Team Cthulhu Posted March 11, 2003 Share Posted March 11, 2003 I want to place a cache, but am hung up on the whole getting permission thing- anyone have any advice or stories- good or bad -on dealing with officials? Do most people get permission or just place them and hope for the best? There is a form for the state parks, but what about the smaller ones? Quote Link to comment
+Ttepee Posted March 11, 2003 Share Posted March 11, 2003 Hi Team Cthulhu, I started a thread similar to this awhile back regarding a NY county park system. I did not have good luck with these people but fortunately I believe that their attitude is more the rarity than the norm. They loved the idea of geocaching except for that they did not want the big bad internet attracting elements from out of town... "Putnam county parks are for the sole use of Putnam county residents." Though I don't think most county parks operate like this I have heard small town concern of the vastness of the internet as a medium to share this information. I would suggest approaching them with the environmental and family friendly values of geocaching and not place as much on emphasisis on the internet stuff. You may want to read some of the feedback I got from the thread I started to get an idea of what some concerns of cachers local to you may be regarding permission. I fall into the category of people that believe the parks people have a right to know what's in the parks they manage. As words of encouragement, I did not have luck with this park system but I have gotten support from other local parks and Land Trusts. You are lucky to have the presidence of PA State Parks geocaching policy making. Think positive and give it a try... Good Luck! Quote Link to comment
Team Cthulhu Posted March 11, 2003 Author Share Posted March 11, 2003 Thanks for your response- i checked out the previous post which left me feeling even more ambivalent towards the issue than before- Let me ask- who did you contact? Did you just go to a park ranger station, or make a phone call? Anytime I deal with government entities by phone it seems like I just get bumped around from person to person and nobody knows whats going on... Quote Link to comment
+briansnat Posted March 11, 2003 Share Posted March 11, 2003 Don't bother. You're just gonna get pushed from person to person, until it gets to the point they will say no, or conduct a study and hold months worth of hearings. Place your cache. Do it in a responsible manner and if the authorities ask you to remove it, then do so. Most agencies are aware of geocaching and don't want to be put on the spot by giving their official approval, but by ignoring the presence of caches on "their" lands, give the sport their tacit approval. A government that is big enough to give you all you want is big enough to take it all away. -Barry Goldwater Quote Link to comment
+Ttepee Posted March 11, 2003 Share Posted March 11, 2003 For each agency it's been different. I always look for an online source.... the two that approved my caches I was able to do completely by email. I have introduced myself at one of the preserves but I'm usually talking to someone else that knows about the geocache but nothing about me. At the state park I went to the local ranger station a total of 4 times... each time I went there was someone new in charge that was asking me to submit my request all over again. The last time I finally talked to the regional director who told me that these things take time. So I'm giving them time... They are aware of geocaches in their parks and had a positive attitude towards them so I didn't think the couple that I added would get in the way while we waited. Alot of people believe strongly in the "It's easier to ask forgiveness than permission" theory. I feel better about it all if I know I've tried. So long as we all respect each other we should all be able to enjoy our own way of going about things. Quote Link to comment
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