Because of the recent controversy
surrounding the Goat Camp cache I have been checking the Maricopa County Parks (MCP)
web site from time to time. This evening I discovered that they have published
their revised Geocaching policy at http://www.maricopa.gov/parks/news/.
In my opinion it’s a very fair policy.
No surprise, it requires that permission be obtained from the Park Supervisor
before placing a cache. I really like MCP’s concept, which they first
articulated at the land management meeting last September but never before
published, that less restrictive placement considerations will apply to caches planned
for more than two miles from the trailhead.
One thing it doesn’t address, and I don’t
recall it ever coming under discussion, is what to do about caches already
placed without permission. I urge us to take the lead in this. If you have a
cache placed within MCP land for which you have not received permission, please
contact the appropriate Park Supervisor as soon as you can. Tell him or her
that you’ve seen the new policy on the web site and that you’d like
to obtain permission for your cache to remain. I plan on doing this for Grandma
Sarah’s Cache, which we hid in the
If you know someone who’s hidden a
cache within MCP who may not subscribe to this list, please let them know about
the policy. If a cache of yours is obviously in violation of the policy as stated
on the Web site, it would be best if you removed it and sought a permit to
place it in a new location within the park. If you happen to find a cache within MCP
that’s in obvious violation of the rules, please consider contacting the
cache owner privately and letting them know about the MCP policy.
It wouldn’t surprise me to learn that
other land managers are aware of what MCP has done and will be watching what
transpires to see if and how well it works. What we do and don’t do in
MCP now could affect the future of Geocaching throughout the state.
Steve
Team Tierra Buena