How about your state?

[+Team MGGPS]

I was looking at some threads earlier and saw this--An Officer and a Gentleman.

The last post on the cache is from the state park admin advising that they had removed the cache.

In my own state the park admin has removed or asked owners to remove caches. This is getting out of hand we should be able to place caches on these public lands. The idea of contacting the park admin for "permission" is a no-brainer, if you have to ask permission you know the answer is probably going to be no.

[Dinoprophet]

The Michigan DNR website says it has no problems with geocaching on state land. When I asked my county parks for permission, they asked me to help set up some official caches for them. The local metropark system has set up its own multi-cache (and it's a doozy!) And a national forest that had previously been removing geocaches now allows it (in certain designated areas) after friendly discussion with local cachers.

 

So Michigan couldn't be happier!

Well, we could have more interesting terrain, but we only have the glaciers to blame for that.

 

Now cache away, cache away, cache away all!

[Rubbertoe]

quote:

---

Originally posted by MGGPS:

This is getting out of hand we should be able to place caches on these public lands. The idea of contacting the park admin for "permission" is a no-brainer, if you have to ask permission you know the answer is probably going to be no.

---

 

This subject has been beaten to death, but basically it comes down to this. If the parks in your area do not allow geocaching, then you are SOL. Your options are to either place a cache there anyway and risk it being confiscated, not place a cache there at all, or try to talk to the powers-that-be and figure out if some agreement can be reached.

 

Complaining about it here in the forums won't do anything to help your cause... and the more people that place caches without asking, the more likely it is that park administrators will be annoyed by geocaching in general.

 

If you wanna change these policies, take the time to talk to the folks about it - you can't know what will happen until you try. While I haven't asked to place any of my caches, the people in charge haven't been bothered to remove them or contact me about them - so until then, I guess I should consider myself lucky. But if the time comes when they say the caches must go, I'll just accept it since I didn't seek permission to place them in the first place.

 

Yeah, that is my policy when it comes to asking... don't ask, don't tell - and if someone calls you on it, just suck it up and remove the cache without bellyaching about it.

 

View The ToeCam

[+SkyTrek]

I'd like to see Groundspeak take the lead on this and petition the Parks & Rec Departments in each state to allow geocaching. With success stories like Michigan and a few others it should be relatively easy to assemble a document to show them that geocaching is no more intrusive than picnicing, fishing or hiking. With statistics, news stories, and thousands of participants a letter from Jeremy may get more attention than one from a single geocacher trying to hide tupperware in the woods.

 

A side benefit would be to show that those charter membership dollars are working hard for the betterment of the sport in general.

[+Web-ling]

Don't assume that is you ask, the answer will be no. T-Storm has asked and received permission for a cache on Army Corps land. The Fort Worth Nature Center allows up to five caches at a time on their property, and has even placed one of their own. VentureForth received permission from Lake Tawakoni State Park for this cache. Many other cache owners have received very positive results from asking permission.

 

[+Jennifer&Dean]

I need a Markwell to any other threads that gave examples of policies with forest Services or DNRCs or just parks and recreation groups. I have a copy of the Maryland Forest service policy, are there any others?

We am meeting on the 17th with the local Forest Service about formulating a policy that works for everyone. Lucky for us, the person we are gonna meet had been caching and is open to the idea (unlike some others in his office who practically bit my head off for "littering" in their forest).

Anyone?

-Jennifer

 

Nothing is really work unless you would rather be doing something else. (JM Barrie)

[+welch]

quote:

---

Originally posted by Jennifer & Dean:

I need a Markwell to any other threads that gave examples of policies...

---

Possiable links:this, that, three, four...

if you run a search under "state guidelines", or something similar you should be able to come up with several more threads.

 

[+Jennifer&Dean]

thanks! I needed those! Now al I gotta do is read every posting from all related forums and make up an info packet of what/who/where and how the policies work.

-Jen

 

Nothing is really work unless you would rather be doing something else. (JM Barrie)

[+briansnat]

I read the log of the guy who confiscated the cache.

"The existence of Geocaches in WA State Parks has been determined to posed a potential a hazard to the public and/or they have resulted in damage to the park resource.". What a load of horse doo.

 

Kind of funny, they filmed a movie at this site and have on their web page a list of movies that they proudly claim were shot there. Has anybody ever seen a movie set? I wonder what causes more environmental damage, a small box hidden in the woods, or hundreds of people, with lighting machines, cherry pickers, trucks, cranes and other heavy equipment?

 

"You can't make a man by standing a sheep on its hind legs, but by standing a flock of sheep in that position, you can make a crowd of men" -Max Beerbohm

 

[This message was edited by BrianSnat on December 02, 2002 at 06:24 PM.]