+Fresh_Meat Posted January 6, 2003 Share Posted January 6, 2003 I was curious if there would be any support in Oregon for a state wide geocaching association? It sounds like it would be fun to get people from this state together and to have a voice that could be heard on the different issues that affect us... or to promote the sport... or whatever!!! Opinions, comments? Good, bad? Quote Link to comment
+Logscaler and Red Posted January 6, 2003 Share Posted January 6, 2003 Not sure what your looking for. How does a association have more voice in this game then a single person? Or a small group? Would TPTB listen more to a association? How would the association be structured? If East siders join in the minority, would the West side be willing to hold "meetings" over in Ontario-Bend-Medford-Brookings instead of Eugene-Salem-Portland? Just wondering. I myself would be willing to at least look at or consider joining. TTFN, logscaler. Quote Link to comment
+Fresh_Meat Posted January 6, 2003 Author Share Posted January 6, 2003 Have you looked at the WSGA is doing? They worked with the Washington State Park Dept. to come up with guide lines for putting caches in the parks. Things like like, but for Oregon cachers. Maybe regional groups might be more effective for counties and municipalities. I'm talking basic and general, not knowing how to set up such an item. But people should be willing to go most anywhere there is a "meeting" if they joined or are participating members. Maybe it's just a gathering site for cachers of Oregon to come and talk. Maybe guidence on placing caches or to help speak out on the sport. I know that doesn't sound much different than what is done ad-hoc today. That's why I posted the question... to see if it might make sense to do it on a state level. Been kicking the idea around to see if something like this would fly for the Eugene/Corvallis area... just help newbies or media if they have question. Maybe also work with Lane/Benton/Linn/etc. County Parks to see where we can hide caches, that kind of stuff. I just then thought on a bigger scale... seeing what a state-wide group might provide or help with this sport. Quote Link to comment
+misguided one Posted January 6, 2003 Share Posted January 6, 2003 Just want to clarify 1 or 2 things. As the chair for the WSGA advocacy committee, we haven't obtained any official guidelines from WA State Parks as of yet. The guidelines on the the WSGA website are the product of the members of WSGA. We are in the first contact stages with WSP. As we work with the WSP, expect changes to the guidelines. Organizing a group like the WSGA, is a lot of work. Keep in mind that organized groups tend to have a louder voice when dealing with government agencies. Quote Link to comment
+Family O Foxes Posted January 7, 2003 Share Posted January 7, 2003 Looking forward to hearing more details! ~Amy of FoF Quote Link to comment
skydiver Posted January 7, 2003 Share Posted January 7, 2003 I believe that, when dealing with outside agencies, that geocachers should appear as an organized force of responsible outdoorsman, rather than a ragtag disorganized cluster of hooligans. MOOG (The Missoula Organization Of Geocachers) was started primarily so that we could all organize upcomming event caches and such more easily, and just chit chat about geocaching in the area, without cluttering the whole Northwest forums with our purely local topics. ::cough::cough:: But now it has morfed into a group that is actively trying to promote responsible geocaching locally, in order to head off problems other areas have seen with land managers banning geoching. MOOG has begun preliminary discussions with the Lolo National Forest regarding cache placement within it's managed areas, after they expressed concern over a particular cache placed within a wilderness area. MOOG also openly discussed, and voted to adopt a section of highway for litter removal which was just finalized and formalized recently. Not something a few individuals, unassociated with any club, would likely do. One reason we decided to call ourselved the Missoula OOG, instead of Montana, was that we didn't want to imply that we were the voice of geocachng for the entire state. We had no intention of ever holding meetings in Bozeman or Billings, or anywhere else in the state, so if geocachers in those cities wanted organize their own clubs, then more power too them. And then maybe, sometime in the future, we could all merge into the United Geocaching Clubs of Montana, or something like that. Anyway, good luck, whichever you decide! --------------------------------------- "We never seek things for themselves -- what we seek is the very seeking of things." Blaise Pascal (1623-1662) --------------------------------------- Quote Link to comment
+Jennifer&Dean Posted January 7, 2003 Share Posted January 7, 2003 Of cOurse, if we called it Montana United Geocachers (MUG) then we could take lots of MUG shots and drink out of MUG mugs! Maybe start regionally, then expand until you have taken over the world. See Starbucks for an example! Good luck whichever way you end up organizing! -Jennifer Nothing is really work unless you would rather be doing something else. (JM Barrie) Quote Link to comment
+Family O Foxes Posted January 7, 2003 Share Posted January 7, 2003 It should be kept to a local level or even regionally like the Central Willamette Valley. I would say keep to the west of the range out to the coast. North to say, Corvallis or Salem and maybe Roseburg to the South? Just my $.02 Any farther south and we're branded as the "black plastic bag people" or farther west and we're limited to large ammo cans in the desert. But seriously, Not sure how interested I would be in traveling much more than an hour for a meeting, unless of course I can log it! Jay - FOF Quote Link to comment
+Logscaler and Red Posted January 7, 2003 Share Posted January 7, 2003 Now then Family o foxes, how are you going to plant large ammo cans in the desert if you head west of the coast??? And As for breaking up into local groups and then forming one large organization, that might be workable. I think us over here in the Bend area have a start, slow as of now but a start, on forming a local group. As of now, Red and I will sit back and watch. Heck, if Red and I had to join groups where ever we cache, I would go broke with dues!!! TTFN, logscaler. Quote Link to comment
+Seth! Posted January 7, 2003 Share Posted January 7, 2003 The Washington State Geocaching Association is developing chapters. This allows us to have a statewide organization (strength in numbers) and still provide meetings and other opportunities throughout the state. It's all still new, but I'm optimistic. I'd suggest a similar path for Oregon. Seth! President, WSGA Quote Link to comment
+Coasties Posted January 15, 2003 Share Posted January 15, 2003 I've been thinking about this very thing for a while now. On a number of occassions we've considered hiding caches in areas that would need authorization from either a government agency (BLM, local government, parks department) or a business. It would make it much easier to approach these organizations as a member of a group vice as an individual. I believe a losely organized group utilizing chapters is the way to go, thus allowing the group to grow and prosper without relying on a single individual or a core group of members to run it. Just something to think about. Shawn & Katrina Millang aka The Coasties Quote Link to comment
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