CITO and service projects

[Trekkin and Birdin]

I realize the adopt a highway program was discontinued due to limited participation.  Believe me, as someone involved in another group that’s adopted a highway, I get that.

At one time, part of the WGA mission statement revolved around working to help promote good relations with land managers by organizing CITO or other service projects.  Along with picking up trash, I know we’ve worked on removing various invasives and marking turns and trail markers along park trails to aid in better mapping for them. I don’t really see that anymore in the “about us” that states the goals of the WGA.  As near as I can tell, the last such event was in 2013, in conjunction with the Interstate picnic.  I realize there have been some WGA supported CITO events here and there, but what are your feelings on this part of the organization’s original mission?

[HamFam]

Thanks for bringing this up.  In my time cachin’, I sadly can only remember one CITO event that I was able to attend.  It was a fair amount of work of course, but it was worth it.  I guess to answer your question, I don’t know if it should be in the mission statement, maybe that’s a question for the masses to decide.  Unfortunately, as well, I didn’t realize the mission statement had changed.

To me I see a lot of value in giving back.  Just as there wouldn’t be any caches for us to find if someone didn’t place them; we wouldn’t have a decent green space to play in, if someone didn’t help out in cleaning it up.

The views expressed here are that of myself only and do not necessarily represent that of the WGA board.

[rawevil]

I have posted below what is in the WGA’s Bylaws in regards to CITO events so everyone that is not too familiar with the website can review. I have also provided a link to all of the WGA Bylaws for easy reference: wi-geocaching.com/info-center/wga-info/wga-bylaws/

<b>Article II: Purposes</b> The purposes of the WGA are to:

• Work as closely as possible with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR), and other property management officials to protect the rights of individuals to geocache in the state of Wisconsin.
• Provide an opportunity for geocachers in the State of Wisconsin to gather and socialize with one another.
• Promote the “Cache In Trash Out” and “Leave No Trace” programs to help in the maintenance of parks and trail systems.
• Educate Wisconsin geocachers about the responsible use of natural resources and educate non-geocachers about the sport of geocaching.

With that being said, I believe that over the past few years the WGA has done its part in promoting CITOs throughout the state. In the last two years, have they held a CITO event? No. Can the WGA host one, yes. Can they tack it into another event that they are hosting? Most likely not due to the event stacking guidelines that Groundspeak has issued.

I believe this is a good topic of discussion that the newly-elected BOD should have at the annual meeting.

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

[BigJim]

The following is from the WGA bylaws, posted on the WGA website:

<b>Article II: Purposes</b> The purposes of the WGA are to:

• Work as closely as possible with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR), and other property management officials to protect the rights of individuals to geocache in the state of Wisconsin.
• Provide an opportunity for geocachers in the State of Wisconsin to gather and socialize with one another.
• Promote the “Cache In Trash Out” and “Leave No Trace” programs to help in the maintenance of parks and trail systems.
• Educate Wisconsin geocachers about the responsible use of natural resources and educate non-geocachers about the sport of geocaching.

So the purpose of promoting CITO and working with the DNR and other land managers is still part of our purpose. I think that CITO or other project should be included in the campout and picnic, when possible. In addition, I would like to see at least one WGA sponsored CITO event in each of the 5 zones used for Cache of the Month, or each of the four quadrants of the state each year.

 

All opinions, comments, and useless drivel I post are mine alone and do not reflect the opinions of the WGA BOD.

[raslas]

Since the others have already copied and posted the by laws, I won’t do that.  But I will say I believe promoting CITO’s and working with DNR and other land managers is still part of our purpose.  The WGA has sponsored various CITO’s  throughout the state.  I am sure if a land manger would reach out to us in helping to remove invasive species, map trails etc we would definitely not tell them no.  I can see where a mission such as this could easily be turned into an event in order to recruit help.

[graphicsgirl19]

Seeing as how we are there anyway caching, why does it need to be event specific? I believe in CITO even if you are by yourself. However, the city where I live does a clean up every so often. I believe the WGA should do some sort of CITO event perhaps in the afternoon of the Pancake breakfest seeing as we are there already. I agree that this would be a great topic to discuss for the BOD.

[_LoisLane_]

While I don’t know the specifics of why the CITO events died off in activity I think it is for sure something that should be brought to discussion and encouraged. It is of course possible that the such kinds of things could be incorporated into other WGA events.

[sevencards]

This last year i did not host our annual area cito because of personal issues. I plan to host again this year if there are no conflicts. It started small but has grown each year … unfortunate unexpected circumstances are why i did not host this year.  I also have attended quite a few as well.

[Author]

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