If you have not sent a letter or email yet, please do. ACTION ALERT Action Needed to Help Open National Parks to Geocaching The National Park Service has banned geocaching on all land managed by the National Park Service. The NPS considers geocaching littering and has removed many geocaches. This is unreasonable and it violates Federal law, NPS regulations & policies, and the First Amendment. For example, the NPS is required to allow recreational activities ? if they are appropriate to the purpose for which the park was established and they can be sustained without causing unacceptable impacts to park resources or values.? While there are certainly places in National Parks where geocaches should not be allowed, geocaching can be done on the vast majority of National Park land without any problems. If the NPS can allow, roads, trails, lodges, campgrounds, etc, in National Parks, certainly there are places where geocaching can be allowed. A challenge is being mounted against this policy over the NPS removing a cache on the Ozark National Scenic Riverways. It is hoped that the challenge of the removal of this cache will result in the NPS reconsidering and dropping their nationwide ban on geocaching. The letter challenging the removal of a cache can be viewed at www.geostl.com/SLAGAPublicLandUse/US_ParkService.html Letters are needed to the NPS to urge them to drop their nationwide ban on geocaching. Please send a letter or email to: Superintendent Ozark National Scenic Riverways 404 Watercress Drive PO Box 490 Van Buren, MO 63965 OZAR_Superintendent@xxxxxxx Sample letter or email: I am writing about my concern over banning geocaching in the Ozark National Scenic Riverways and all other NPS managed land. I support NPS efforts to protect resources and have no objection to the NPS taking any reasonable action needed to assure that geocaching will be conducted in a such a way that can be sustained without causing unacceptable impacts to park resources or values. Geocaching is an activity that can be conducted in such a way to protect park resources and enhance citizens? use and enjoyment of their parks. Please allow this activity to occur on NPS managed lands. Sincerely, For more information you can contact Myotis at junkmailno@xxxxxxxxxxx ***************************************************************************** Our NEW WebPage! WWW.GeoStL.com Mail List & Archive Info. //www.freelists.org/cgi-bin/list?list_id=geocaching Msg. of the day, "The peacemaking meeting scheduled for today has been cancelled due to a conflict." ******************************************************************************