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Nc Parks And Recreation Requirements


elf king

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The following is the second page of a directive issued by the N.C. Parks and Recreations Department. I was not given page 1.

 

This brings up the question of getting permission to set a cache. I don't know how some of the geocachers are able to set any caches, much less numerous ones. I've not been able to think of a way to set a cache within the county I live in. What are some ideas? The park guidelines below are so restrictive and expensive, that it discourages me. It also makes me think that at least one or two of the 81,000 caches world-wide may have been placed without permission. Do you think?

 

Staff Directive 02-02

June 26, 2002

Page 2

 

North Carolina Parks and Recreations Department

Geocache Requirements

  • Virtual caches should be encouraged in lieu of physical caches

  • The $30.00 fee is to waived for virtual caches

  • The person applying for the permit shall provide a valid address and telephone number

  • The cache placement location, including GPS coordinates, must be stated on the permit and approved by the park superintendent to minimize undesirable impacts to cultural and natural respources as well as minimize hazards to the public

  • A specific time period when a cache may be left in place shall be designated to minimize the creaion of spur trails. At the end of the designated time period the cache is to be removed and the web site posting retired by the permit holder.
    The actual time period the cache is permitted to be in place will be determined by the park superintendent, not to exceed three months.

  • Caches may not be buried, nor may vegetation or stones be disturbed when selecting cache locations.

  • Cache containers are to be transparent and have some form of latch or other closure to deter wildlife

  • Contents of the cache are subject to inspection by park staff at any time; park staff will have the authority to remove any items deemed unacceptable. Examples include food, medicatioins of any type, pornography, weapons of any type, etc. A log book is encouraged in lieu of exchange items.

  • All cache website postings must request the cache searchers to leave a ntoe on their vehicle dashboard identifying the operator as being a geocacher. Orienteering groups in parks currently do this for safety reasons.

Geocaches and any contents that are removed by park staff are to be documented in a case incident report. Park staff should periodically review the geocaching wibsites tomonitor caches placed within the park.

 

This staff directive is effective immediately.

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All cache website postings must request the cache searchers to leave a ntoe on their vehicle dashboard identifying the operator as being a geocacher. Orienteering groups in parks currently do this for safety reasons.

 

And..... they want to dictate what you write on the cache page and tell me what to leave in my car while visiting one of their parks?!?!?!?! Sheesh....

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I think it is great that they have simply not banned caches as has happened elsewhere.

 

$30 seems kind of steep but I guess that is what they figure it costs them to monitor caches.

 

90 days seems way to short. Maybe once they have lots of positive experiences this can be extended.

 

A note on a dashboard is a good idea. I do a lot of multi-night wilderness travelling and one of the key safety considerations is letting someone know where you are going and when you'll be back - so they can look for my body if I don't show up when I am supposed to.

 

Now if you are off in the woods hunting a cache and fall down wouldn't it be nice if the parks staff noticed your car and your note. Then they would know where to look for you. I think this rule is for your own safety.

 

Les.

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Thanks for pointing me to the south and southeast forum. I had never seen it and don't yet know how to get there, but I'll find out.

Our park superintendent went further than the rules and told me that the caches could not be placed off the trail but must be on it where anyone could find it. What's the use?

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I guess they are not aware of the War on Virtuals.

I think that it's land managers like this example who are part of the thinking behind the strict standards for approval of a virtual geocache. If virtuals were freely approved as geocaches, then land managers will say "why run the risk of having a box hidden in the park when there can be a virtual cache instead?" There are many other land managers besides North Carolina who have said the same thing.

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In all likelihood, you could go back and read Hawkeye's topic from 2002 that was linked to in a search above.

 

The rangers came upon a cache site that was somewhat dug up in one or two state parks and prescription drugs in another one. This caused them to draw up the policy also in its entirety in that topic.

 

There were also spur trails being created and cache sites on protected lands (even according to other geocachers, not just park staff).

 

NCPS got a rough initiation into geocaching it seems and because of that they swung back equally as rough. Other park systems have been far more reasonable.

 

This wasn't "the hand-wringers", Criminal.

 

Edit: Ok, that was cleared up.

Edited by ju66l3r
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In all likelihood, you could go back and read Hawkeye's topic from 2002 that was linked to in a search above.

 

The rangers came upon a cache site that was somewhat dug up in one or two state parks and prescription drugs in another one. This caused them to draw up the policy also in its entirety in that topic.

 

There were also spur trails being created and cache sites on protected lands (even according to other geocachers, not just park staff).

 

NCPS got a rough initiation into geocaching it seems and because of that they swung back equally as rough. Other park systems have been far more reasonable.

 

This wasn't "the hand-wringers", Criminal. Ahem...butthole.

Sorry if that was understood wrong, the buttholes are the park idiots. $120 a year to hide a cache? Bull.

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I can't believe that such a stupid, arrogant, policy has been in place for so long and nobody has challenged it. What type of country do you people live in?? What a bunch of wimps. If people involved in any activity do not respect the parks that they visit, then of course, they ought to be dealt with, but to regulate the hell out of law abiding citizens partaking in a healthy, harmless, innocuous activity such as geocaching is simply ridiculous. Activities that are inherently detrimental to parks should be regulated (or banned) but there is no way that Geocaching fits into such a category.

 

If such policies are allowed to remain unchallenged, then Geocaching is in serious trouble.

 

By the way, how much do they charge for a frisbee throwing permit??

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Yup the NC parks system came down hard on some cachers with bad

'tudes bad in the beginning of the sport. Rather than try to foster some cooperative policiies the cachers tried to be subvertive and aggressive. Now we have some heavy handed Government Policies in place. :)

To compound it-those cachers aren't really active anymore. :)

I am trying to find some time to prepare some alternative suggestions. I have a great working relationship with another organization in the same State department as NC Parks and Rec.

 

Hopefully we can work throught this as there are some awesome parks and lands that aren't really open to us right now. :P

 

Suggest this thread either be moved to South, or closed.

Move along folks, Nothing new here to see.

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[*]The $30.00 fee is to waived for virtual caches

[*]...minimize undesirable impacts to cultural and natural respources as well as minimize hazards to the public

[*]A specific time period when a cache may be left in place shall be designated to minimize the creaion of spur trails.

[*]...remove any items deemed unacceptable. Examples include food, medicatioins of any type, pornography, weapons of any type, etc. A log book is encouraged in lieu of exchange items.

[*]All cache website postings must request the cache searchers to leave a ntoe on their vehicle dashboard identifying the operator as being a geocacher.

 

Geocaches and any contents that are removed by park staff are to be documented in a case incident report. Park staff should periodically review the geocaching wibsites tomonitor caches placed within the park.

 

This staff directive is effective immediately.

Personally, I would hope that some governmental agency that put this many rules and regulations would at least be able to write a one page directive with no grammatical or spelling errors.

 

...is to waived... (?)

...natural respources...(?)

...minimize the creaion...(?)

...medicatioins of any type...(?)

...to leave a ntoe...(?)

...the geocaching wibsites tomonitor caches...(?)

 

Sorry, it's hard to take seriously a directive with that many errors in just one page. Something about professionalism, or lack thereof. What's bad, though, is that they seem to have the power.

 

(In the interest of minimizing a this post, I snipped the heck out of the original, but I think you still see what I'm getting at.)

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Missouri State Parks has a fairly good policy on geocaching. The person who put the policy in place with State Parks system is a strong advocate of geocaching. I'm sure that any organization that has questions or concerns should contact MoStPks and see how geocaching and parks can mutually coexist and even benefit each other. One of the State Parks is even putting out their own caches. They can be found at GCH7CP and GCH6V3.

 

Here is the link to the MoStPk policy on Geocaching

 

http://www.mostateparks.com/geocaching.pdf

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Well, All... At least NC allows geocaching (after a mutilated fashion...not disturbing vegetation YEESH!). The Kentucky State Department of Parks has BAN on caching on state park lands . No Geocaching of any sort . NONE!! but I do know of one... :) that kinda got grandfathered in LOL :) Nope I ain't a tellin where! And it isn't mine!

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Sorry, it's hard to take seriously a directive with that many errors in just one page.  Something about professionalism, or lack thereof.  What's bad, though, is that they seem to have the power.

It sounds like elfking was handed a sheet of paper. I would imagine that he had to type all of that page into these forums by hand. You should cut him some slack.

Edited by mtn-man
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Sorry, it's hard to take seriously a directive with that many errors in just one page.  Something about professionalism, or lack thereof.  What's bad, though, is that they seem to have the power.

It sounds like elfking was handed a sheet of paper. I would imagine that he had to type all of that page into these forums by hand. You should cut him some slack.

If elfking made the typo's then no flames intended for him. If that's the way the memo was, then the flame is intended for agency that put it out.

 

I've seen too many edicts that needed to go through spell check, so I assumed (yes, I know what assume means), that what I saw was a copy of the actual memo.

 

Don't know why you thought the fire was directed at elfking, but, in the event he too, thought that, my apologies.

 

;)

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Don't know why you thought the fire was directed at elfking, but, in the event he too, thought that, my apologies

Actually, I typed it in and in my haste didn't proof it. Sorry. No offense taken.

 

BTW, someone suggested this be moved to another thread, but I don't know how. Be glad to do that.

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Don't know why you thought the fire was directed at elfking, but, in the event he too, thought that, my apologies

Actually, I typed it in and in my haste didn't proof it. Sorry. No offense taken.

 

BTW, someone suggested this be moved to another thread, but I don't know how. Be glad to do that.

Thanks for not taking offense, as it sure wasn't meant.

 

Dumb me, I just assumed it got cut & pasted in.

 

Oops! There I go with the assume again. ;)

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