Just recieved a copie of the arizona watch wich is the site stwarts little paper.....read it for your self (see below it from a scan) but as far as what i get out of it guess we were just spinning are wheels at the meeting 2 months ago....but from reading it one sure can tell were al the misinformation that the paper came from....dam me just about want to go and replace the cache of mine that i archived.....grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr
NEW OUT DOOR GAME IMPACTS ARCHAEOLOGY
By Shelley Rasmussen, Site Steward
in May oF 2000, the Clinton Administration took the restrictions off the OPS (Global Positioning System) to a!low the coordinates to be more accurate f0r civilians. Within a few days, geocaching was born. Since then, geocaching has become international, encompassing 134 countries and, as of August 2, 2002, there are over 34,000 active geocache sites. There are also over 800 geocaches in Arizona and the number is rt'sing exponentially.
what
is geocaching? it is a high tech scavenger hunt that requires a computer; a OPS and in many cases a four wheel drive vehicle or an API. To play this game, the coordinates of a geocache are given on the internet, and then the idea is to go out into the field to find the cache, using a GPS. The cache is usually a Tupperware bow!, ammo can or plastic bucket. Within the container am trinkets or toys that the geocachers are to take one and leave one and return to the web site to disCuss their adventure, as well as, to keep track of how many geocaches they have Found. This is a great way to hone your navigational skills and a fun Family or group experience.The problem that we have, as Site Stewards and members of the archaeological community, is that there are many archaeological sites that are being used for placing geocaches. The impact to these archaeological sites has been dramatic with artifacts being removed and in some cases the confidentiality of the location of the sites having been compromised. The environmental impact is also damaging, where the ATV's have driven off the roads and beaten new trails to the sites.
There is a rule on the geocache web site
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that claims that permission shouid be asked to place the cache whether it is located on private or pu6lic land. There is also a paragraph that states that as of May 28, 2002, archaeological sites are not to be used for geocaching and any caches located at or near an archaeological site should be moved. So far, no one has acknowledged this rule.
The land managers are working on pollcies dealing with this issue. Arizona State Land Department has proclaimed that geocaching is not allowed on Arizona State Trust Lands and geocaches will be confiscated and in order to claim their cache, the coordinates are given to the downtown office for Arizona State Trust Lands. BtM~s policy is that geocoching is permitted on their public land us long as the geocachers stay out of wilderness areas as well as cultural resource sites and special fragile areas. Maricopa County Parks discourages geacaching in the County ~arks and, not allowing geocachiny at archaeological sites,
We have no problem with geocaching, as long as the geocachers follow their own rules and stay away from the archaeological sites and be careful not to impact the environment in a negative way. We just ask for responsible geocaching.
To find out if there is geocaching going on in your area, go to
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http://www.geocaching.com and enter your zip code. You will get a list of geacaches in the area and when you select one, you will gala read out and a map showing the geocache locations, as well as the coordinates.
As thIs newsletter goes to print, Mary Estes, the State Program Coordinator and Steve Gross, representing the Arizona geocachers, are planning a meeting to open dialogue between the Arizona Site Stewards and the geocachers. Representatives of the Site Program and various land managers have also been invited. We will report the results of this meetin~ in the next
WATCH.