[GeoStL] virtual caches are cool....
- From: Glenn <GLNash@xxxxxxxxxx>
- To: geocaching@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Sun, 08 Aug 2004 18:24:08 -0500
-
and when the land managers like them guess what.....
--------------------------------------------
New Sport Calls for New Guidelines on the National Forests
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Gainesville, Georgia August 4, 2004- Hiking, camping, bird watching=85.we=92=
re=20
all familiar with these popular activities that people enjoy on their=20
national forests. However, there is a new recreational pursuit taking place=
=20
on the National Forest that many of us haven=92t heard of before, it=92s=
called=20
geocaching. Although the Forest Service encourages people to get out and=20
enjoy their beautiful forest lands, when new recreation activities occur,=20
sometimes new guidelines are required to ensure protection of the national=
=20
forest resources.
So what is geocaching? According to Recreation Staff Officer Larry Luckett,=
=20
geocaching is a cache-hunting activity for Global Positioning System (GPS)=
=20
users. =93I hadn=92t heard of geocaching until two years ago,=94 Luckett=
stated,=20
=93but it is becoming a popular sport for individuals and families all over=
=20
the United States who have a GPS unit.=94 In fact, people in 199 countries=
=20
participate in geocaching with over 86,936 caches and 100,000 participants=
=20
worldwide.
Basically a combination of geography and hide and seek, how geocaching=20
works is that an individual will select a location and set up a cache in a=
=20
hidden spot (behind a tree, under a rock, etc). The cache is generally a=20
small box (like a fishing tackle box or a small Tupperware container) that=
=20
will contain a log in sheet for those who find the cache and small items=20
that people can take with them from the box as a souvenir. The location of=
=20
the cache is then publicized via the internet with coordinates using=20
latitude and longitude along with a difficulty rating of terrain. Sometimes=
=20
clues are given to help the user find the cache and sometimes finding the=20
cache requires rock climbing, scuba diving, or tree climbing. After the=20
individual locates the cache, they sign in and take a small item (pencils,=
=20
maps, marbles, tickets) from the cache and leave a small item for the next=
=20
person who finds it.
To keep up with this growing trend, the Chattahoochee-Oconee National=20
Forest managers have developed guidelines for geocaching within the=20
national forest. The Forest Service is requiring individuals to pursue=20
=91virtual geocaching=92 only on national forest lands in Georgia.
=93Virtual geocaching is similar to physical geocaching,=94 Luckett=
explained,=20
=93except there is no physical box or cache left on national forest lands.=
=94=20
Individuals still find a cache over the internet that they want to locate=20
except that instead of a box or a container on the ground, the cache is a=20
land feature such as a unique rock formation or a unusual tree=20
configuration at a selected site. Those seeking this virtual cache still=20
use the GPS unit and the clues to find the site, then they take a photo of=
=20
themselves at the unique feature and send it into the internet site to=20
prove that they made it to the location listed. =93What we=92ve found=
happening=20
on the national forests,=94 stated Luckett, =93is that a few of the caches=
were=20
left in inappropriate locations such as wilderness, and many of the caches=
=20
were never removed after they stopped being publicized=85so we have=20
essentially abandoned materials being left on national forest lands.=94 The=
=20
Forest Service has a policy in place to prevent dumping/littering within=20
our national forests and therefore, the abandoned caches fall under this=
rule.
=93Our intention is not to discourage people from participating in a=20
geocaching activity on the national forests,=94 said Luckett, =93our goal is=
to=20
prevent litter or abandoned items from being left on the forest.=94
If you have any questions regarding geocaching within the=20
Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forests please contact us at: (770) 297-3000=
=20
or check out the national forest website at www.fs.fed.us/conf/.
---------------------
Glenn
****************************************
Our WebPage! Http://WWW.GeoStL.com
Mail List Info. //www.freelists.org/cgi-bin/list?list_id=geocaching
Mail List FAQ's: //www.freelists.org/help/questions.html
****************************************
To unsubscribe from this list:
send an email to geocaching-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with 'unsubscribe' in the
Subject field
Other related posts:
- » [GeoStL] virtual caches are cool....
