of points, as the person who's working with the State Parks on this:

 

- Older state park caches were never "grandfathered." The State Parks expected cache owners to get permits, so most parks didn't demand cache removals in 2006 when the original Directive took effect. This was nice of them, but most cachers ignored the Directive since nobody followed up with them to insist. (A few state parks did request removal, and Groundspeak complied, which is why some state parks were denuded of caches, and others weren't.)

 

- The State Parks were not happy that these caches continued to be in their parks without approval - I was told this explicitly by Parks management - so now they're requiring them to be permitted, and added a compliance clause to the revised Directive (Dec. 2012) to ensure that we cachers don't skirt the intent of the Directive - approved cache placements - for any cache on state park land.

 

- The deadline for permit/adoption/archival is not June 1, although perhaps Deception Pass decided on that date with crouchcrew. The deadline had been May 15, but I requested and received permission from the State Parks to push this back to at least Aug. 15, so that everyone involved has more time to resolve the cache issues in a positive fashion where possible, and so it doesn't impede work on the GeoTour.

 

- I am quite disappointed that two of my favorite Deception Pass caches (both Favorites) must be removed, and their location didn't seem detrimental to me. I found Goose Rock back in 2003!

 

- However, the land manager has final say in what happens on their property - same as any other location - so let's not give the State Parks a hard time. We cachers didn't always follow their guidelines on permits, which is on us, but they have been great about giving us time to rectify the issues and have taken our advice in relaxing many of their caching guidelines. The current State Parks management is a great example of a savvy park system that wants to support geocaching and work with us. And crouchcrew has long been a great example of a geocache owner who works with the parks and builds relationships that lead to great (permitted) cache placements. Kudos all 'round!

[+lamoracke]

Abby, any update if Ewok Forest will be allowed to stay? Sol Seaker posted above if we knew of any other caches and with my friends, ignoring the Camano one, that is the most talked about one I hear of.

Edited April 10, 2013 by lamoracke

[+hydnsek]

Abby, any update if Ewok Forest will be allowed to stay? Sol Seaker posted above if we knew of any other caches and with my friends, ignoring the Camano one, that is the most talked about one I hear of.

I"m hoping so, now that the owner has made contact and noted that he hopes to keep the cache alive.