I had a chance to speak with the park supervisor at Bong Recreation Area yesterday. I’m pleased to say that they still have a very positive outlook toward geocaching, regardless of a couple missteps which might have occurred in the notification process. He did say, however, that there are a couple of things which people can do better. Specifically, he asked that when placing a cache on busy/multiuse properties (basically Parks and Rec Areas), the cache placer should contact the park staff BEFORE placing the cache to discuss the desired location. Basically, they are trying to avoid removing caches which are placed in unacceptable areas. In many cases, the discussion might be as simple as “I want to place a cache at the big turn on the XXX trail” and they would ok it. In other cases, they might want to walk out with you to check out the proposed spot, and maybe suggest an alternative.
The key is that they are asking to be brought into the process earlier. I got the impression that this perspective was shared among most of the park supervisors in the state. (I don’t think this would apply to wildlife areas, fisheries, or forest units, which are less managed.) Since these folks have the ability to reject any and all cache placements in their parks, it would be a good idea to keep them happy, especially in parks near your home where you might place many caches over the years.
I know this is slightly different than how this policy was communicated originally, but try to understand that sometimes things work out differently in practice than in theory. The DNR has been our friend (especially compared to certain other state agencies). Please do what you can to keep a positive light on our sport.
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