Official Missouri State Parks Policy

[+*gln]

This is the policy as it exists today. This is the link to the copy posted by the State of Missouri and is always the most up to date. http://www.mostateparks.com/geocaching.pdf

 

This is a link to the needed permit. http://www.mostateparks.com/geopermit.pdf

 

These will also be posted soon on the Missouri Geocachers Association site soon. www.MoGeo.com

 

Discuss. ......

 

GEOCACHING

1 of 4

Missouri Department of Natural Resources

Division of State Parks

1-800-334-6946

 

Missouri State Park System

Geocaching Policy

 

The Missouri Department of Natural Resources' Division of State Parks permits geocaching in keeping with its mission to preserve and interpret Missouri's heritage and to provide opportunities for safe recreational activities. The purpose of this policy is to establish management guidelines for geocaching, so as to minimize impact on the natural and cultural resources managed by the division. For purposes of this policy and the permit, we will be using the following definitions:

 

Cache - A hidden container filled with a logbook, pen/pencil, and possibly trinkets.

 

Datum - a point or line used as a basis for calculating and measuring.

 

Geocaching - Geocaching is a game for GPS (Global Positioning Systems) users. The basic idea is to have individuals/organizations place caches and share the locations of these caches on the Internet. GPS users can then use the location coordinates to find the caches. Once found, the user records their find on http://www.geocaching.com.

 

Multi-cache - Multiple cache containers are located from information received from the previous container.

 

Offset cache - Coordinates will take the visitor to a location to find a number stamped/written in or on an item at the location or once at the location, the user will continue the search according to instructions on the initial information received from www.geocaching.com.

Virtual cache - A virtual cache means there is no cache container. It's the location that is the cache itself. Nothing is normally traded, except photos and experiences.

 

Guidelines: 1. Any visitor wishing to place a cache on state park or state historic site property is required to complete and have approved an Official Geocaching Placement Permit.

 

2. Authority to approve the permits has been delegated to the facility manager or their designee.

 

3. Caches are not to be placed in sensitive archaeological, historical, or ecological areas such as historical buildings, caves, or locations that contain rare plant species.

 

4. Cache placement in recognized wild and natural areas needs to be kept to a minimum.

 

5. Prescribed burn units are to be monitored for consideration of placement. If the desired location is in an area that is scheduled to be burned within twelve months of the date of request, the unit is to be considered off limits for the placement of the cache.

 

6. The facility manager or designee is required to inform the applicant of any areas that have been recognized as off limits for placing caches.

 

7. No digging or disruption of the ground is permitted when placing the cache.

 

8. Caches are not to be placed in areas that could potentially cause danger to visitors trying to locate the cache, i.e. climbing on cliffs/bluffs, underwater or in potential flood areas, in trees, etc.

 

9. Multi-caches are limited to five total sites, yet treated as one cache and require only one permit.

 

10. If any park staff determines that the location of a cache poses a risk to park visitors, the owner is to be contacted and asked that the cache be moved to a safer location. All information regarding the risk is to be recorded on the original permit. If the owner relocates the cache, a new permit is to be generated.

 

11. If at any time the terms of a permit are violated, the facility manager has the authority to void the permit, remove the cache from its location, attempt to notify the owner or indicate on www.geocaching.com that the cache has been removed. Justification for these actions is to be recorded on the permit.

 

12. If a non-permitted cache is discovered, the facility is to remove the cache, retain it at the park office for 30 days and, if possible, attempt to notify the owner of their actions. If contact is not made, the cache is to be considered abandoned property. The property is to be retained in the event the owner comes to claim it at a later date.

 

13. A cache owner is limited to 2 cache permits in one facility at a time.

 

14. Caches are limited to one per 200 acres. This does not include the areas designated as off limits. Facilities are encouraged to place their own caches for interpretative and educational purposes. Facility caches should also have a permit included in the file.

 

15. Placement of caches along Katy Trail State Park will be at the discretion of the facility managers. The number is to be limited according to the individual sections of the trail. Caution needs to be given to the cache owners regarding placing the caches on adjacent private property.

 

16. Permits are valid for 12 months from the approved date.

 

17. Facility managers are authorized and encouraged, but not required, to open a free account on www.geocaching.com, produce a watch list and monitor the activity of the caches in their facility(s).

 

Procedures: 1. Cache owners wishing to place a cache on state park or state historic site property must complete an Official Geocaching Placement Permit. The facility manager or designee is to review the permit and the cache for policy compliance.

 

2. The cache containers must display the words "Official Geocache" clearly on the outside of the container.

 

3. An explanation of the geocaching activity is to be included in the container. (See the attached form for an example.)

 

4. The cache owner is to monitor the site monthly and maintain family friendly contents. This means the cache is not to contain food, alcohol, firearms, drugs, dangerous items or adult items.

 

5. Once the cache is placed, the applicant is to return to the facility office to record the exact location information for completion of the permit. The facility is to keep a park map indicating the exact cache locations in the file with the permits.

 

6. The facility manager has the option of taking a photograph of the cache or asking the cache owner to provide a photograph(s) of the cache and attaching it to the permit.

 

7. After the permit has been completed the facility manager or designee will approve or deny the permit. For approval, the following items need to be reviewed for policy compliance: • Cache is not located in sensitive archaeological, historical or ecological areas. • No damage or disturbance of the ground will result from placement of this cache. • The cache is not located in an area scheduled to be burned during the duration of the permit. • The cache is not in an area that might cause potential danger to park visitors, i.e. climbing on cliffs/bluffs under water or in potential flood areas, etc. • Text for the cache has been reviewed, and it is accurate and complies with Missouri State Parks Geocaching Policy. Non-compliance of policy requirements will result in denial of the permit.

 

8. The original copy of the completed permit is to remain on file at the facility. A copy of the permit, approved or denied, is to be given to the cache owner. If the permit is denied, the justification is to be recorded on the permit.

------------------------------------

This container has been placed here with permission of the

Missouri Department of Natural Resources Division of State Parks.

 

GEOCACHE SITE - PLEASE READ

 

Congratulations, you've found it! Intentionally or not! What is this hidden container sitting here for? What is this thing doing here with all these things in it?

 

It is part of a worldwide game dedicated to GPS (Global Positioning System) users, called Geocaching. The game basically involves a GPS user hiding "treasure" (this container and its contents) and publishing the exact coordinates so other GPS users can come on a "treasure hunt" to find it. The only rules are: if you take something from the cache, you must leave something for the cache, and you must write about your visit in the logbook. Hopefully, the person that hid this container found a good spot that is not easily found by uninterested parties. Sometimes, a good spot turns out to be a bad spot, though.

 

IF YOU FOUND THIS CONTAINER BY ACCIDENT:

 

Great! You are welcome to join us! We ask only that you:

 

• Please do not move or vandalize the container. The real treasure is just finding the container and sharing your thoughts with everyone else who finds it.

 

• If you wish, go ahead and take something. But please also leave something of your own for others to find, and write it in the logbook.

 

• If possible, let us know that you found it, by visiting the web site listed below. Geocaching is open to everyone with a GPS and a sense of adventure. There are similar sites all over the world. The organization has its home on the Internet. Visit our website if you want to learn more, or have any comments: http://www.geocaching.com

 

If this container needs to be removed for any reason, please let us know. We apologize, and will be happy to move it.

 

Reference: Official Geocaching Placement Permit

[+*gln]

There are already a number of issues being worked out. One is the cache spacing of "one cache per 200 acres" I am going to assume an equadistant spacing in the park. Messing around with the numbers, I come up with one cache in the enter of each 200 acre circle. The circle of land would have a radius of .315 mile. If each cache is placed in the center of each plot of land the spacing from cache to cache would be .63miles (or there abouts.) This is more than adequate.

 

So, don't everybody go off the deep end trying to figure out what 200 acres is. We are working out the practical aspects of measuring this now.

 

( BTW: 200 acres is .3125012934 Square miles, 8712038.6879027 sq. feet, 8093746 sq km, 32000.131 sq poles or 20000064.2473424 sq links (Gunter's) )

 

Another issue is notification and time to get permits. This is also being worked out. The Parks system knows where all the caches are already. I am trying to figure out how to notify all the cache owners at once but I don't think that is possible. There is going to be an ample time to get permits for existing caches but do get the permits as soon as you can. The cache owners will be contacted with more info.

 

The Parks System is excited about geocaching and is working with us to bring geocaching into the parks in an orderly manner. The last thing I want to do is irritate the parks officials that have been working hard on this project. I will be gathering questions and constructive criticism and will work to get answers to whatever comes up. I really do not want to do anything to jeopardize our relationship with the parks.

 

Glenn

[+welch]

What they mean by 'permit' is still somewhat unclear to me. Is the 'form' you fill out for the park manager, the permit?

 

Will it be possiable to tell if a cache has been oked by the park manager without going to the park office? (the only differences I see is that the container would definetly have the works "Offical Geocache", and some sort of stash note saying its placed with permission)

[+*gln]

The form that you fill out is the permit. I dont know if the fileing of the permit can be done by email or not but number 5 in procedures states.

quote:

---

"5. Once the cache is placed, the applicant is to return to the facility office to record the exact location information for completion of the permit."

---

 

They have a stash note already done for us saying that is was appoved by the parks department. The continer must be marked, as you said and that is about all. No special extra rules other than the ones we already follow. They have been very accomadating.

 

Even with a spacing of .6 of a mile vs the 0.1 mile we nomally use, a 5000 acre park could have 25 cache in it. Right now we have a park here about that big, it has 2 caches in it.. Still plenty of room. :-)

 

glen

 

[This message was edited by *gln on September 28, 2003 at 09:11 AM.]

 

[This message was edited by *gln on September 28, 2003 at 09:12 AM.]

[+welch]

quote:

---

Originally posted by *gln:

The form that you fill out is the permit. I dont know if the fileing of the permit can be done by email or not but number 5 in procedures states.

...

They have a stash note already done for us saying that is was appoved by the parks department. The continer must be marked, as you said and that is about all. No special extra rules other than the ones we already follow. They have been very accomadating.

...

---

Ok, so there is no stickers/decals or such that other areas have been known to use??

 

[+Sandrich]

Hi there! I'm wondering just how the Missouri DNR policy is working so far? My contacts in PA indicate that getting any new caches with thier DCNR has been a very slow process that takes months. In MN that DNR has banned caching in state parks, and in WI we're waiting to hear. Back home in MI, we're operating under a kind of "Gentlemen's Agreement". Any feedback anout your state's experience with it's DNR would be helpful, thx.

 

[+welch]

quote:

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Originally posted by Sandrich:

... In MN that DNR has banned caching in state parks, and in WI we're waiting to hear. Back home in MI, we're operating under a kind...

---

Not to drag this off topic, but I've heard some people say that MN is now developing a policy to allow caching, but no one seems to know anything specific (or when it will be done ).

[+Sandrich]

What my contact with the MN group of cachers told me was that thier DNR is "studying the sport" prior to making any policy.

 

[+welch]

quote:

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Originally posted by Sandrich:

What my contact with the MN group of cachers told me was that thier DNR is "studying the sport" prior to making any policy.

---

On the MNCGA site theres this thread about the progress. Its starts (Feb. 03) out discussing what to say to the DNR in an upcoming meeting, and progresses to eariler this month on the second page. As I said it still doesn't doesn't tell what or when.

It seems that lizs has heard similar, see the last post here.

[+*gln]

quote:

---

Hi there! I'm wondering just how the Missouri DNR policy is working so far?

---

 

So far, I have not approved any new caches using the policy so... So far, so good. :-)

 

I can tell you that the person that drafted the guidelines is real excited about geocaching and is happy to be dealing with us (i hope). She is most helpful and wants to do whatever she can to make geocaching work in the State Parks. We have talked to the person in charge of the caching at a local state park here and that person went around with a geocacher most of the day Sunday and found all the caches and loved it. They have asked us to give a geocaching class like we do for the county parks system and she plans on trying to work geocaching into their educational programs. That will be worked on shortly.

 

I think everything is going great. I dont hardely think we could have gotten a better response from the parks folks. There as a few little issues that we are clarifying but other than that everything is good.

 

Our contact person for the parks is:

 

(Barbara Wilson

Training, Development and Conference Coordinator

MDNR - Division of State Parks

Phone: 573-522-1598 Fax: 573-751-8656

Internet Mail: nrwilsb3@mail.dnr.state.mo.us )

 

Glenn