I was a working journalist for 25 years before becoming a professor at
at top J-school. Both of my occupations let me study the actions of
legislators intensely.
I can assure you that hand-wringing, complaining that legislators "just
don't get it," and attempts to decipher the wording of the bill will only
will only speed it toward the governor's desk. Bills like this are the
results of complaints and are legitimate attempts by legislators to protect
the public's assets.
And remember, H3777 has 32 co-sponsors. That is 32 powerful legislators
who believe that we are causing problems for their constituents.
Given the high-speed nature of geocaching, its huge popularity and the
broad demographic to which it appeals, I would guess the complaints came
from that area. With that many people, something is bound to go wrong. I
have GPS-armed students who see that sport as a wild party game. Also
remember that government officials have a hard time seeing the difference
between a GPS box and a metal detector.
Letterboxing developed with a strong code of conduct -- an ethic that
prevents digging, damaging or even being seen if possible. I'm not sure
that ethic is shared by other "finders."
So what to do?
1. Work HARD with the geocaching groups and other seekers to draft and
adopt a uniform code of ethics. A few rules won't hurt us and could even
cut down on the conflict between groups. Get something on each group's list
by April 1.
2. Document the problem. Find out how many -- if any -- reports have
come to park superintendents and grounds keepers of problems caused by our
hobby. We are our own best police, so it would make sense to have a "report
violations" area on the Web site.
3. Discuss OUR problem with the bill. The latest version of H3777 very
clearly defines both letterboxing and geocaching and says we should keep our
boxes away from legally defined cemeteries, archeological sites and historic
sites. Is that so bad? Maybe we SHOULD honor certain sites as "box-free."
Or better yet, maybe we should work WITH the superintendents in those areas
and only place with permission. (Think about the "passport" stamp books the
National Park Service uses to encourage tourism).
4. Document the advantages. Has anyone calculated how many
letterboxers and geocachers are out their contributing to the tourist
economy? How many of us have enjoyed a park or a historic area that we
would never have discovered except via boxing?
5. WRITE. If you don't write to both the South Carolina legislature
and to your own legislator, this and similar bills will quickly become law.
Be polite and be brief, something like: "I am a letterboxer. I never dig
or damage while searching, as that is against our ethics. The real treasure
of letterboxing is the quiet enjoyment of the public lands we "discover"
through our hobby. Please help us save this important part of the tourist
economy."
Write or e-mail all 32 legislators individually, then contact your own
legislators.
The details of the bill are at
http://www.scstatehouse.net/cgi-bin/query2003.exe?first=DOC&querytext=H%2037
77&category=Legislation&session=116&conid=1288535&result_pos=0&keyval=116377
7&printornot=N
Clyde
C2B2
South Carolina bill -- appropriate action
12 messages in this thread |
Started on 2005-03-24
South Carolina bill -- appropriate action
From: Clyde Bentley (bentleycl@missouri.edu) |
Date: 2005-03-24 08:50:07 UTC-06:00
Re: [LbNA] South Carolina bill -- appropriate action
From: (mjpepe1@comcast.net) |
Date: 2005-03-24 15:06:33 UTC
Thanks Clyde for your insight and suggestions.
When we were in Dartmoor with the Baker's Dozen, Godfrey Swinscow told our group that the 25 years ago, as this hobby increased in numbers, public officials of the Dartmoor National Park Service told him to have all but 2 of the original Dartmoor letterboxes removed due to undue stress on the ecosystem of the land and environs.
That forced them to adopt the Dartmoor Code of Ethics which was instrumental in the park service allowing letterboxing to continue in Dartmoor. This code can be viewed on our website.
I have lobbied on several occasions for a national effort to write our legislators, the National Park Service and others and to adopt our own national code of ethics but this has fallen on deaf ears since many feel it's a done deal and the powers that be will never change their minds or that this is a hobby without rules.
What else would you suggest - laying back and allowing state-by-state to outlaw this beloved diversion of ours?
IMHO, there is nothing worse than apathy to kill off a wonderful hobby. I believe that NOW is the time to organize, plan and adopt a national code of ethics that all letterboxers would be asked to follow.
In closing, I ask one question: How would your lives be affected without this hobby???
Have fun and just get out there and box!!! [and save letterboxing!]
Mark Pepe
http://markandsuepepe.blogspot.com/
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
When we were in Dartmoor with the Baker's Dozen, Godfrey Swinscow told our group that the 25 years ago, as this hobby increased in numbers, public officials of the Dartmoor National Park Service told him to have all but 2 of the original Dartmoor letterboxes removed due to undue stress on the ecosystem of the land and environs.
That forced them to adopt the Dartmoor Code of Ethics which was instrumental in the park service allowing letterboxing to continue in Dartmoor. This code can be viewed on our website.
I have lobbied on several occasions for a national effort to write our legislators, the National Park Service and others and to adopt our own national code of ethics but this has fallen on deaf ears since many feel it's a done deal and the powers that be will never change their minds or that this is a hobby without rules.
What else would you suggest - laying back and allowing state-by-state to outlaw this beloved diversion of ours?
IMHO, there is nothing worse than apathy to kill off a wonderful hobby. I believe that NOW is the time to organize, plan and adopt a national code of ethics that all letterboxers would be asked to follow.
In closing, I ask one question: How would your lives be affected without this hobby???
Have fun and just get out there and box!!! [and save letterboxing!]
Mark Pepe
http://markandsuepepe.blogspot.com/
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Re: [LbNA] South Carolina bill -- appropriate action
From: Stephanie Bryant (mortaine@gmail.com) |
Date: 2005-03-24 07:18:20 UTC-08:00
On Thu, 24 Mar 2005 08:50:07 -0600, Clyde Bentley
wrote:
> Given the high-speed nature of geocaching, its huge popularity and the
> broad demographic to which it appeals, I would guess the complaints came
> from that area. With that many people, something is bound to go wrong. I
> have GPS-armed students who see that sport as a wild party game. Also
> remember that government officials have a hard time seeing the difference
> between a GPS box and a metal detector.
> Letterboxing developed with a strong code of conduct -- an ethic that
> prevents digging, damaging or even being seen if possible. I'm not sure
> that ethic is shared by other "finders."
The ethic is shared by geocachers as well. If anything, moreso--
geocachers are not *permitted* to place a cache in an area where they
cannot keep a watch on it-- the geocaching.com site will not approve
it. Geocachers are not permitted to place a cache in an archaeological
site-- period. Geocachers are not permitted to place a cache which
requires digging, and all geocachers are supposed to be discreet and
avoid "muggles." Geocachers are also supposed to get permission before
placing a box, though they don't always. They *do* always remove a box
if there's a problem with the site. Essentially, geocache placement
rules and enforcement help prevent a lot of the issues raised in the
bill. However, there's no enforcement against bad behavior of seekers,
it's true-- but that's also true of letterboxers.
I think you hit on it, though-- with that many people, something is
bound to go wrong. Geocaching has a code of ethics for both seekers
and placers that not everyone bothers to follow. As is the case with
letterbox logs that have been filled with mean-spirited or offensive
remarks by the few bad apples, geocaching has its fair share of bad
apples as well. There's a percentage of the population who just
doesn't play well with anybody, and that percentage appears in
geocaching as much as it does elsewhere.
Personally, I think instead of eliminating geocaching/letterboxing in
places like cemetaries (historical cemetaries are a great place for
caches and boxes), we can find a way to work with land mangement
agencies to help them understand what it all is (for instance, that
these boxes are not on archaeological land anyway) and since the
people defacing these sites are not responsible geocachers or
letterboxers, outlawing the sport will not remove the amount of
defacement. Instead, enforcing existing laws against tampering with
headstones and archaelogical sites, basically enforcing laws against
behavior that is actually *harmful*, would be in the state's best
interest as well as be a more sensible precedent.
--Stephanie
--
Stephanie Bryant
mortaine@gmail.com
http://www.mortaine.com
> Given the high-speed nature of geocaching, its huge popularity and the
> broad demographic to which it appeals, I would guess the complaints came
> from that area. With that many people, something is bound to go wrong. I
> have GPS-armed students who see that sport as a wild party game. Also
> remember that government officials have a hard time seeing the difference
> between a GPS box and a metal detector.
> Letterboxing developed with a strong code of conduct -- an ethic that
> prevents digging, damaging or even being seen if possible. I'm not sure
> that ethic is shared by other "finders."
The ethic is shared by geocachers as well. If anything, moreso--
geocachers are not *permitted* to place a cache in an area where they
cannot keep a watch on it-- the geocaching.com site will not approve
it. Geocachers are not permitted to place a cache in an archaeological
site-- period. Geocachers are not permitted to place a cache which
requires digging, and all geocachers are supposed to be discreet and
avoid "muggles." Geocachers are also supposed to get permission before
placing a box, though they don't always. They *do* always remove a box
if there's a problem with the site. Essentially, geocache placement
rules and enforcement help prevent a lot of the issues raised in the
bill. However, there's no enforcement against bad behavior of seekers,
it's true-- but that's also true of letterboxers.
I think you hit on it, though-- with that many people, something is
bound to go wrong. Geocaching has a code of ethics for both seekers
and placers that not everyone bothers to follow. As is the case with
letterbox logs that have been filled with mean-spirited or offensive
remarks by the few bad apples, geocaching has its fair share of bad
apples as well. There's a percentage of the population who just
doesn't play well with anybody, and that percentage appears in
geocaching as much as it does elsewhere.
Personally, I think instead of eliminating geocaching/letterboxing in
places like cemetaries (historical cemetaries are a great place for
caches and boxes), we can find a way to work with land mangement
agencies to help them understand what it all is (for instance, that
these boxes are not on archaeological land anyway) and since the
people defacing these sites are not responsible geocachers or
letterboxers, outlawing the sport will not remove the amount of
defacement. Instead, enforcing existing laws against tampering with
headstones and archaelogical sites, basically enforcing laws against
behavior that is actually *harmful*, would be in the state's best
interest as well as be a more sensible precedent.
--Stephanie
--
Stephanie Bryant
mortaine@gmail.com
http://www.mortaine.com
Re: [LbNA] South Carolina bill -- appropriate action
From: Circus (circus.mask@gmail.com) |
Date: 2005-03-24 11:43:47 UTC-05:00
Mark,
I for one rather like the idea of a national and official code of
ethics that works with land management agencies. It is possible that
I'm in a minority here, but I hope this is not the case.
My question is this: given the immensity of such an undertaking, who
would spearhead it? Would the entire letterboxing community be asked
to approve of it? I'm not trying to downplay the importance of this
idea, because I think it has the potential to strengthen the sport.
As much as I enjoy the clandestine feel of letterboxing, I think that
if the sport is in danger of regulation, we as a community should take
the reins. But, it's a huge undertaking--is this something that you
(or anyone you know) has the time and energy to spearhead? Or is it
really easier than I'm making it out to be?
Circus
On Thu, 24 Mar 2005 15:06:33 +0000, mjpepe1@comcast.net
wrote:
> Thanks Clyde for your insight and suggestions.
>
> When we were in Dartmoor with the Baker's Dozen, Godfrey Swinscow told our
> group that the 25 years ago, as this hobby increased in numbers, public
> officials of the Dartmoor National Park Service told him to have all but 2
> of the original Dartmoor letterboxes removed due to undue stress on the
> ecosystem of the land and environs.
>
> That forced them to adopt the Dartmoor Code of Ethics which was instrumental
> in the park service allowing letterboxing to continue in Dartmoor. This code
> can be viewed on our website.
>
> I have lobbied on several occasions for a national effort to write our
> legislators, the National Park Service and others and to adopt our own
> national code of ethics but this has fallen on deaf ears since many feel
> it's a done deal and the powers that be will never change their minds or
> that this is a hobby without rules.
>
> What else would you suggest - laying back and allowing state-by-state to
> outlaw this beloved diversion of ours?
>
> IMHO, there is nothing worse than apathy to kill off a wonderful hobby. I
> believe that NOW is the time to organize, plan and adopt a national code of
> ethics that all letterboxers would be asked to follow.
>
> In closing, I ask one question: How would your lives be affected without
> this hobby???
>
> Have fun and just get out there and box!!! [and save letterboxing!]
>
> Mark Pepe
> http://markandsuepepe.blogspot.com/
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>
>
> Yahoo! Groups Sponsor
> ADVERTISEMENT
>
> ________________________________
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>
> To visit your group on the web, go to:
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>
> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
> letterbox-usa-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
>
> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service.
I for one rather like the idea of a national and official code of
ethics that works with land management agencies. It is possible that
I'm in a minority here, but I hope this is not the case.
My question is this: given the immensity of such an undertaking, who
would spearhead it? Would the entire letterboxing community be asked
to approve of it? I'm not trying to downplay the importance of this
idea, because I think it has the potential to strengthen the sport.
As much as I enjoy the clandestine feel of letterboxing, I think that
if the sport is in danger of regulation, we as a community should take
the reins. But, it's a huge undertaking--is this something that you
(or anyone you know) has the time and energy to spearhead? Or is it
really easier than I'm making it out to be?
Circus
On Thu, 24 Mar 2005 15:06:33 +0000, mjpepe1@comcast.net
> Thanks Clyde for your insight and suggestions.
>
> When we were in Dartmoor with the Baker's Dozen, Godfrey Swinscow told our
> group that the 25 years ago, as this hobby increased in numbers, public
> officials of the Dartmoor National Park Service told him to have all but 2
> of the original Dartmoor letterboxes removed due to undue stress on the
> ecosystem of the land and environs.
>
> That forced them to adopt the Dartmoor Code of Ethics which was instrumental
> in the park service allowing letterboxing to continue in Dartmoor. This code
> can be viewed on our website.
>
> I have lobbied on several occasions for a national effort to write our
> legislators, the National Park Service and others and to adopt our own
> national code of ethics but this has fallen on deaf ears since many feel
> it's a done deal and the powers that be will never change their minds or
> that this is a hobby without rules.
>
> What else would you suggest - laying back and allowing state-by-state to
> outlaw this beloved diversion of ours?
>
> IMHO, there is nothing worse than apathy to kill off a wonderful hobby. I
> believe that NOW is the time to organize, plan and adopt a national code of
> ethics that all letterboxers would be asked to follow.
>
> In closing, I ask one question: How would your lives be affected without
> this hobby???
>
> Have fun and just get out there and box!!! [and save letterboxing!]
>
> Mark Pepe
> http://markandsuepepe.blogspot.com/
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>
>
> Yahoo! Groups Sponsor
> ADVERTISEMENT
>
> ________________________________
> Yahoo! Groups Links
>
> To visit your group on the web, go to:
> http://groups.yahoo.com/group/letterbox-usa/
>
> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
> letterbox-usa-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
>
> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service.
Re: [LbNA] South Carolina bill -- appropriate action
From: (mjpepe1@comcast.net) |
Date: 2005-03-24 18:12:45 UTC
I don't really think this would be as difficult as some imagine.
Get a representative group of maybe a dozen letterboxers, including new and veterans, west and east coast, north and south, to come up with 4 or 5 items - similar to the Dartmoor Code of Ethics.
Post them on the LBNA as a poll [or a Poll of the Week :-) ] and allow everyone the right to approve or disapprove. Majority wins.
Then, this same group sits down and composes letters for local legislatures, National Park Service, etc including these new guidelines. Include facts and figures as to number of letterboxers, their respect for nature/ecosystem, leave no trace, revenue dollars in park passes/entrance fees, etc. Maybe meet with a NPS official for a face-to-face.
While this may not work, I would imagine the impact of this correspondance representing letterboxers everywhere as a group might have a profound effect. And again, it may not - but why not try.
Mark
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Get a representative group of maybe a dozen letterboxers, including new and veterans, west and east coast, north and south, to come up with 4 or 5 items - similar to the Dartmoor Code of Ethics.
Post them on the LBNA as a poll [or a Poll of the Week :-) ] and allow everyone the right to approve or disapprove. Majority wins.
Then, this same group sits down and composes letters for local legislatures, National Park Service, etc including these new guidelines. Include facts and figures as to number of letterboxers, their respect for nature/ecosystem, leave no trace, revenue dollars in park passes/entrance fees, etc. Maybe meet with a NPS official for a face-to-face.
While this may not work, I would imagine the impact of this correspondance representing letterboxers everywhere as a group might have a profound effect. And again, it may not - but why not try.
Mark
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Re: [LbNA] South Carolina bill -- appropriate action
From: mr_sangfroid (mr_sangfroid@yahoo.com) |
Date: 2005-03-24 22:08:16 UTC
> Then, this same group sits down and composes letters for local
legislatures, National Park Service, etc
> While this may not work, I would imagine the impact of this
correspondance representing letterboxers everywhere as a group might
have a profound effect. And again, it may not - but why not try.
>
> Mark
The NPS does not want you to go off the trail. Your state or local
government probably does not want you to go off the trail. Think about
it. Insurance, liability, lawsuits. Does anyone believe that the NPS
or any other govermental agencies federal,state, or local would ever
sanction or encourage letterboxing or geocaching? Why would they? Our
society is too litiginous for that. Why would we as a 'community'
choose to bring letterboxing to their attention? Profound effect
indeed. Fines.
One could argue that a letterbox or geocache could constitute litter.
As a group 'we' cannot even tout a "leave no trace" ethic! I just have
a hard time believing any agency allowing this hobby/sport/obseesion.
My two cents.
ps. maybe stop writing articles in your local weekly newspapers
--->sangfroid
Re: [LbNA] South Carolina bill -- appropriate action
From: Stephanie Bryant (mortaine@gmail.com) |
Date: 2005-03-24 14:25:39 UTC-08:00
On Thu, 24 Mar 2005 22:08:16 -0000, mr_sangfroid wrote:
> Insurance, liability, lawsuits. Does anyone believe that the NPS
> or any other govermental agencies federal,state, or local would ever
> sanction or encourage letterboxing or geocaching? Why would they? Our
> society is too litiginous for that. Why would we as a 'community'
> choose to bring letterboxing to their attention?
The national parks service condones geocaching everywhere except
Wilderness areas (don't know about letterboxing). They don't care that
much about liability-- anything you do on National Parks land is your
own liability, because it's public land. Just as you don't sue the
city for having a beach where someone drowned, you can't sue the
government for having a national park. They don't have a legal
liability for Jeep drivers who injure themselves or their vehicles
while Jeeping in National Forests. Many state park services have
adopted a policy of allowing responsible geocaching and letterboxing.
Some park services do so on a permit-only basis, but they still permit
it.
> One could argue that a letterbox or geocache could constitute litter.
"Litter" is defined as something that's been abandoned. If someone is
actively maintaining the box, then it's not abandoned.
> As a group 'we' cannot even tout a "leave no trace" ethic!
I think that the main problem I see in letterboxing is that, while the
philosophy of "everyone do their own thing" is good to a point, it
means that when someone's "own thing" is disrespectful of the
environment or of other people, there's no consequence and the actions
seem to be condoned by the letterboxing community. As a result, we
have many letterboxers, like yourself, who want as little public
understanding of what the sport is, because you feel attention drawn
to it is bad for the game. And then we have others who feel that the
game is growing anyway, and it's already going to get bad press from
those who are disrespectful, so it may be good to do some pre-emptive
damage control.
I don't really know the answer, here. In this circumstance, where
legislators want to ban these sports that I enjoy, I wonder if
geocaching, by already regulating itself, hasn't already done half the
work that is necessary to prevent this bill from passing. After all,
geocachers can definitively say "there are no caches legitimately
placed in an archaeological site." Can letterboxers do the same? I
don't think so, because nobody says to a letterboxer "sorry, you can't
post those clues-- that's an unpermitted site."
--Stephanie
--
Stephanie Bryant
mortaine@gmail.com
http://www.mortaine.com
> Insurance, liability, lawsuits. Does anyone believe that the NPS
> or any other govermental agencies federal,state, or local would ever
> sanction or encourage letterboxing or geocaching? Why would they? Our
> society is too litiginous for that. Why would we as a 'community'
> choose to bring letterboxing to their attention?
The national parks service condones geocaching everywhere except
Wilderness areas (don't know about letterboxing). They don't care that
much about liability-- anything you do on National Parks land is your
own liability, because it's public land. Just as you don't sue the
city for having a beach where someone drowned, you can't sue the
government for having a national park. They don't have a legal
liability for Jeep drivers who injure themselves or their vehicles
while Jeeping in National Forests. Many state park services have
adopted a policy of allowing responsible geocaching and letterboxing.
Some park services do so on a permit-only basis, but they still permit
it.
> One could argue that a letterbox or geocache could constitute litter.
"Litter" is defined as something that's been abandoned. If someone is
actively maintaining the box, then it's not abandoned.
> As a group 'we' cannot even tout a "leave no trace" ethic!
I think that the main problem I see in letterboxing is that, while the
philosophy of "everyone do their own thing" is good to a point, it
means that when someone's "own thing" is disrespectful of the
environment or of other people, there's no consequence and the actions
seem to be condoned by the letterboxing community. As a result, we
have many letterboxers, like yourself, who want as little public
understanding of what the sport is, because you feel attention drawn
to it is bad for the game. And then we have others who feel that the
game is growing anyway, and it's already going to get bad press from
those who are disrespectful, so it may be good to do some pre-emptive
damage control.
I don't really know the answer, here. In this circumstance, where
legislators want to ban these sports that I enjoy, I wonder if
geocaching, by already regulating itself, hasn't already done half the
work that is necessary to prevent this bill from passing. After all,
geocachers can definitively say "there are no caches legitimately
placed in an archaeological site." Can letterboxers do the same? I
don't think so, because nobody says to a letterboxer "sorry, you can't
post those clues-- that's an unpermitted site."
--Stephanie
--
Stephanie Bryant
mortaine@gmail.com
http://www.mortaine.com
Re: [LbNA] South Carolina bill -- appropriate action
From: rscarpen (letterboxing@atlasquest.com) |
Date: 2005-03-27 00:36:42 UTC
> The national parks service condones geocaching everywhere except
> Wilderness areas (don't know about letterboxing).
Uhhh, no they don't. I've gotten in trouble by the NPS for planting
boxes on their territory and it was definitely NOT wilderness areas
where I planted them. They don't tolerate letterboxes (or geocaches)
on anywhere on their territory.
> "Litter" is defined as something that's been abandoned. If someone
> is actively maintaining the box, then it's not abandoned.
Again, the NPS does not see it that way. If you leave a box for even
a minute, they'll consider it abandoned. A day, a week, a month--it
doesn't matter to them. It's abandoned property to the NPS.
If you want to take your chances and plant boxes on NPS property, you
go ahead and tell us how your legal battle against them goes. I fear
it won't go your way.
I don't consider a letterbox abandoned property (well, in some
circumstances I would, but for the most part, no), but they don't care
what we think. It's their rules and if we don't like it, there's not
a whole lot we can do about it.
-- Ryan
Re: [LbNA] South Carolina bill -- appropriate action
From: Brian (briansnat@yahoo.com) |
Date: 2005-03-28 14:41:57 UTC
>Does anyone believe that the NPS
> or any other govermental agencies federal,state, or local would ever
> sanction or encourage letterboxing or geocaching? Why would they?
Many actually do. Several state's parks systems mention geocaching
and/or letterboxing on their websites. At least one state has a list
of geocaches in their park systems on their website. Many states have
implemented permit systems for geocaches and letterboxes. The state of
Connecticut actively encourages letterboxing to the point where they
give out awards for a certain number of finds.
There are some park systems that actually hide their own geocaches
while others encourage geocaching and letterboxing, finding them to be
an inexpensive, low impact way of bringing attention to their parks.
Regarding the code of ethics. One was developed for geocaching that
could be a good starting point for letterboxing. The geocaching code
of ethics can be found here: http://www.geocreed.info/
Re: [LbNA] South Carolina bill -- appropriate action
From: Curt Jagger (cjagger405@earthlink.net) |
Date: 2005-03-28 10:01:41 UTC-05:00
The CT Forestry Department placed a letterbox in each of their 30 state forests a couple of years ago to celebrate the Centennial of the state forests in CT. They continue to maintain the boxes and publish the clues on their website. This year, they are replacing (one by one) each of the boxes with a new LB hidden in a different location in each of the forests along with new clue sheets. They are an incredibly informative tool for the forestry department to introduce and educate the public to their forestry programs and forests, as well as letterboxing. It's a super program, and that's how I got my introduction to letterboxing as well as traveling to all 30 of the CT state forests and learning a lot about forestry!
Puddle-Splasher
Maribeth
----- Original Message -----
From: Brian
To: letterbox-usa@yahoogroups.com
Sent: 3/28/2005 9:43:09 AM
Subject: Re: [LbNA] South Carolina bill -- appropriate action
>Does anyone believe that the NPS
> or any other govermental agencies federal,state, or local would ever
> sanction or encourage letterboxing or geocaching? Why would they?
Many actually do. Several state's parks systems mention geocaching
and/or letterboxing on their websites. At least one state has a list
of geocaches in their park systems on their website. Many states have
implemented permit systems for geocaches and letterboxes. The state of
Connecticut actively encourages letterboxing to the point where they
give out awards for a certain number of finds.
There are some park systems that actually hide their own geocaches
while others encourage geocaching and letterboxing, finding them to be
an inexpensive, low impact way of bringing attention to their parks.
Regarding the code of ethics. One was developed for geocaching that
could be a good starting point for letterboxing. The geocaching code
of ethics can be found here: http://www.geocreed.info/
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Puddle-Splasher
Maribeth
----- Original Message -----
From: Brian
To: letterbox-usa@yahoogroups.com
Sent: 3/28/2005 9:43:09 AM
Subject: Re: [LbNA] South Carolina bill -- appropriate action
>Does anyone believe that the NPS
> or any other govermental agencies federal,state, or local would ever
> sanction or encourage letterboxing or geocaching? Why would they?
Many actually do. Several state's parks systems mention geocaching
and/or letterboxing on their websites. At least one state has a list
of geocaches in their park systems on their website. Many states have
implemented permit systems for geocaches and letterboxes. The state of
Connecticut actively encourages letterboxing to the point where they
give out awards for a certain number of finds.
There are some park systems that actually hide their own geocaches
while others encourage geocaching and letterboxing, finding them to be
an inexpensive, low impact way of bringing attention to their parks.
Regarding the code of ethics. One was developed for geocaching that
could be a good starting point for letterboxing. The geocaching code
of ethics can be found here: http://www.geocreed.info/
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Re: [LbNA] South Carolina bill -- appropriate action
From: (john@johnsblog.com) |
Date: 2005-03-28 11:13:40 UTC-05:00
> Regarding the code of ethics. One was developed for
>geocaching that
> could be a good starting point for letterboxing. The
>geocaching code
> of ethics can be found here: http://www.geocreed.info/
Atlas quest prominently includes a Code of Conduct page.
http://www.atlasquest.com/aboutlb/rules/
>geocaching that
> could be a good starting point for letterboxing. The
>geocaching code
> of ethics can be found here: http://www.geocreed.info/
Atlas quest prominently includes a Code of Conduct page.
http://www.atlasquest.com/aboutlb/rules/
Re: [LbNA] South Carolina bill -- appropriate action
From: Sissy n CR (cr@sc.rr.com) |
Date: 2005-03-28 18:02:23 UTC
--- In letterbox-usa@yahoogroups.com,
> > Regarding the code of ethics. One was developed for
> >geocaching that
> > could be a good starting point for letterboxing. The
> >geocaching code
> > of ethics can be found here: http://www.geocreed.info/
>
> Atlas quest prominently includes a Code of Conduct page.
> http://www.atlasquest.com/aboutlb/rules/
...and was one the reasons I questioned geocaching not having one.
CR