Mr. (park superintendent),
I?m writing to ask forgiveness. I placed a GeoCache* near (geographic
place name) without first asking permission. If it is OK with you to let
it remain, then - great! - let the fun continue. On the other hand, if it
must be moved, then I will move it.
Please reply.
Owen Monies
hometown, state
*GeoCaching is a game for GPS enthusiasts. A container with a log book is
hidden by someone who then publishes the exact latitude and longitude
coordinates for others to find it. When someone finds the cache, they make
an entry in the log book and leave it for the next person to read. It's fun!
------------------------------
Date of letter
Name of some person there, not necessarily the one who will approve
His/Her email address if you know it
His/Her title if you know it
Name of the institution
It?s address
It?s city, state and zip
Greetings:
I solicit approval by the **** administration for me to place a geocache
on the *** grounds, to publish on the Internet directions for others to
seek and find it, and for them to be permitted to do that.
A geocache is a hidden shoebox-sized container, which contains a logbook
and a number of low-cost trinkets. It is concealed in an out-of-the-way
spot on the grounds of an appealing outdoor location such as a park or
trail. People search for the cache by using a handheld electronic global
positioning system device (GPS). Finding it, they sign and write comments
in the logbook, then take one trinket and leave another. Returning home,
finders also report on the global administering Internet site a finders?
log that is published as a growing addendum along with that cache?s
description/location information page.
The location of a cache, and a description of its site, is published free
on the Internet site: geocachers.com. This site administers the publishing
of descriptions and directions to sites located around the world. It also
publishes the personal reports made by people, registered with the site,
who hide, seek and locate the caches. As of today, there are xxxxx active
caches in all 50 states and in xxx countries. In the last 7 days, there
have been xxxx new cache-finders? reports written by xxx account holders.
An important ancillary benefit of this low-impact family-oriented outdoor
hide-and-seek activity/sport is to point out to people at large,
interesting-, perhaps nearby- attractions that they may not have been
aware of. This benefits the local community, as well as them, by spreading
the word about its attractions and by actually inducing people to come
visit them. The cache-site description page can include photos of the
site?s nearby attractions which may appeal to and attract cache seekers.
Once there, they may visit or later return to such other community
attractions that they were introduced to in their quest for the cache.
I, a **-year resident of ****** County, will assume responsibility to
create and hide the cache and to create and post its description.
Thereafter I will monitor its condition as well as any impact seekers may
be making on its environment, this throughout the duration, perhaps years,
that it may remain there. It can be moved or removed entirely (along with
its Internet listing) at any time any such impact may be found to be
damaging or undesirable.
I intend to hide the cache in the rough non-mowed natural growth in the
area between the gymnasium and the day care center. Seekers will be
walking about in the grassy areas south of the music hall as well.
The *** body should have no responsibility or liability for any aspect of
this innocent, non-commercial, harmless and safe public outdoor activity.
Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,
Your name
Your address
Your city, state and zip
Your phone number your email address
Dear Ranger xxx,
I would like to place a geocache in parkname and am asking for your
approval.
If you are not familiar with Geocaching, I have attached a detailed
description to this letter. Briefly, Geocaching is a new game invented in
May 2000 (some call it a sport, but I disagree). The object is simple; a
geocacher hides a container with a logbook, pencil, and small treasures
for other geocachers to find. He then places the latitude and longitude
coordinates of the cache on the Internet, and other geocachers use their
Global Positioning System (GPS) receivers to find the hidden cache and
sign the logbook. It is also customary to take one small treasure from the
cache and leave another behind for future geocachers, and record the
search on the Internet at the Geocaching web site. Most caches receive as
many as 1-2 visitors a week or as few as 1-2 per month (the few caches in
the immediate area have received less than ten visits since March).
Some parks have concerns about geocaching, of course, and geocaching is
not an appropriate activity in all parks. The concerns include the
possible disturbing of endangered wildlife, plants, or geologic, historic
or archeological artifacts. Geocaching typically requires some off-trail
hiking, usually between from 10 to 300 feet. I would be eager to work with
you to find an acceptable cache location should you not approve of my
choice (described below).
Why Parkname?
I would like to place a geocache in Parkname because it is one of my
favorite parks in the area and I feel that it is still relatively unknown.
The park offers a few miles of strenuous hiking that can?t be found in
other area parks. I find trail maintenance at Parkname a pleasant balance
between maintained trails and trails with a backwoods character about them.
Benefits
Based on reports on the Geocaching web site, having a geocache present
encourages visits from people who otherwise would not come to Parkname,
thereby exposing the park to new guests. Also, many geocachers follow a
?Cache In, Trash Out? motto, meaning that when returning from a cache
site, they clean up litter found on the trail.
Where In Parkname?
I?ve been visiting Parkname for a number of years with my dog, and my
first preference would be to place a cache west of the Westridge trail
near the base of the bluff. There appears to be an old road or bulldozed
trail shortly after reaching the top of Westridge, and it is down this
trail that I?d like to place the cache. I selected this location because I
want there to be a bit of a hike to find the cache, and the possibility
discovery by non-geocachers would be minimized. If this location is
unacceptable, I?d be open to suggestions for an alternate location.
Cache Details
For a cache container I would use a translucent 2 ? 3 quart Rubbermaid
container. Original contents of the cache will include some toys purchase
at SomePlace, including a squirt gun, glow in the dark insects, key
chains, and possibly a compact disc or two. People who discover the cache
will replace these items with other trinkets. Also in the cache would be a
logbook and pencil, as well as a one-time use camera so cache finders
could take a picture of themselves that will be published on a web site
later. The cache will be hidden on the surface, no digging will be
required to hide or find the cache.
Cache Maintenance
As caches are discovered, cache hunters typically log their cache in the
logbook that stays with the cache and on the Geocaching web site. The
Cache owner (the person who placed the cache) is notified via e-mail that
the cache was discovered. As the cache owner, I would monitor the number
of visits to ensure that there isn?t too much traffic to the cache, thus
creating a trail to it. As mentioned previously, Geocaching is relatively
new and local participation is currently low. I would also visit the cache
during my normal visits to the park, verifying that it is still in good
shape and the surrounding area isn?t ?getting trampled to death.? To date,
this hasn?t been a problem for any of the area caches, but traffic has
been a concern with caches placed near more heavily populated areas,
namely California. Should it be determined that the cache is having a
detrimental effect on the park, I would promptly remove or relocate the
cache at your request.
I hope you will approve the placement of a geocache in Parkname. If you
would like more information or would like to see the cache I want to place
in Parkname, please contact me.
Sincerely,
XXXXXX
[-------------------------------
To whom it may concern: (change to director?s name if known)
My purpose in this letter is two-fold. First, I would like to introduce
you to a new and exciting land use activity. Next, I seek the approval of
the (city name) (department name) to use (city name) parks for this purpose.
The activity I mentioned is called Geocaching. This is a relatively new
activity that some have described as ?high-tech hide and seek?. The object
is simple; an individual hides a container, (called a cache) for other
participants to find. The ?hider? places the latitude and longitude
coordinates of the cache on the Internet, and the ?seekers? use maps, and
/ or handheld Global Positioning System (GPS) receivers to find the cache.
It is customary to sign the logbook if provided, and if desired, to
exchange a trinket for one in the cache.
Note that virtually all caches are camouflaged or otherwise hidden from
public view. Because of this, other park users generally have no idea that
geocaches are present. This benefits both the participants, (called
?geocachers?) in that it lessens the possibility of caches being
vandalized or stolen by uninterested parties, but it also keeps the area
around the cache looking natural. The last thing geocachers want is to
have a cache that might be interpreted as trash. Geocachers are generally
good stewards of the land. For example, many participate in an activity we
call ?cache in, trash out?, the purpose of which is to pickup any trash
found on the trails in and around the cache site.
As caches are discovered, cache seekers typically log their find on the
Internet. This allows the cache hider to be notified that someone has
found their cache and allows them to monitor the condition of their caches
and the surrounding area. For reference, some caches receive as many as
2-3 visitors a week while some may only receive one a month. Obviously,
the more frequently a cache is visited, the more closely it must be
monitored.
Geocaching is a great family activity and for many, it is an excellent
excuse to hike and explore a park one may never have visited before.
Geocachers as a whole have a keen appreciation for our public lands. They
understand and appreciate the work involved to provide such public places
and sincerely want to work with land use agencies to insure these same
areas continue to be available for future generations. They understand
that without agencies such as yours and the public land in your care, they
would be unable to participate in this wonderful activity.
On this note, I seek your permission on behalf of the local geocaching
community to place geocaches within (city name) city parks. We will be
happy to work with whatever guidelines you feel are needed to insure
caches are appropriately placed.
Sincerely,
Name
Address
Phone
<date of letter>
Army Corps of Engineers
<project/property/lake name>
<insert ranger's name here>
Dear <insert ranger's name here>:
I was referred to you by <name/method>. My purpose in this letter is
two-fold. First, I would like to introduce you to an exciting land use
activity. Next I seek the approval of the Army Corps of Engineers for a
specific use of the <insert park name> park for this purpose.
The activity I mentioned is called Geocaching. This is a relatively new
activity that some have described as ?high-tech hide and seek?. The object
is simple; an individual hides a container for other participants to find.
The ?hider? places the latitude and longitude coordinates of the cache on
the Internet, and the ?seekers? use maps and handheld Global Positioning
System (GPS) receivers to find the cache. It is customary for seekers to
sign the logbook, if provided, and, if desired, to exchange a trinket for
one in the cache.
Note that virtually all caches are camouflaged or otherwise hidden from
public view. Because of this, other park users generally have no idea that
the geocaches are there. This benefits both the participants, (often
called ?geocachers?) in that it lessens the possibility of caches being
vandalized or stolen by uninterested parties, but it also keeps the area
around the cache looking natural. The last thing geocachers want is to
have a cache that might be interpreted as trash. Generally, geocachers are
good stewards of the land. For example, many participate in an activity we
call ?cache in, trash out?, the purpose of which is to pickup and dispose
of trash found on the trails in and around the cache site.
As caches are discovered, cache seekers typically log their find on the
Internet. This allows cache hiders to be notified that someone has found
their cache and allows them to monitor the condition of their caches and
the surrounding area. The point is to insure both are in appropriate
condition for the continued enjoyment of future geocachers. For reference,
some caches receive as many as 2-3 visitors a week while some may only
receive 1 a month. I would expect the proposed cache to get 1-4 visits per
month after the first couple of months based on comparisons to caches with
similar characteristics. Obviously, the more frequently a cache is
visited, the more closely it must be monitored to insure there are no
detrimental affects to the cache, or the surrounding park.
Geocaching is a great family activity and for many, it is an excellent
excuse to hike and explore a park where one has never been before. One of
the most striking things I have noticed about geocachers is the (sometimes
newfound) appreciation most all geocachers have for our public lands. As a
whole, they understand and appreciate the work involved to provide such
public places and sincerely want to work with land use agencies to insure
such places continue to be available for future generations. They
understand that without the cooperation of agencies such as yours and the
public land in your care, they would be unable to participate in this
wonderful activity.
On this note, I seek your permission to place a geocache within <insert
park name here> park. I wish to work with you to insure the cache is
placed in areas that are deemed appropriate for this type of activity. To
that end, I will describe for you the concept for the cache and the
placement of its containers in the attached supporting pictures and
documents. Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,
<name>
<e-mail address>
<street address>
<phone number>
______________________
Cache Description for <park name>, <ACE project name>
At this time the proposed cache has no nickname. It is what is called a
"multi-cache", having two (or more) stages that must be found. The first
stage is to include a set of coordinates that will lead to the final cache
and trash bags to encourage litter collection. The second stage will
contain the logbook and "goodies." The file map.gif is a crude map of the
placement generated by MapBlast. It shows approximate locations of the
trailhead, first stage, and second (final) stage as the map services are
often somewhat inaccurate at marking coordinates on a map. Trails are not
marked.
The first stage has not yet been placed. I won't actually put it out until
I receive permission for the cache. It is a new Rubbermaid food storage
container, 6.25" square and 3.25" deep, as shown in attachment
First_Stage.jpg. It is filled with several trash bags, a cache note (see
attachment Cachenote.doc), and is to include a laminated note with
instructions to take a trash sack to help clean up along the way to the
cache and the final cache coordinates. I plan to place this box <physical
description of hiding spot> (see attachment cache_camo.jpg) that is about
## feet to one side of the trail near the trailhead (guessing under 1000
feet). The coordinates for this location (in WGS-84 datum) are 33 02.676N
-097 11.107W.
For the final stage I have placed a cache box within the park which will
not be listed for hunting unless approved. If I cannot obtain approval I
will remove the box. The attachment Cache_Box.jpg is a picture of the box
before it was hidden. It is a 50 caliber army surplus ammo box in its
original green with a weather-resistant label identifying it as a
Geocaching game piece. The cache contents are a PC game and a piece of
software on CDs, a trial-size nail polish, a new polo-style shirt, a new,
empty small makeup bag, 3 cloisonne style ferret lapel pins (our signature
piece), a single application sunblock packet, several packets of flower
seeds, and a few other toys and trinkets, plus a cache note and a logbook
with a mechanical pencil. The picture Cache_Site.jpg is of the general
site of the final cache and the picture Hidden_Cache1.jpg is a shot of the
cache in its hiding place. Look carefully! The coordinates for this spot
are 33 02.###N -097 11.###W. <editted out physical description of the
landmarks and approach to the final cache> The approach follows a little
ridge overlooking a (currently and long dry) inlet fairly filled with
trash. If you shut out the trash, the views are lovely. My hope is that
seekers will follow the "cache in, trash out" philosophy espoused on the
Geocaching.com website and remove some of the litter distractions. They
will be asked to pose with their trash "take" and to post the pictures
with their online log.
The cache is NOT listed on any site at this time. You can see examples of
cache listings at <http://www.geocaching.com>www.geocaching.com via the
"Hide/Seek" button on the left. As it happens, the site's owner has used a
picture of my daughter for the image that replaces the Geocaching logo
when you move the mouse to that button! I would appreciate corrections
and/or additions to the information I intend to provide to cachers about
the park. My understanding is that:
1. There are equestrian trails, but some trails are bikes/hikers only
trail. Bikes are allowed from the aforementioned trailhead but may not be
allowed on all trails so riders should observe the trail markers.
2. Firearms and hunting are prohibited, but for your safety be aware that
some folks ignore this (spent shells seen in the park).
3. Pets are allowed, on leash.
4. There are no facilities. Bring your water and be prepared to take trash
out of the park with you for disposal.
