Because of the recent controversy surrounding the Goat Camp cache I have
been checking the Maricopa County Parks (MCP) web site from time to
time. This evening I discovered that they have published their revised
Geocaching policy at
http://www.maricopa.gov/parks/news/.
In my opinion it's a very fair policy. No surprise, it requires that
permission be obtained from the Park Supervisor before placing a cache.
I really like MCP's concept, which they first articulated at the land
management meeting last September but never before published, that less
restrictive placement considerations will apply to caches planned for
more than two miles from the trailhead.
One thing it doesn't address, and I don't recall it ever coming under
discussion, is what to do about caches already placed without
permission. I urge us to take the lead in this. If you have a cache
placed within MCP land for which you have not received permission,
please contact the appropriate Park Supervisor as soon as you can. Tell
him or her that you've seen the new policy on the web site and that
you'd like to obtain permission for your cache to remain. I plan on
doing this for Grandma Sarah's Cache, which we hid in the McDowell
Mountain Regional Park several months before the Republic article. When
permission is obtained, update your cache's description page to reflect
that fact.
If you know someone who's hidden a cache within MCP who may not
subscribe to this list, please let them know about the policy. If a
cache of yours is obviously in violation of the policy as stated on the
Web site, it would be best if you removed it and sought a permit to
place it in a new location within the park. If you happen to find a
cache within MCP that's in obvious violation of the rules, please
consider contacting the cache owner privately and letting them know
about the MCP policy.
It wouldn't surprise me to learn that other land managers are aware of
what MCP has done and will be watching what transpires to see if and how
well it works. What we do and don't do in MCP now could affect the
future of Geocaching throughout the state.
Steve
Team Tierra Buena
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