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Averith 9 years, 7 months ago.
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The WGA was officially organized in 2002 during the early days of geocaching, and the group was pivotal in making Wisconsin geocaching what it is today. How do you view the role of the WGA in today’s geocaching world all these years later?
I view the role of the WGA in today’s geocaching world all these years later as pivotal. A governing body is born when there is a population of people that need one voice to represent the majority of the interests of its constituents. Southeast Wisconsin, by far, has one of the largest population of geocachers in the state. But, life takes us in different geographical directions and some of us have moved and are no longer in the thick of things. No matter where we have gone, the voice of the WGA has reached out beyond its initial roots to include the rest of the geocaching community whether its Cassville, Superior, Oconto, or Kenosha. If the board didn’t have forward thinking durings its early years, it would be called the Southeast Wisconsin Geocaching Association.
In the Bylaws, it states,”Our purpose is to plan geocaching events in Wisconsin that are open to everyone who wishes to sign up and participate. In turn, the events we plan are designed for:
Meeting people
Communication
Education
Having fun!“
It doesn’t exclude anyone because of their location because everyone is included.
I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived.
-Henry David Thoreau
I didn’t even know the Wisconsin Geocaching Association existed until a few years ago but I’m sure like everything else it has evolved by leaps and bounds since it started in 2002, When I first started Geocaching I had no clue what I was doing and what I did know I learned the hard way. Then somehow I heard about a geocaching event. Again I had no idea there was even such a thing, It just so happened to be a WGA event. When I got there I met some other people that did this geocaching thing to, Geocaching isn’t rocket science but the WGA sure has made a huge difference for me and many others. I have met so so many wonderful people attending events and made some truly great friends through the WGA. Someone is always willing to answer questions or help. That is my opinion of the role of the WGA.
The WGA role in Wisconsin geocaching, I don’t believe, has changed a lot since its inception. It has been and continues to be a resource for Wisconsin cachers as well as an educator of cachers and State Government entities. We have grown a relationship with the WDNR through bringing events and caches to the state properties and as far as I am aware, they have been welcomed the WGA. As long as the caches are placed in non-sensitive areas and well maintained, and relocated if there is any environmental impact to the area, the WDNR can only benefit by having additional traffic in their parks. The WGA continues to work toward education of local law enforcement and education of cachers on what is or is not a good idea for a cache location or container. The WGA also continues to work to highlight the social aspect of geocaching by scheduling events and supporting the CITO efforts across the state.
Disclaimer : Always answering to a higher power.
The role the WGA plays in today’s geocaching world is still very important. With more people having access to geocaching through use of various apps on smart phones, I think it’s critical that the WGA helps to educate and inform the new group of geocachers. There really isn’t any other group like the WGA in Wisconsin, at least that I’m aware of, so that makes the role even more critical in providing support and information to geocachers of Wisconsin, and even to those outside the state, who may not have those resources available to them. The WGA hosts events at various parks, which helps support our Wisconsin parks, as well as give back to them by performing cito, or helping to control evasive plants that may not happen otherwise.
~ **~ All posts are my opinion and do not in any way reflect the opinion of the WGA Board of Directors ~**~
Last August I made a geocaching pligrimage to the Geocaching Headquarters and attended the last Block Party in Seattle, WA. It was a bit overwhelming at times with the number of people who converged together for this Mega Event, but on the other hand it was wonderful to see the fun created in a family friendly and open-armed welcome to the caching world. There were lines to do lab caches, lines for the booths, lines for the t-shirts, etc., without any discouraging words heard. Everyone was smiling throughout the weekend.
Although the WGA Events are much smaller in scale to this experience, there is the same family friendly, welcoming atmosphere. WGA Cachers have become a Family of friends for me. This is what the WGA has provided for me and I hope to continue this as a Board Member.
I appreciate the efforts of the WGA to reach out to all areas of the state to foster geocaching. I think this role in the future will become even stronger. Rotation within the state for events, was a purposeful way of outreach for the WGA to all areas of the State. Continuing WGA efforts like this in the future perhaps will be another part of what will continue to grow in new ways. I hear perhaps Wisconsin State Trails and/or Forests could be highlighted like our State Park Series. Keeping the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources as a partner is also critical to these types of future ideas.
I also think efforts to reach out to the caching world through social media is part of the WGA role. Looking for future opportunities is critical to keep up with the trends, especially in the world of technology. I see the Geocaching.com educational videos on “How to Cache” are using data phones instead of GPS receivers. For us “older cachers” forums and presentations are helpful to keep us up-to-date. Although I know, just ask a 10 year-old or younger for help! Education is a role I see as a huge part of the WGA.
Cache On!
I’d Rather Be Lost Geocaching, Than Found At Home!
I think the WGA today still plays a big role in todays geocaching world. The WGA State Park series is an excellent example of how the WGA partners with land managers to promote geocaching. The majority of the WGA events have cachers present from most areas of the state so I feel the WGA helps to connect cachers across the state. Without the WGA I think the people attending events would be from a more localized area. The WGA continues to educate land mangers, law enforcement, geocachers and muggles. This education is important to the future of geocaching.
The WGA’s mission is still very relevant today as it was in 2002 when it was founded. As Geocaching has become more popular now that it can be done with a smart phone, I think education of new geocachers is one of the best things the WGA can do to make geocaching enjoyable for both the seasoned veteran and the new geocacher. Also working with state and local government to keep rules and laws that effect geocaching from being too restrictive is something the WGA needs to keep up on.
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