[Az-Geocaching] National Forests

Team Tierra Buena listserv@azgeocaching.com
Thu, 23 Jan 2003 15:58:59 -0700


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I guess this would be my question too. It would seem that more people
engage in other types of activity that would cause more problems than
geocaching. In other words, I can tell my friends that he/she should
hike to this really cool, off-trail location that I found in a National
Forest, but if it's posted on a website as a geocache then it's against
the rules. 
 
I think you've probably nailed the heart of the matter here. In theory,
you shouldn't be encouraging your friend to go off-trail either, but
unless your friend a) takes you up on your suggestion, b) gets caught,
and c) watches too many episodes of "Law and Order" and decides to drop
the dime on you, you're never going to have any repercussions from your
suggestion. We DO break some rules, and then we tell the whole world
exactly where we've committed our infractions.
 
  Either way there is a possibility of a new trail being started as
people find out about this location. I'm not sure of the difference.
Isn't geocaching (in National Forests) just hiking with a goal of
finding the cache. 
 
If the rest of the world was as honest and morally upright as we
Geocachers, we could place our caches right on the edge of the trail,
and non-cachers would just leave them in peace for us to find, and
probably none of the land management agencies would care about what
we're doing. But reality is different.
 
 If the concern is new trails being started, then wouldn't they just
have to ban hiking altogether?  
 
There are those who would do just that. 
  
 I'm not trying to stir things up, but this kind of doesn't make any
sense. I certainly understand the need of the rangers to protect our
National Forests and I appreciate their effors, but it seems like they
are trying to correct some issues by banning a very small (in comparison
to other activities) group of people. 
 
Small but rapidly growing. To some extent we may be suffering because of
the ATVers, and I'm not blaming the ATVers. There are many land managers
who feel that because their agencies didn't react to the explosion in
popularity of those machines quickly enough, their lands were overrun,
and they're not going to repeat that mistake with something that's
growing as quickly as Geocaching. And the easiest (not necessarily the
most effective) way to control something is to prohibit it.
 
Just some thoughts. 
 
Good ones, all.
 
Steve
Team Tierra Buena


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<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2><EM><FONT face=3D"Times New Roman"=20
size=3D3></FONT></EM></FONT>&nbsp;</DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE dir=3Dltr=20
style=3D"PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #0000ff 2px =
solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px">
  <DIV><FONT face=3DArial><FONT face=3D"Times New Roman">I guess this =
would be my=20
  question too. It would seem that more people engage in other types of =
activity=20
  that would cause more problems than geocaching. In other words, I can =
tell my=20
  friends that he/she should hike to this really cool, =
off-trail&nbsp;location=20
  that I found in a National Forest, but if it's posted on a website as =
a=20
  geocache then it's against the rules.<SPAN =
class=3D467250922-23012003><FONT=20
  face=3D"Book Antiqua" =
color=3D#0000ff>&nbsp;</FONT></SPAN></FONT></FONT></DIV>
  <DIV><FONT face=3DArial><FONT face=3D"Book Antiqua" =
color=3D#0000ff><SPAN=20
  class=3D467250922-23012003></SPAN></FONT></FONT>&nbsp;</DIV>
  <DIV><FONT><FONT face=3D"Book Antiqua" color=3D#0000ff><SPAN=20
  class=3D467250922-23012003>I think you've probably nailed the heart of =
the=20
  matter here. In theory, you shouldn't be encouraging your friend to go =

  off-trail either, but&nbsp;unless your friend a) takes you up on your=20
  suggestion, b) gets caught, and c) watches too many episodes of "Law =
and=20
  Order" and decides to drop the dime on you, you're never going to have =
any=20
  repercussions from your suggestion. We DO break some rules, and then =
we tell=20
  the whole world exactly where we've committed our=20
  infractions.</SPAN></FONT></FONT></DIV>
  <DIV><FONT><FONT face=3D"Book Antiqua" color=3D#0000ff><SPAN=20
  class=3D467250922-23012003></SPAN></FONT></FONT>&nbsp;</DIV>
  <DIV><FONT face=3DArial><FONT face=3D"Times New Roman"><SPAN=20
  class=3D467250922-23012003>&nbsp;</SPAN> Either way there is a =
possibility of a=20
  new trail being started as people find out about this location. I'm =
not sure=20
  of the difference. Isn't geocaching (in =
National&nbsp;Forests)&nbsp;just=20
  hiking with a goal of finding the cache.<SPAN =
class=3D467250922-23012003><FONT=20
  face=3D"Book Antiqua" =
color=3D#0000ff>&nbsp;</FONT></SPAN></FONT></FONT></DIV>
  <DIV><FONT face=3DArial><FONT face=3D"Book Antiqua" =
color=3D#0000ff><SPAN=20
  class=3D467250922-23012003></SPAN></FONT></FONT>&nbsp;</DIV>
  <DIV><FONT><FONT face=3D"Book Antiqua" color=3D#0000ff><SPAN=20
  class=3D467250922-23012003>If the rest of the world was as honest and =
morally=20
  upright as we Geocachers, we could place our caches right on the edge =
of the=20
  trail, and non-cachers would just leave them in peace for us to find, =
and=20
  probably none of the land management agencies would care about what =
we're=20
  doing. But reality is different.</SPAN></FONT></FONT></DIV>
  <DIV><FONT face=3DArial><FONT face=3D"Book Antiqua" =
color=3D#0000ff><SPAN=20
  class=3D467250922-23012003></SPAN></FONT></FONT>&nbsp;</DIV>
  <DIV><FONT face=3DArial><FONT face=3D"Times New Roman"><SPAN=20
  class=3D467250922-23012003>&nbsp;</SPAN>If the concern is new trails =
being=20
  started, then wouldn't they just have to ban hiking =
altogether?&nbsp;<SPAN=20
  class=3D467250922-23012003><FONT face=3D"Book Antiqua"=20
  color=3D#0000ff>&nbsp;</FONT></SPAN></FONT></FONT></DIV>
  <DIV><FONT face=3DArial><FONT face=3D"Book Antiqua" =
color=3D#0000ff><SPAN=20
  class=3D467250922-23012003></SPAN></FONT></FONT>&nbsp;</DIV>
  <DIV><FONT face=3DArial><FONT face=3D"Book Antiqua" =
color=3D#0000ff><SPAN=20
  class=3D467250922-23012003>There are those who would do just that.=20
  </SPAN></FONT></FONT></DIV>
  <DIV><FONT face=3DArial><FONT face=3D"Times New Roman"><SPAN=20
  class=3D467250922-23012003>&nbsp;</SPAN></FONT></FONT><FONT =
face=3D"Book Antiqua"=20
  color=3D#0000ff><SPAN =
class=3D467250922-23012003>&nbsp;</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
  <DIV><FONT face=3D"Book Antiqua" color=3D#0000ff><SPAN=20
  class=3D467250922-23012003>&nbsp;</SPAN></FONT>I'm not trying to stir =
things up,=20
  but this kind of doesn't make any sense.&nbsp;I certainly understand =
the need=20
  of the rangers to protect our National Forests and I appreciate their =
effors,=20
  but it seems like they are trying to correct some&nbsp;issues by =
banning a=20
  very small (in comparison to other activities) group of people.<SPAN=20
  class=3D467250922-23012003><FONT face=3D"Book Antiqua"=20
  color=3D#0000ff>&nbsp;</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
  <DIV><SPAN class=3D467250922-23012003><FONT face=3D"Book Antiqua"=20
  color=3D#0000ff></FONT></SPAN>&nbsp;</DIV>
  <DIV><SPAN class=3D467250922-23012003><FONT face=3D"Book Antiqua"=20
  color=3D#0000ff>Small but rapidly growing. To some extent we may be =
suffering=20
  because of&nbsp;the ATVers, and I'm not blaming the ATVers. There are =
many=20
  land managers who feel that because their agencies didn't react to the =

  explosion in popularity of those machines quickly enough, their lands =
were=20
  overrun, and they're not going to repeat that mistake with something =
that's=20
  growing as quickly as Geocaching. And the easiest (not necessarily the =
most=20
  effective) way to control something is to prohibit =
it.</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
  <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT>&nbsp;</DIV>
  <DIV>Just some thoughts.<SPAN class=3D467250922-23012003><FONT=20
  face=3D"Book Antiqua" color=3D#0000ff>&nbsp;</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
  <DIV><SPAN class=3D467250922-23012003><FONT face=3D"Book Antiqua"=20
  color=3D#0000ff></FONT></SPAN>&nbsp;</DIV>
  <DIV><SPAN class=3D467250922-23012003><FONT face=3D"Book Antiqua"=20
  color=3D#0000ff>Good ones, all.</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
  <DIV><SPAN class=3D467250922-23012003><FONT face=3D"Book Antiqua"=20
  color=3D#0000ff></FONT></SPAN>&nbsp;</DIV>
  <DIV><SPAN class=3D467250922-23012003><FONT face=3D"Book Antiqua"=20
  color=3D#0000ff>Steve</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
  <DIV><SPAN class=3D467250922-23012003><FONT face=3D"Book Antiqua"=20
  color=3D#0000ff>Team Tierra =
Buena</FONT></SPAN></DIV></BLOCKQUOTE></BODY></HTML>

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