Fort Worth Nature Center and Refuge Caching Stipulations

[troutlily]

Hi Everybody! I am the Natural Resource Manager for the Fort Worth Nature Center and Refuge. The staff here welcomes geocachers with a few ground rules. Thank you for helping us to protect and conserve this important green space!

 

GEOCACHING STIPULATIONS

 

The staff at the Fort Worth Nature Center and Refuge recognizes that the sport of GeoCaching is growing in popularity, and that the Refuge seems an obvious fit for the activity. However we do have concerns about preserving the feel of wilderness and conserving our natural resources, and so have drawn up this list of stipulations for placing and maintaining caches on the property:

 

1) All persons wishing to place a cache on the Nature Center must contact a senior staff member (Director, Nature Center Supervisor, Natural Resource Manager) for approval of the requested placement site.

2) Caches must be located no farther than 50 feet from an official trail.

3) Caches will remain in place no longer than 12 months.

4) No more than 5 caches will be allowed on the property at any one time. Any additional caches will be removed.

5) Persons seeking caches are required to stay on official trails until closely approaching the cache site. No orienteering.

 

Nature Center staff will monitor both the GeoCaching web site and caches on the ground. At the first sign of damage to the resources such as the appearance of an unapproved trail, soil compaction, vegetation damage, etc., staff will pull the cache and notify its owner to come pick it up. Staff will also pull any approved caches that remain after their time limit is up. Caches that are placed without authorization will be removed immediately.

 

Contact Information:

Suzanne Tuttle, Natural Resource Manager

817.237.0427

TuttleS@ci.fort-worth.tx.us

 

Rob Denkhaus, Nature Center Supervisor

817.237.1111

DenkhaR@ci.fort-worth.tx.us

 

Wayne Clark, Nature Center Director

817.237.6940

ClarkW@ci.fort-worth.tx.us

[+Web-ling]

I've been in contact with troutlily, and have volunteered to be a sort of liaison between geocaching and the Nature Center.

 

[+Web-ling]

I will be meeting with the the staff at the Nature Center on Thursday morning, May 30, to discuss geocaching at the Center. If anyone has any issues they'd like me to bring up, please email me.

 

[+Web-ling]

I had a great meeting this morning with Susanne Tuttle (troutlily) of the Nature Center. Some of the highlights:

 

The park is very interested in geocaching. They just want to ensure it is done in an ecologically friendly manner.

The existing caches in the park have all been grandfathered in. None needs to be moved at this time.

We discussed setting up some virtual caches in addition to the 5 physical caches that will be allowed to exist. One possibility would be a GPS nature hike, with geological or biological points of interest along the trail.

We discussed setting up a “Cache In, Trash Out” multi-cache.

We are welcome to schedule a NTGA event at the park this fall.

The Nature Center wants to incorporate GPS and geocaching into their programming. They have contacted Garmin about the possibility of getting some kind of a deal on GPS receivers. They also would be thrilled if any geocachers who happen to upgrade their GPSr wanted to make a tax-deductible donation of their old GPSr to the park.

The comment was made that in all likelihood, whatever they do about geocaching at the Nature Center will probably be adopted by ALL Fort Worth City Parks.

They have offered us space on a bulletin board inside the Visitor’s Center to put up a display about geocaching.

 

I have agreed to continue working with the park staff to develop geocaching into their programming. If anyone would like to help me produce a display and/or brochure, PLEASE let me know. Also, if you have an old GPSr that you’d be willing to donate to the park (tax-deductible), contact Suzanne Tuttle (troutlily), Natural Resource Manager 817.237.0427 TuttleS@ci.fort-worth.tx.us

 

[+martinp13]

I had created a "find something on every trail" cache out there, put up 90% of the "signage", but had one "sign" and the cache box to put out. I never finished it, but I suppose most of it is still out there... I wonder if they've come across my clues?

 

> Martin (Magellan 330)

Don't have time to program and record your shows while geocaching? Get a TiVo!

[+martinp13]

I had created a "find something on every trail" cache out there, put up 90% of the "signage", but had one "sign" and the cache box to put out. I never finished it, but I suppose most of it is still out there... I wonder if they've come across my clues?

 

> Martin (Magellan 330)

Don't have time to program and record your shows while geocaching? Get a TiVo!

[+unclerojelio]

quote:

---

Originally posted by troutlily:

 

GEOCACHING STIPULATIONS

 

1) All persons wishing to place a cache on the Nature Center must contact a senior staff member (Director, Nature Center Supervisor, Natural Resource Manager) for approval of the requested placement site.

2) Caches must be located no farther than 50 feet from an official trail.

3) Caches will remain in place no longer than 12 months.

4) No more than 5 caches will be allowed on the property at any one time. Any additional caches will be removed.

5) Persons seeking caches are required to stay on official trails until closely approaching the cache site. No orienteering.

---

 

Wow! that all sounds more than fair to me. I'll have to make it up the road to cowtown one of these days. I wish Austin were so broad-minded. But then again, I haven't even lifted a finger (yet!) in the way that Web-ling has.

 

... Two roads diverged in a wood, and I--

I took the one less traveled by, ...

 

unclerojelio

[+unclerojelio]

quote:

---

Originally posted by troutlily:

 

GEOCACHING STIPULATIONS

 

1) All persons wishing to place a cache on the Nature Center must contact a senior staff member (Director, Nature Center Supervisor, Natural Resource Manager) for approval of the requested placement site.

2) Caches must be located no farther than 50 feet from an official trail.

3) Caches will remain in place no longer than 12 months.

4) No more than 5 caches will be allowed on the property at any one time. Any additional caches will be removed.

5) Persons seeking caches are required to stay on official trails until closely approaching the cache site. No orienteering.

---

 

Wow! that all sounds more than fair to me. I'll have to make it up the road to cowtown one of these days. I wish Austin were so broad-minded. But then again, I haven't even lifted a finger (yet!) in the way that Web-ling has.

 

... Two roads diverged in a wood, and I--

I took the one less traveled by, ...

 

unclerojelio

[+Web-ling]

quote:

---

Originally posted by martinp13:

I had created a "find something on every trail" cache out there, put up 90% of the "signage", but had one "sign" and the cache box to put out. I never finished it, but I suppose most of it is still out there... I wonder if they've come across my clues?

 

> Martin (Magellan 330)

Don't have time to program and record your shows while geocaching? Get a http://www.tivo.com!

 

Make it into a virtual, and my guess is they might approve it. Contact TroutLily and ask...

 

[+Web-ling]

quote:

---

Originally posted by martinp13:

I had created a "find something on every trail" cache out there, put up 90% of the "signage", but had one "sign" and the cache box to put out. I never finished it, but I suppose most of it is still out there... I wonder if they've come across my clues?

 

> Martin (Magellan 330)

Don't have time to program and record your shows while geocaching? Get a http://www.tivo.com!

 

Make it into a virtual, and my guess is they might approve it. Contact TroutLily and ask...

 

[+martinp13]

I wouldn't dare make someone walk every trail out there and not give em a box to find.

 

> Martin (Magellan 330)

Don't have time to program and record your shows while geocaching? Get a TiVo!

[+martinp13]

I wouldn't dare make someone walk every trail out there and not give em a box to find.

 

> Martin (Magellan 330)

Don't have time to program and record your shows while geocaching? Get a TiVo!