Bc Parks

[peetz]

Just a heads up on BC Parks....while walking back from doing a cache behind HQ.on south Vancouver island yesterday.A park ranger noticed that i had a GPS in my hand.He asked me if it was new, and if i was trying it out.I told him i have had it for a couple yrs and that i was a cacher.Thats when asked me where the cache was,I told him that it was back there in a tree,then he asked me to remove it.I told him that it was not my cache and could not do that.It seems that they do not want us going into OUR parks to cache.He asked me to let the caching comunity to refrain from putting caches in OUR parks,due to ecological dammage,and someone could step on a rare endangered plant.OK...now for the clincher...if any one one the south island has done this cache,they will have noticed that they have cleared a right of way very close to the cache.And also they have put a very LARGE group site there as well..hmmmmmmmmm go figure egological...NOT. How many of them rare orchids did they destroy doing that ..it makes no sense what so ever to me . I hope that the ranger reads this. and could shed some light on this topic .Its a catch 22 if you ask me...Dont forget ...those parks belong to the people of this province.

[Curious George]

This is currently being discussed by the Directors of the BCGA

[+MedicP1]

I have taken to carrying small bag of CITO garbage, obtained either on a hunt or from around my neighbourhood, in my caching pack. This way if you don't happen to find any on that particular cache adventure, very rare in most areas, then you still have 'something'. Then when you get a muggle who questions what you are doing 'rooting' around in the area, and you don't feel like explaining goecaching to them, you can just produce the 'bag o garbage' and state your cleaning up the area.

 

If you do choose to explain geocaching to someone official or even a muggle who start giving you grief then just produce the 'bag o garbage' and ask them where you should put all of the trash you collected. It normally shuts them up on the spot.

 

I used this trick the last time I was metal detecting the waterline on a public beach, when one of the 'full of himself' lifeguards came up to me and told me I had to stop as I was disturbing the other beachgoers. I explained that I was not bothering them and in fact had had a number of them come up and ask "What I was doing?" and "Did that thing really work?", which had led to some great conversations and thanks from them with appoligies for disturbing ME. He was still high on his horse and wasn't going to relent, so I just asked him where I could empty my trash pocket and proceeded to dump out all of the fish hooks, can lids, and various metalic debris I had collected off HIS beach, and casually mentioned to him they should clean up the waterline where all of the small kids were playing because if one of them had stepped on any of this trash, they along with their parents would be really pissed of, being it was a PUBLIC beach and HE was responsible for THEIR safe use of the beach. He directed me to one of the trash cans (in obvious plain site) and as I was dumping out my trash pocket he came over and watched all of the crap that I had removed from the waterline. As I finished, his demeaner changed and he appoligized for harassing me and thanked me for saving him from having to deal with upset beachgoers, then told me to keep on doing what I was doing.

 

I expect that presenting a harassing "official" with a bag of trash you removed from THEIR park or area would have the same humbling effect.

[[MTB]_Intrepid]

He directed me to one of the trash cans (in obvious plain site) and as I was dumping out my trash pocket he came over and watched all of the crap that I had removed from the waterline. As I finished, his demeaner changed and he appoligized for harassing me and thanked me for saving him from having to deal with upset beachgoers, then told me to keep on doing what I was doing.

 

I expect that presenting a harassing "official" with a bag of trash you removed from THEIR park or area would have the same humbling effect.

Wow, what a great idea. It's unfortunate that we can't just enjoy our quiet little hobby without being "hassled by the man". As far as ecological damage I have seen tree harvesters and porters obliterate streams on Crown land, all in plain sight of the DNR checking stumpage. I'm not saying we should be able to trample about wherever we please, but we are hardly the largest perpetrators.

[+High IQ]

Carrying a camera works well too. People figure you're just a crazy photographer and that your GPS is a light meter or something.

[+WCoaster]

Cashing out is definately a great way to defuse an argument and it is returning something to the netire community not just Geocaching.

 

Excellent approach.