[rogheff]

We have a geocache rating system. If followed, repeat-if followed, that should take care of the issue. The WGA could help with education for folks hiding their first caches would help. Maybe a geocaching mentor program.

Are you saying you’d like to see more easily accessible geocaches – short walks, easy to retrieve? OK, I’ll place more like that.

[rogheff]

I enjoy caching while I travel as I personally like to see how cachers in different areas hide their caches. It inspires me.

I make it a point to geocache on my trips. I travel a lot. On Scouting campouts (where we geocache as well) and frequent family trips, I get to see much of the state as well as Illinois and Minnesota – so I’m up in the northwestern part of the state many times each year. I’ve made it to the southwestern part of the state line twice this year.

I am fully aware that I live in a geocacher-rich part of the state. I also realize that without representation, the cachers in the western and northern parts of Wisconsin can feel left out.

I plan to take a few more detours (this is where my wife would say, “Not again!”) on my travels to visit more caches away from my home turf.

[rogheff]

That is a tricky question.

I guess I feel the same as the previous posters. The WGA should do “something” to contact the MAGC, but it should also contact the Michigan, Iowa, Illinois and Minnesota geocaching associations in the same fashion. They’re all various entities which serve geocachers, so they all have that in common.

I do not feel the WGA should take on the task as the crusader for this mission. Do we have the man-power to do so? I wouldn’t ask the WGA to do that any more than I would ask the WGA to take on my personal mission of bringing more Scouters into the geocaching family.

[rogheff]

Simple – have fun geocaching! Find them, place them.

[rogheff]

I have several issues that I believe could be addressed by the WGA:

1) Geocaching in the State Natural areas should be allowed on a limited basis. I recently had a cache denied because it turns out the area was a SNA. That particular SNA has one of the best examples in the state for what an Earthcache should teach us. In this particular case, an existing paved path leading to the Earthcache coords would have been used.

In some instances, denial of a traditional cache in a natural setting with the typical cacher hunting damage is warranted, but a complete ban on SNA’s is not. I’d like to see the WGA address this situation.

2) I think it should be the job of the WGA to contact the various law enforcement agencies to better educate them about what geocaching is (and what it is not). I’ve run into “Barney Fife” a couple of times this year. The police departments may have been given something in passing by the FBI (or whomever) but they don’t know enough.

Perhaps a WGA Geocaching “Permit” (defined as nothing more than a geocaching sticker to put in our car window) would certainly show park rangers and police who we are and why we are driving slowly through the woods and dodging in and out of parking lots……weekly.

I’m sure the WGA could easily afford to produce WGA stickers for their members.

3) I’d like to see more geocachers become members of the WGA. There are many, many cachers who get involved in the sport/game/hobby/obsession, place a cache or two then stop. If we invited them into the group, they may stay interested and place more and better caches for us to find.

[rogheff]

That was my thought – can the cache rescue system be modified to automatically list these caches? I know I would participate.

[rogheff]

I’ve noticed more of a problem from archived caches still hanging around in the woods than problems from disabled caches. I stumbled across 2 last week myself.

I’d like to see a better system of getting that geolitter picked up, especially since there’s no way of getting notice that a cache is archived unless it happens to be on your watch list.

[rogheff]

Or in other words: A good leader leads by example.

[rogheff]

I had that same conversation on that same cache with my geocaching buddy……oh, wait – I was by myself at the time 😆

[rogheff]

I thought we annexed your property into Wisconsin a while ago Paula 😆

One of my favorite caches is in a cave in New Mexico. If we voted simply as a WGA member and not for a cache specifically placed in Wisconsin, I’d nominate that one for COTM. Would anyone bother to go find it? It is a great cache. But so what? It’s in another state – let them nominate it.

[rogheff]

I’ll risk getting your Irish up there Paula,

I think Wisconsin Cache of the Month should be restricted to caches wholly contained within Wisconsin borders. We have a Cache of the Month, Minnesota has a Cache of the Month. GONIL may someday work in that direction as well.

“Favorites” lists and the ability to post our recommended caches on the forums all cover other options such as cross border series. I don’t believe a change in the guidelines is warranted.

[rogheff]

I know down here along the Cheddar Curtain, the local cachers usually take care of this issue. There are very seldom caches which are disabled for very long before the owners are nudged along.

My opinion is for everyone who caches: See a cache disabled for a long time? Then ask the cache owners why, how, when and if it will be reinstated.

I don’t think it’s the responsibility of a BOD member from Superior to monitor caches in Pleasant Prairie.

[rogheff]

Do you read all the “donated by” plaques on benches, trees, etc? I seldom do. I wouldn’t do this for the purpose of public relations.

However, donating a bench to a park is a wonderful idea. Perhaps a geocache could be built into the bench…….hhhhhmmmmm.

[rogheff]

Having the experience of sitting in expo booths for years twiddling my thumbs, I am against this idea. People who go to expos are there for “something free to do this weekend” and the giveaways. Sure, we may get a few folks interested in geocaching, but we’d get more by simply telling muggles just exactly why we’re dodging into the woods.

[rogheff]

I can see this discussion going in the same direction as many discussions about where to hold annual events. The majority of the membership is in the southern part of the state, so to get the most volunteers, the highway would also have to be in that area.

I’d rather see the “Adopt a…” be part of other annual events. If there’s an annual picnic, why not clean up the park at which it’s being held? At the annual campout, why not adopt that campground for the duration of the campout?

[Author]

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