Her e-mail address is readily available on the state website, so I wrote:
Ms. Kight,
Thank you ever so much for your effort to reach the letterboxing community. We often have nasty encounters with officials who don't understand our hobby. How nice to have someone reach out in such a pleasant way!
Your letter was shared with one of our listserv opportunities. Unfortunately, many of us are having upset reactions after researching further on the state website. Applying for permits isn't the problem. The problem is that whomever wrote the notice that is supposed to be placed inside our boxes, doesn't understand our hobby.
We strongly support 'leave no trace' behaviors in our self-identified community and believe firmly in keeping our clues so specific that there is no need to disturb the placement area fruitlessly searching. Geocaching is _very_ different from letterboxing in one particularly important factor: Letterboxers take/leave nothing but an image when they visit a find. Geocachers 'swap' out swag from their caches. If someone swaps or takes an item from a letterbox, they have effectively destroyed that box. Losing the stamp removes a box from the game. Losing the logbook removes our history from the box. Both are essential components.
If it would be possible to recognize the difference and have a separate statement made available for letterboxes, that would go a long way to soothe the fears of our hobbyists. Perhaps you would know where to start in contacting the appropriate person?
Your help is much appreciated and I hope you will join us on the trail at some point!
Irish Bain
Special Permits.
5 messages in this thread |
Started on 2009-12-04
Special Permits.
From: Irish (irishbain@rocketmail.com) |
Date: 2009-12-04 18:13:06 UTC
Re: Special Permits.
From: sileagle1 (sileagle@windstream.net) |
Date: 2009-12-04 21:20:16 UTC
That is a good email and I wish you luck in your endeavor to have the parks differentiate between Geocaching and Letterboxing. Here in Texas we have been trying to get the State Parks to recognize Letterboxing as a different hobby than Geocaching for a long time, to no avail. Not only that, the permit process is so cumbersome that it makes it very difficult to comply. The result is that most of us are no longer placing boxes in State Parks, and some are just doing it with more stealth. What a shame, since I feel letterboxing would actually benefit the parks.
Silver Eagle
--- In letterbox-usa@yahoogroups.com, "Irish" wrote:
>
> Her e-mail address is readily available on the state website, so I wrote:
>
> Ms. Kight,
>
> Thank you ever so much for your effort to reach the letterboxing community. We often have nasty encounters with officials who don't understand our hobby. How nice to have someone reach out in such a pleasant way!
>
> Your letter was shared with one of our listserv opportunities. Unfortunately, many of us are having upset reactions after researching further on the state website. Applying for permits isn't the problem. The problem is that whomever wrote the notice that is supposed to be placed inside our boxes, doesn't understand our hobby.
>
> We strongly support 'leave no trace' behaviors in our self-identified community and believe firmly in keeping our clues so specific that there is no need to disturb the placement area fruitlessly searching. Geocaching is _very_ different from letterboxing in one particularly important factor: Letterboxers take/leave nothing but an image when they visit a find. Geocachers 'swap' out swag from their caches. If someone swaps or takes an item from a letterbox, they have effectively destroyed that box. Losing the stamp removes a box from the game. Losing the logbook removes our history from the box. Both are essential components.
>
> If it would be possible to recognize the difference and have a separate statement made available for letterboxes, that would go a long way to soothe the fears of our hobbyists. Perhaps you would know where to start in contacting the appropriate person?
>
> Your help is much appreciated and I hope you will join us on the trail at some point!
>
> Irish Bain
>
Silver Eagle
--- In letterbox-usa@yahoogroups.com, "Irish"
>
> Her e-mail address is readily available on the state website, so I wrote:
>
> Ms. Kight,
>
> Thank you ever so much for your effort to reach the letterboxing community. We often have nasty encounters with officials who don't understand our hobby. How nice to have someone reach out in such a pleasant way!
>
> Your letter was shared with one of our listserv opportunities. Unfortunately, many of us are having upset reactions after researching further on the state website. Applying for permits isn't the problem. The problem is that whomever wrote the notice that is supposed to be placed inside our boxes, doesn't understand our hobby.
>
> We strongly support 'leave no trace' behaviors in our self-identified community and believe firmly in keeping our clues so specific that there is no need to disturb the placement area fruitlessly searching. Geocaching is _very_ different from letterboxing in one particularly important factor: Letterboxers take/leave nothing but an image when they visit a find. Geocachers 'swap' out swag from their caches. If someone swaps or takes an item from a letterbox, they have effectively destroyed that box. Losing the stamp removes a box from the game. Losing the logbook removes our history from the box. Both are essential components.
>
> If it would be possible to recognize the difference and have a separate statement made available for letterboxes, that would go a long way to soothe the fears of our hobbyists. Perhaps you would know where to start in contacting the appropriate person?
>
> Your help is much appreciated and I hope you will join us on the trail at some point!
>
> Irish Bain
>
Re: Special Permits.
From: mizscarlet731 (mizscarlet731@yahoo.com) |
Date: 2009-12-05 21:18:13 UTC
I must have missed somthing. What state are you refering to and what policy?
--- In letterbox-usa@yahoogroups.com, "Irish"
>
> Her e-mail address is readily available on the state website, so I wrote:
>
> Ms. Kight,
>
> Thank you ever so much for your effort to reach the letterboxing community. We often have nasty encounters with officials who don't understand our hobby. How nice to have someone reach out in such a pleasant way!
>
> Your letter was shared with one of our listserv opportunities. Unfortunately, many of us are having upset reactions after researching further on the state website. Applying for permits isn't the problem. The problem is that whomever wrote the notice that is supposed to be placed inside our boxes, doesn't understand our hobby.
>
> We strongly support 'leave no trace' behaviors in our self-identified community and believe firmly in keeping our clues so specific that there is no need to disturb the placement area fruitlessly searching. Geocaching is _very_ different from letterboxing in one particularly important factor: Letterboxers take/leave nothing but an image when they visit a find. Geocachers 'swap' out swag from their caches. If someone swaps or takes an item from a letterbox, they have effectively destroyed that box. Losing the stamp removes a box from the game. Losing the logbook removes our history from the box. Both are essential components.
>
> If it would be possible to recognize the difference and have a separate statement made available for letterboxes, that would go a long way to soothe the fears of our hobbyists. Perhaps you would know where to start in contacting the appropriate person?
>
> Your help is much appreciated and I hope you will join us on the trail at some point!
>
> Irish Bain
>
Re: Special Permits.
From: mizscarlet731 (mizscarlet731@yahoo.com) |
Date: 2009-12-05 21:30:29 UTC
In the immortal words of Emily Latella,"Never mind". I had ignored thread as it started with state I am not near.
--- In letterbox-usa@yahoogroups.com, "mizscarlet731"
>
>
> I must have missed somthing. What state are you refering to and what policy?
>
> --- In letterbox-usa@yahoogroups.com, "Irish"
> >
> > Her e-mail address is readily available on the state website, so I wrote:
> >
> > Ms. Kight,
> >
> > Thank you ever so much for your effort to reach the letterboxing community. We often have nasty encounters with officials who don't understand our hobby. How nice to have someone reach out in such a pleasant way!
> >
> > Your letter was shared with one of our listserv opportunities. Unfortunately, many of us are having upset reactions after researching further on the state website. Applying for permits isn't the problem. The problem is that whomever wrote the notice that is supposed to be placed inside our boxes, doesn't understand our hobby.
> >
> > We strongly support 'leave no trace' behaviors in our self-identified community and believe firmly in keeping our clues so specific that there is no need to disturb the placement area fruitlessly searching. Geocaching is _very_ different from letterboxing in one particularly important factor: Letterboxers take/leave nothing but an image when they visit a find. Geocachers 'swap' out swag from their caches. If someone swaps or takes an item from a letterbox, they have effectively destroyed that box. Losing the stamp removes a box from the game. Losing the logbook removes our history from the box. Both are essential components.
> >
> > If it would be possible to recognize the difference and have a separate statement made available for letterboxes, that would go a long way to soothe the fears of our hobbyists. Perhaps you would know where to start in contacting the appropriate person?
> >
> > Your help is much appreciated and I hope you will join us on the trail at some point!
> >
> > Irish Bain
> >
>
Re: Special Permits.
From: jsbain (jsbain@yahoo.com) |
Date: 2009-12-06 21:14:16 UTC
Note that the policy does not require the exact wording of the attachment: merely an explanation of the letterboxing activity. the attachment was only an example, and obviously you can modify it as appropriate!
"3. An explanation of the geocaching/letterboxing activity is to be included in the container. (See the attached form for an example.)"
--- In letterbox-usa@yahoogroups.com, "Irish" wrote:
>
> Her e-mail address is readily available on the state website, so I wrote:
>
> Ms. Kight,
>
> Thank you ever so much for your effort to reach the letterboxing community. We often have nasty encounters with officials who don't understand our hobby. How nice to have someone reach out in such a pleasant way!
>
> Your letter was shared with one of our listserv opportunities. Unfortunately, many of us are having upset reactions after researching further on the state website. Applying for permits isn't the problem. The problem is that whomever wrote the notice that is supposed to be placed inside our boxes, doesn't understand our hobby.
>
> We strongly support 'leave no trace' behaviors in our self-identified community and believe firmly in keeping our clues so specific that there is no need to disturb the placement area fruitlessly searching. Geocaching is _very_ different from letterboxing in one particularly important factor: Letterboxers take/leave nothing but an image when they visit a find. Geocachers 'swap' out swag from their caches. If someone swaps or takes an item from a letterbox, they have effectively destroyed that box. Losing the stamp removes a box from the game. Losing the logbook removes our history from the box. Both are essential components.
>
> If it would be possible to recognize the difference and have a separate statement made available for letterboxes, that would go a long way to soothe the fears of our hobbyists. Perhaps you would know where to start in contacting the appropriate person?
>
> Your help is much appreciated and I hope you will join us on the trail at some point!
>
> Irish Bain
>
"3. An explanation of the geocaching/letterboxing activity is to be included in the container. (See the attached form for an example.)"
--- In letterbox-usa@yahoogroups.com, "Irish"
>
> Her e-mail address is readily available on the state website, so I wrote:
>
> Ms. Kight,
>
> Thank you ever so much for your effort to reach the letterboxing community. We often have nasty encounters with officials who don't understand our hobby. How nice to have someone reach out in such a pleasant way!
>
> Your letter was shared with one of our listserv opportunities. Unfortunately, many of us are having upset reactions after researching further on the state website. Applying for permits isn't the problem. The problem is that whomever wrote the notice that is supposed to be placed inside our boxes, doesn't understand our hobby.
>
> We strongly support 'leave no trace' behaviors in our self-identified community and believe firmly in keeping our clues so specific that there is no need to disturb the placement area fruitlessly searching. Geocaching is _very_ different from letterboxing in one particularly important factor: Letterboxers take/leave nothing but an image when they visit a find. Geocachers 'swap' out swag from their caches. If someone swaps or takes an item from a letterbox, they have effectively destroyed that box. Losing the stamp removes a box from the game. Losing the logbook removes our history from the box. Both are essential components.
>
> If it would be possible to recognize the difference and have a separate statement made available for letterboxes, that would go a long way to soothe the fears of our hobbyists. Perhaps you would know where to start in contacting the appropriate person?
>
> Your help is much appreciated and I hope you will join us on the trail at some point!
>
> Irish Bain
>