What can we do?

[AR-HICK]

I have recently completed the Delorme Challenge for Arkansas, and have noticed as I am sure most of you have of the lack of geocaches in parts of the state. There are also not a lot of cachers from that part of the state that are active on this website. The purpose of this website is to promote geocaching in Arkansas. We have a lot of good people on this website who are intelligent and may have a good answer. I would be willing to do my part to help. I know the number of caches in an area has some relevance on the number of cachers in that area.


I am posing a Question to all Geocachers:

How do we improve caching all across the state and get more people involved in Geocaching in the cache poor areas of our state?

AR-HICK

[Woodwalker9]

I would love to see cachers and caches grow in those areas of the state that seem to be cache poor. I would be willing to drop a few caches in those areas myself and perhaps get locals interested in hunting them. If we saw an increase in cachers in the area, perhaps they would be willing to adopt them. Just a thought. Like AR-HICK, I am interested in what others may think.

[idratherbehiking]

I think it is a great idea to hide some caches in those areas and possibly get some new cachers in those areas to adopt them at a later date. Maybe an email to some of the cachers in those areas that are not members of ArkGeo is all what we need to get them to check out this site. I am making a committment to do a lot more in the coming year to help promote geocaching in Arkansas than I have in the past. I have seen this sport grow quite a bit in the last four years since I started and I want to do all I can to help make it better.

[AR-HICK]

That is the best idea I have heard so far. The more caches there is the easier it is to spark intrest in the area. I have seen this for myself in Morrilton, It was just a couple of us and now there is a few more cachers in the area and they are placing caches. I am going to start looking for a place that needs a couple of caches. A few phone calls and a trip to place the caches sounds like nothing to hard. Maintaining them for a while shouldn't be to bad, that will just give me a reason to clean up the new caches that will be popping up. :lol:

If everybody did this, WE might could make a difference :?:

Anybody else want to chime in :?:

[BSA534]

I placed 6 in my old hometown a few months ago and when I went home this week there were 2 new ones in the area. I noticed its brought a lot of out-of-town cachers in to find these, but it still doesn't look like any of the locals have checked them out yet. The local newspaper did a story about geocaching so I'm hoping some folks down there will give it a try.

[topkitty98]

I think it would be cool if we seeded these areas, got them adopted, maybe had a CITO or 2 around in these areas with some kind of local advertising - show the area people another benefit to caching.

?
Beth
>^..^<

[Dentful1]

Saturation is the key. Take Glenwood for example. Just 2 years ago there were only 2 caches. Now there are over 30 not to mention about another 20 in the immediate area. When you place caches at businesses you should be asking the owner to place a cache and through that is a great opportunity to share the "gospel." Glenwood only had Cachemates as an active cacher but now there are a few more and many others interested.

[cfd29]

I agree, we have started to try to get the Delorme Challenge also, I have had a goal of trying to find a cache in every county in the State, Does anyone know if there are any counties that have no caches at all in them?? I know it is going to take me quite a while to achieve this goal, but will get it done some day.. or year..

[AR-HICK]

I have just checked and I cannot find a cache in Quachita County. I hope to remedy this soon. I am planning to place a few caches in Camden after the first of the year. I am in the process of contacting someone for permission on placing a few caches in the area. I have choosen Camden because of it's lack of any caches. I never even thought about the counties 8O .
It has a couple of parks and I was thinking this might be a good place to start. I hope to place a few at businesses when I am down there. As far as the rest of the state :?: :?: :?: :?:

Anybody else know?????

[cfd29]

I don't know about that area, but that sounds great, we are slowly trying to make weekend trips and try to go to areas we have not been in, I have a state map and check off the counties, you can use It's not all about the numbers and it will print out a county map of each of the states you have found caches in , it may take me several years but my main goal is to have all 75 Arkansas counties filled in..

[Dentful1]

CFD 29. Google Earth does have and option to put county borders on the map. Load state caches to Google Earth and click on LAYERS in the left column and click BORDERS AND LABELS click BORDERS then CLICK 2nd LEVEL ADMINISTRATION (COUNTY). That will put borders around your counties then just go exploring around.

[Dentful1]

CFD 29.
I couldn't resist. SO FAR I have found 5 Counties with no caches
Ashley
Calhoun
Ouachita
Lee
Woodruff

Monroe County has 1 cache that is just .20 mile inside the line.

Lafayette, Bradley, Nevada, Dallas, Cleveland, Prairie only have 1 cache in them.

This info maybe wrong so do some more research. The way Google works is the closer you get to the ground the more caches pop up.
Good Luck.

[Team_Pink]

I think AR-Hick is on a roll here! I think seed caches in parks are a great idea. A state park would be a good place and there are several in that part of the state. Woodwalker posted a spreadsheet with all the state parks in it. I put them in GSAK and also in Streets and Trips. I'll upload them if I can figure out how to do that.

If the PR committee could get a State Park to put on a geocaching activity it would also allow for the activity to get published in the local paper and really get the word out.

[Dentful1]

Cachemates and I had an idea once to go to a Chamber of Commerce meeting. Explaining to them what Geocaching is all about and how it brings people to a city and how it can boost revenues in the city and also clean up a city because we believe in CITO. You can tell them that they can make this an OFFICIAL Geocaching city by advertising which people see and this will get people asking what it is and they will become interested. Chamber of Commerce is just a group of business owners. If you speak about bringing in revenue they will listen.
We hadn't done it yet but plan on doing so.

[cfd29]

Your ideas are right on, if there are a lot of caches in a city,county, it will bring in cachers, when you bring in cachers, they will stop in and buy a meal, or maybe spend the night, go into a store and buy something, on and on, it all spells to spending some money in an area, which any city or town should be in favor of. At least that has been the case with us, we will return to an area that has a lot of caches so we can find them!!

Thanks for the google earth idea, I will have to try that

[AR-HICK]

I figured out why Camden has on caches, it is so hard to find contacts on the internet. :lol: I finally got in touch with the parks director today. He is going to contact the Mayor lets see what happens?

Any Cachers within 50 miles willing to help?