+Jamie Z Posted March 13, 2005 Share Posted March 13, 2005 A couple of weeks ago, I hid a new cache in Tunica county Mississippi, Batture. The cache was hidden without explicit permission, but given the location and the manner in which it was hidden, I was fairly sure that permission wasn't necessary. Just in case, my contact information (including name and phone number) is on the outside of the painted ammo box. Today, the land manager posted a find on my cache page. You can read it here. I'm supposed to go talk to the land manager on March 14. I wonder what he'll have to say. Jamie (This has been cross-posted to the MSGA forums.) Quote Link to comment
+Will+Bill Posted March 13, 2005 Share Posted March 13, 2005 Wow! He must have really liked the idea of the game. Quote Link to comment
+Will+Bill Posted March 13, 2005 Share Posted March 13, 2005 Look at his profile! You can't go wrong with a guy that likes Boy Scouts! Quote Link to comment
+Morgan's Marauders Posted March 13, 2005 Share Posted March 13, 2005 Very cool! Quote Link to comment
+southdeltan Posted March 13, 2005 Share Posted March 13, 2005 I found the cache today after the Land manager found the cache. My wife and I passed 2 workers near the trail head with an atv (I forget the model, it's one that looks like a souped up golfcart - maybe a mule or something). They told us where the trail branched off. The log written in the logbook was glowing. They definetly approved. The half dozen CITO canisters and large decal in the lid with CITO info couldn't have hurt, that's for sure. The area is regularly flooded by the MS river so they have to work hard to keep it clean. I wouldn't be worried (not that I think you are). I am impressed that they created an account and logged online. I had spoken to you in the past about hiding a cache in this new park - and based on what you said I figured you had permission - so I thought they were checking it out. They drove the ATV very near the cache - on the way out I noticed the tracks. If you're ever in NW MS and want to find a high quality cache - this one rocks. I strongly recommend it. Great park (glad to see that Tunica county has found yet another way to spend all of the excess casino tax money they have) right on THE river. I hope the meeting goes well. I suspect it will. southdeltan Quote Link to comment
nobby.nobbs Posted March 13, 2005 Share Posted March 13, 2005 go meet him and offer to take him to some other caches. he seems a great bloke. next time though ask permission. Quote Link to comment
magellan315 Posted March 13, 2005 Share Posted March 13, 2005 You could offer to help him create a geocaching policy for his park. This way he will know about any caches placed in the future. You might want to look at the policy used by the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources(DCNR), its pretty reasonable. Quote Link to comment
+CYBret Posted March 13, 2005 Share Posted March 13, 2005 Hey Jamie, don't forget to give him a brochure. The pictures of fresh-faced happy people really helps convince land managers that they have nothing to fear from people like YOU. Bret Quote Link to comment
+reveritt Posted March 13, 2005 Share Posted March 13, 2005 Don't go--it's a trap! Quote Link to comment
+rjo Posted March 13, 2005 Share Posted March 13, 2005 Wow, that is cool. I invisioned this being a "I got pwned by the land owner" post Spread the word, it couldn't hurt the sport to have more land managers on our side! Quote Link to comment
+JMBella Posted March 14, 2005 Share Posted March 14, 2005 Very cool. Maybe I'll forward this info to the NY State Parks dept. Look at his profile! You can't go wrong with a guy that likes Boy Scouts! There's a joke there somewhere but I better not. Quote Link to comment
+Jamie Z Posted March 14, 2005 Author Share Posted March 14, 2005 Hey Jamie, don't forget to give him a brochure. The pictures of fresh-faced happy people really helps convince land managers that they have nothing to fear from people like YOU. Bret, I hate to admit it, but it was my first thought. According to reports, the guy really bragged on my cache in the logbook. It wouldn't surprise me if he wanted other visitors to the museum to look for it. (Hopefully, if this is the case, he won't get overzealous. I've stated the importance to him that "regular" people not be able to find it, but geocachers can find it without difficulty.) I may have to print up a couple brochures to give him. So anyway, to answer the other comments in the thread: Regarding permission: Basically, the cache is hidden along a hiking trail on a Mississippi River floodplain. (Thus the cache name) Adjacent land is leased for hunting, mostly. It's more or less a tract of forested land owned by the county with a trail on it. Given this environment, weighed with the effort to obtain formal permission (there is no email contact address on the associated website!) I decided that permission would most likely be granted, and probably unnecessary. (Please don't turn this thread into a permission/no permission argument.) Regarding Magellan315's comment to encourage him to create a geocaching policy in the park: The park is fairly small. Personally, I wouldn't want any more caches there than mine. If someone else placed a cache there, it'd have to be an urban style near the parking lot, because apart from where I've hid my cache, the trail crosses oft-flooded swamp. The whole park is probably no bigger than a few city blocks. I've emailed the land manager thanking him for locating the cache and the positive comments on the cache page. I asked if he'd still like me to come down to the park as previously planned. Jamie Quote Link to comment
+TetrAmigos Posted March 14, 2005 Share Posted March 14, 2005 That's really neat! Quote Link to comment
Azaruk Posted March 14, 2005 Share Posted March 14, 2005 It's great when the park/reserve managers are sympathetic to the cause! We had a similar experience when one of our caches was found by a work-party clearing alien vegetation from the reserve. The park manager retrieved the cache, called me and suggested that, as he had a GPSr, he could place it somewhere else and give me the new coordinates!!!! I thanked him, but suggested that we would rather replace the offending cache ourselves, and that we would give him the co-ords and suggested he try to find it. Another convert to the game!!!! He also pointed out a trail we hadn't come across before, giving us directions and identifying a route to the bottom of a steep gorge, where, in his opinion, a really cool hiding place could be found. We scouted the area - he was right - and a new cache was born! His cooperation was amazing, his enthusiasm almost tangible, and we got a new player into the bargain! GREAT!!! Quote Link to comment
markandlynn Posted March 14, 2005 Share Posted March 14, 2005 Got to love these people. We thought our cache had been muggled for the second time until the caretakers of the site (holywell) created an account, emailed us, appologised!!! and replaced the cache in an even better location and told us they would email when they next did some tree work at the site. Quote Link to comment
+Jeep_Dog Posted March 14, 2005 Share Posted March 14, 2005 Today, the land manager posted a find on my cache page. If you think that is something, check out this local cache and experience with the land manager. Quote Link to comment
+Jamie Z Posted March 15, 2005 Author Share Posted March 15, 2005 (edited) I went to the park today and talked to the land manager. He was incredibly enthusiastic about the cache and had some good ideas, including keeping the cache stocked with CITO containers himself! He asked me if I'd send the .doc file for the CITO stickers I made for the film cannisters. He mentioned placing a geocaching logo at the entrance and keeping the coordinates at the front desk for those geocachers who weren't aware that there is a cache there. He said he was going to take all the staff members to look for the cache. Bret, I gave him three copies of the brochure and he asked me to email him the .pdf file. We had a long talk about geocaching and the Mississippi River, ane the park and museum on the property. You can read my log here. Jamie Edited March 15, 2005 by Jamie Z Quote Link to comment
+rjo Posted March 15, 2005 Share Posted March 15, 2005 Wow again, this is really cool! I wish we here in Ontario could get the same support from our park staff members! Quote Link to comment
+southdeltan Posted March 15, 2005 Share Posted March 15, 2005 I'm glad to see that went as I thought it would. It's been my experience that land managers around here are very receptive to the idea of geocaching, especially when mentioned with an increase in visitors to the park and the possibility of CITO. Good job, JamieZ! southdeltan Quote Link to comment
+CYBret Posted March 16, 2005 Share Posted March 16, 2005 Bret, I gave him three copies of the brochure and he asked me to email him the .pdf file. Jamie, Wonderful! I'm glad the brochure helped! Maybe he could print some out and keep them at the information stand at the park office. I've thought about seeding our parks' brochure stands with a few of them myself. Bret Quote Link to comment
Mvillian Posted March 17, 2005 Share Posted March 17, 2005 I like attitudes like his Quote Link to comment
+Team SAR-Dogs Posted March 22, 2005 Share Posted March 22, 2005 Wow! What a great guy! We have a park manager around here (Jacobsburg) that is responsive to caches as long as we keep them out of certain areas and they don't stick out like a sore thumb. I will be placing a new cache there soon to replace one that was stolen last year. Quote Link to comment
+fly46 Posted March 22, 2005 Share Posted March 22, 2005 Glad they were so enthusiastic. Around here, we have Warner Parks and they're so into caching that they hide their own. Caches are by permit, and we're required to check on them once a month, but that's just to help prevent a "geotrail" Land Managers Rock (when they're helpful) Quote Link to comment
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