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Thread: NFS staching rules??

  1. #1
    Q Guest

    NFS staching rules??

    Where do I find national forest rules for stashing. I figure I will stick some over there soon. For that matter, anything else I should pay attention to at our first placement trips?

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Oct 2005
    Location
    Russellville
    Posts
    1,117
    Yesterday, I paid a visit to the Ozark NF office in Russellville, to find out about their new policy on geocaching. I had heard about it from Saddlebags, who has recently been through the process in order to place some new caches. Like mountainborn, I have several caches hidden in the national forests (both the Ozark and Ouachita), and I wanted some details. I was given a copy of the new policy and I also had them email me an electronic copy of it so that it would be easy to share with others. I'm not sure how to upload the file to the AGA website, and I contacted Gaddiel for some direction. I'm still working through how to do that, but in the meantime, if anyone wants an electronic copy, send me an email through my geocaching.com profile and I can send you one (specify Adobe or Word format).

    Some things I learned:
    (1) The new policy applies only to the Ozark-St. Francis National Forest. They said that the Ouachita NF was also working on a new policy, but they didn't know the status. The fellow at the Ozark office said he would contact the Ouachita office in Hot Springs and find out and let me know.
    (2) Each national forest sets their own policy, rather than being dictated by Washington. That also means that a NF can decide not to have a policy.
    (3) The subject of grandfathering existing caches was hinted at by me, but I did not receive a definitive response on whether permits would be required or not. I guess I should have been more forthright about it, but I was hoping a "don't ask, don't tell" policy would apply.
    (4) The permit form needs to be filled out and signed and either dropped off or mailed to one of the Forest Service offices. It will then be sent to the district office where the cache is to be hidden and they are supposed to send someone out to check the proposed location to make sure it's OK before they approve it. I was told that it might take 7 to 10 days for an approval to go through. (This is REALLY slow, considering I have permits in 2 different state parks that I had received approval on within 15 minutes!) It sounds like if you send the permit request straight to the district office for the area you'll be hiding your cache, you'll probably speed things up a bit. That is, if you can figure out which district the site is in!
    (5) The fellow I talked to at the Russellville office was very helpful about providing information (of course, it helps that I know him!) and said they were interested in supporting geocaching, because they recognize that it is a form of recreation, which is one of the purposes behind our national forests. They just want to know what's hidden out there and make sure that the caches aren't placed in dangerous, historical, or sensitive areas.
    (6) I was told that the National Forest would soon be publicizing this new policy. How and when was not really made clear. (Again, I didn't ask too much about this since I planned on spreading the word through the AGA forums.)

    The bottom line: the rules have changed but the Forest Service is willing to work with geocachers to let us use the national forest for our game.

    I apologize for the length of this posting, but there was a lot of stuff I wanted to pass on to everyone. (I told the Forest Service guy I would!) I'll make a separate posting to provide everyone with the text of the new policy. -- ORR
    "Wildness is a necessity." -- John Muir

    "I would rather wake up in the middle of nowhere than in any city on earth." -- Steve McQueen


  3. #3
    Join Date
    Oct 2005
    Location
    Russellville
    Posts
    1,117
    Here's the text of the new policy on geocaching in the Ozark-St. Francis National Forest:

    Approval of cache contents, design, and location must be granted prior to placement of any items on public lands.
    Participants of Geocaching must restrict their activities to areas that are open to the public. Caches are off limits on closed roads, unless traveling by foot.
    Caches will last for no more than one year. Reapplication and authorization must be done in order to keep caches on public lands.
    Access routes and caches will avoid fragile areas, such as rock shelters, caves, bogs, wetlands, steep slopes, National Registered Historic sites and structures, and other sensitive areas. Do not use areas closed to the public.
    At developed sites, adhere to all rules and regulations posted at sites.
    Traditional Cache sites are prohibited within wilderness areas. Only virtual caches will be allowed in wilderness areas.
    Caches will not be placed along side cliff edges or any location needing climbing equipment or any other safety equipment to be located.
    Caches will not interfere with or detract from other visitors’ experiences.
    Applicants will not dig soil or cut vegetation when developing a cache.
    Caches will be no more than 2 gallons or 12 inch x 12 inch x 12 inch in size.
    Caches will not contain any food, hazardous materials, alcohol, drugs, or other illegal items.
    Containers will be labeled on the outside so that it would not be mistaken as containing hazardous materials.
    Caches will be publicly accessible. There will be no “members only” or subscription caches.
    Geocachers are encouraged to follow “leave no trace” outdoor ethic techniques.
    If at any point Geocachers violate Forest Service Policy, the cache will be removed and the individual will be ticketed/fined appropriately.

    Safety:
    Geocachers should only attempt hunting sites according to their experience level. Please carry a map and compass in case of poor satellite reception. GPS units compute distances in straight lines only. Differences in distance due to access as well as obstacles (cliffs, rivers, ponds, canyons) should be considered before attempting the cache location. Geocachers must plan ahead for their hunt by making sure they have adequate water, food, proper clothing, footwear, first aid kit and other items needed for travel in the forest. The use of ladders, ropes and other vertical equipment can be dangerous for you and future hunters. Caches should not be placed in areas needing any of this equipment to access. The USDA Forest Service does not take any responsibility for any injuries that may occur to an individual due to hazardous placement of a cache.

    (The applicant has to sign and date the policy form at the bottom, to show that they "agree to uphold all policy and safety procedures stated above".

    For those of you who have gotten state park permits, these requirements shoud look familiar. The form used to provide information about the cache contains the same sort of information required for a state park permit. (See the Download section of this website to view that form.)

    Like I said in the previous posting, I'm working through how to get the policy and application form uploaded onto the AGA website, but in the meantime, if anyone wants an electronic copy, send me an email through my geocaching.com profile and I can send you one (specify Adobe or Word format). -- ORR
    "Wildness is a necessity." -- John Muir

    "I would rather wake up in the middle of nowhere than in any city on earth." -- Steve McQueen


  4. #4
    Q Guest
    "Access routes and caches will avoid fragile areas, such as rock shelters, caves, bogs, wetlands, steep slopes, National Registered Historic sites and structures, and other sensitive areas."
    Well, that takes a lot of the fun out of it! So much for a place I had in mind. Thanks for the info, Oldie.

  5. #5
    Thanks for the information OldRiverRunner. I already knew some of the details you provided, but there were several new things that I hadn't heard about or was uncertain about. I will send you an email to request a copy of the policy.

    Chuck Walla
    "Volunteering is for suckers. Did you know that volunteers don't even get paid for the stuff they do?" -- Homer Simpson

  6. #6
    mountainborn Guest
    I can see right now that we have been having too much fun, and minor functionarys embeded in bureaucracy just couldn't stand it.
    I expect this controlling agency will experience the same outcome as the Federal Communications commission did with Citizens Band Radio.
    Lots of rules.
    Lots of demands.
    Little enforcement with the exception of high profile cases.
    Is the USFS over staffed to the extent that they have surplus man power to actualy send out on geocaching expeditions to seize, identify and prosecute these horrible offenders ?
    Why, of course not, the USFS is staffed thinly with many of it's members doing the work of and filling the shoes of many.
    The fact that geocachers are wanting to generate more paperwork and details for them, is likely a thorn in their side !
    Maybe there are geocachers that would really like to enforce the "new rules" for the USFS.
    Maybe a geoSWAT team that could "self police" caches for the controlling agency.
    The geoSWAT team could inspect caches for compliance and report to each district ranger, removing them as nesecary and issuing tickets to offenders.
    They could have lots of patches on a colorful uniforn and have the weight of a government agency to prop up their self proclaimed authority.
    Volunteers ?
    Anyone ?
    Requesting that regulation be placed upon the sport can be made to sound noble and even logical, you know, "for the sake of preserving the sport".
    However it sure does take something away from the sport.
    Does anyone wonder why there are those geocachers that find and trade items in geocaching, but never make a log book or a internet log entry.
    Ever wonder why there are those that seem to cross over to the dark side and find and vandalize or steal caches ?
    The bean counters among us will rellish more regulation.
    They will be unhappy with this post.
    I am ok with that.

  7. #7
    cachemates Guest
    After reading mountainborn's post I went back and read what ORR posted. The part about taking from 7 to 10 days to approve a cache got me to thinking. mountainborn's profile shows he has 42 caches hidden, most of those are in in the Ouachita NF. If it takes 7 days to approve a cache it would take 294 days to get just his caches approved. If it took 10 days 420 days.
    We need to get in line now. Where does the line start?

  8. #8
    Q Guest
    Quote Originally Posted by cachemates
    We need to get in line now. Where does the line start?
    Ya can't get there from here!

  9. #9
    polijn Guest
    I think I have most of the information on the different districts laying around here. I know it's all at work. I'll see about putting something together with a list of phone numbers and different districts of the Ouachita National Forest.

  10. #10
    BACKPACKNJACK Guest
    Quote Originally Posted by OldRiverRunner
    Here's the text of the new policy on geocaching in the Ozark-St. Francis National Forest:
    Caches will be publicly accessible. There will be no “members only” or subscription caches.
    Has anyone bothered to explain to the State Parks Service…and the National Forest Service that one of two things is apparent here, either all caches are “members only caches,” or none are "members only"?

    I’m a premium member so when logged in I can see the coords to “?” caches but my sister and brother and cousins and friends, etc. can also see them, but they are not premium members.

    “Members only“ doesn’t actually mean members only, anymore then “micro” actually means microscopic, Even though I think GC should have dropped this type/style of cache, these caches are not exclusive to some special group nor banning any particular groups. Anyone can see them, they are open to the public but only if you are signed in and they don’t cost a dime so why would they ban “members only“ caches unless they have been misinformed or uninformed that “members only“ means nothing anymore or they are actually banning all caches because you Must be a signed-in-member to see the coords thus find the caches.
    Now if the wording on this isn’t something the committee should be working on with these services I don’t know what would be.
    I have other issues with the wording of this ruling but being only the voice of a small frog croaking in a big pond I have stripped the rest of this post and will email it directly to the 5 sitting committee members.
    Plus,/....
    BPNJ

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