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  • 01/07/2005 at 4:33 am #1722829
    Flushingrouse

      First off I’d like to encourage you to check out my bio page at http://home.wi.rr.com/lcdcreations/wga_elections_biography_page.htm

      I’d like to answer WZBT03’s questions here in order. Thanks for the ?’s

      #1 In regard to what I have to offer the board in the next two years involving the annual picnic and campout..

      I have participated in the last picnic and campout by volunteering my time to place caches prior to each event as well as create what I hoped would be a few unique containers in order to provide a quality experience for those that attended… I’d like to continue to do that because I ALMOST get as much out of placing caches as I do finding them… I don’t think any one member of the board should act as an individual where these events are concerned. Yes, responsibilities should be delegated but the bigger decisions should be made as a whole. I’d be willing to do whatever is necessary per the board decisions.

      #2 In regard to mentoring

      This is a tough one but if the question refers to recent ethics incidents, I’d like to see something like that be handled “behind the scenes”. I think a nudge in the right direction is all it takes sometimes. If nothing were to come of that approach, the entire board would have to get involved and come to a decision as to what would be the best way to handle each situation individually…

      #3 In regard to my caches placed being assets to geocaching in Wisconsin

      I’d like to think that all of my past/present caches would be considered as assets to Wisconsin. I’ve never been involved in hosting an event and I don’t think that would be something I’d be interested in. I intend to continue placing caches of my own as long as I feel they are interesting/creative enough to put my name on them. I hope this would automatically make those caches “assets”.

      Thanks for the questions! Please let me know if you’d like clarification on any of the above.

      [This message has been edited by Flushingrouse (edited 01-06-2005).]

      01/13/2005 at 4:54 am #1758347
      Flushingrouse

        For the sake of discussion, perhaps the candidates could list any of the contributions they’ve made to the WGA? Items such as volunteering to help with events, hiding caches temp caches, any suggestions that have been implimented, etc…
        Or, perhaps you may want to list any special skills or abilities that you would bring to the board.

        In the past I’ve had the pleasure of getting involved in hiding and retrieving temp caches at the last campout and picnic… I also created a few unique containers for these temps which I thought others would enjoy finding…

        Along with some help from “Tie” we were able to build the repeater that we all benefit from at the events. I was also honored in the past with having my design for the Hartman Creek event being printed on all of our t-shirts…

        I’ve been currently working with GrouseTales/The Board in designing and laying out a “Geo-Permission” form to be used when working with land owner/manager when hiding caches. This should be available via our website soon.. We’re also working on a sticker design to better identify our cache containers in the field.

        As you can see, I’ve been involved behind the scenes in the past and have thoroughly enjoyed it. I’d love to have the opportunity to do more…

        Thanks for reading…

        Bill/Flushingrouse

        01/15/2005 at 1:26 am #1758348
        Flushingrouse

          What direction do you think the board should take specifically regarding what issues you think should be addressed (if there are more issues than one what is the order of priority in addressing these issues)…and what skills/experiences do you have to help to facilitate this direction?

          I think there are a few issues that we should continue to address…

          First, is how our activity (geocaching) is viewed in the public eye and the eye of the land owners/managers… There are a few ways this can be achieved. One, is through education. I think some of the materials that have been produced thus far are teriffic! PowerPoints, Brochures, printed articles, etc. All do the job nicely, but nothing beats one on one contact with another person/people..

          We need to go more “public”. To me that means “taking it to the people”. Kind of an FYI thing. “This is geocaching, this is what we do, and this is who we are”… I still think that geocaching needs to be “sold”… I’ve learned it pays to be proactive. The beast mentions a great idea about the Sport Show in one of his posts.. Food for thought!

          We need to be “squeaky clean” in the way we conduct ourselves while out there doing our thing. Always give a smile or wave! Pick up after yourself! Respect the area!! I’m not saying this isn’t happening now, we just need to continue the good work. One wrench in the gears can cripple the whole machine..

          Another item…The work that has been done with the DNR to date has been great. That needs to be continued and maintained as well.

          Like others, I’d like us to start “giving something back” on a more regular basis. Whether it’s a park clean up, building benches, Skywarn project (like we just did) or, whatever… I think it’s just a good idea…

          Thanks again for reading!!

          See you on the trails!!

          ~Bill

          Edited for spelling snafu!!

          [This message has been edited by Flushingrouse (edited 01-14-2005).]

          01/15/2005 at 11:37 am #1758349
          Flushingrouse

            Another question asked:
            WGA Membership growth is showing a disturbing trend. In the past six months, we count 160 new members while 155 memberships expired. While we report about 650 members at year’s end, about 275 of those memberships have now expired. It appears that membership has actually leveled off at less than 400 with no growth while the number of cachers walking Wisconsin trails doubles annually. What do you see as possible reasons and how would you propose we get growth back on track?

            Wow!! This is something to be concerned with. Utimately, it should be a goal of the WGA to represent as many Wisconsin cachers as possible. There’s strength in numbers!! Not to downplay the topic, but I think all orginizations will experience some kind of fluctuation in membership.

            After reading the statement about the numbers of cachers leaving I began to wonder a bit: “Why would anyone want to leave?” “are our caches not so hot?” “are we not nice people?” etc etc.

            Here’s where I go out on a limb.(I may be completely wrong).

            Without having more detailed information at hand, here’s my take on the subject… I believe that if we were to do a bit more digging into the profiles of people who have left the WGA, we would find that the majority of these were not that active of cachers anyhow. Really when you think about it, there really is no reason to quit. We have some of the most creative people, we have friendly people, we have awesome events, membership is free… The list goes on.. I hope that if we looked into the numbers a little more, we’d find my guess to be true…

            I agree that the number of cachers walking Wisconsin’s trails doubles annually. That would be due to the rise in popularity of geocaching as a whole. The WGA should want to “capture” those new people!! (Remember the strength in numbers thing)?

            Perhaps the WGA as a whole needs to come up with more to offer the newbie… Some incentive to stay… Reasons not to leave…

            More food for thought!

            That’s my $.02

            Bill
            Team Flushingrouse


            Edited for poor punctuation(Naughty boy!!)

            [This message has been edited by Flushingrouse (edited 01-15-2005).]

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