Geocache Confusion
Thomas Cort contacted me indicating that the NCC have requested the removal of geocaches from Gatineau Park by June 20, 2010. He evidently received his information from geocaching.com. The implication from their message (copied below) is that geocaches may possibly be placed in Gatineau Park again in the future, once an NCC approved procedure for doing so has been established.
As a non-geocacher I find this slightly confusing.
Last summer (2009)Thomas asked other geocachers if he needed to gain permission from the NCC to place a cache in the park. Two of the replies he got indicated that although there were no rules at the time, meetings were planned that would establish some.
The NCC has issued a document stating that managing geocaching is one of its priority initiatives. That document though talks not of complete removal of geocaches but about their removal from zones identified as being the highest priority for conservation; their removal by the end of the summer; and their management in reference to Parks Canada’s geocaching guidelines.
I must say I am a bit surprised that a complete removal of caches is being called for and I’ll ask the NCC for their side of the story. I had instead been hoping that since geocachers have a strong centralized organization the NCC would reach out to this governing body and enter into an MOU as it has done with mountain bikers and rock climbers, enabling discussion with the affected group and the arrival at a mutually satisfactory route to responsible management.
For the sake of completeness, here are the associated pieces of background info noted above.
Message Thomas received from geocaching.com:
You are receiving this message because one of your caches is located within the territory of Gatineau Park.
The National Capital Commission (NCC) wishes to control Geocaching in the Gatineau Park. Therefore, it is currently setting a procedure for caches within its territory, and is asking geocachers to archive all caches in the park. They are requesting the cooperation of concerned geocachers to pick up all the containers.
We are asking for your cooperation in collecting your cache and in archiving the listing. Note that on June 20, 2010, all remaining caches within the territory of the park will be archived.
All new requests for publication at this location will be denied until permission of the NCC and the new procedure are received. We apologize for this inconvenience, which is beyond our control, and solicit the patience and cooperation of all geocachers.
Thank you
The Quebec Reviewers
Extracts from a geocache discussion board in reply to Thomas’ inquiry:
- The red-haired witch wrote “…there are guidelines for placing caches in Canadian National Parks and in Ontario Provincial Parks (and some are being worked on for Quebec Provincial Parks), but Gatineau Park is not a National or Provincial Park, which is why none of those guidelines apply there. So, for now… go ahead and place your cache, just make sure to follow NCC rules (don't cut down trees, build structures or pet the bears
)” - Cron wrote “They are aware and they think nobody should place a physical cache on their property (Green Belt, Gatineau Park, etc), but they are not enforcing any rules yet. At that time, they were supposed to have meetings about it and come up with some rules. Never heard of them since then (they have my number).”
The NCC document entitled Priority Initiatives Stemming from the Gatineau Park Ecosystem Conservation Plan includes the following about geocaching:
- The geocaches located in the park’s integral conservation zone will be relocated in areas that are less sensitive before the end of summer 2010.
- Information regarding the geocaches will be modified on the websites associated with this activity.
- The NCC will refer to Parks Canada’s guidelines to manage the geocaching activity.
Parks Canada’s web page Parks Canada Welcomes Geocachers
May 26th, 2010 - 21:24
“The National Capital Commission (NCC) wishes to control Geocaching in the Gatineau Park. . . ”
they want to “control” everything . . . .
May 27th, 2010 - 12:12
The geocacher know as cron has implied in a forum post that the plan to archive all the caches comes not because the NCC ordered a blanket removal from all Zones in the Park, but because a geocaching volunteer ‘reviewer’ thought it best to remove them until such time as the NCC comes up with a policy! If that’s the case I think the Reviewer has seriously overstepped their authority! It’s one thing to respond to a land manager’s requests but quite another to preemptively Archive caches before you’re even asked to!!
If this is the case I would appeal the archiving of any cache to Groundspeak, the owners of geocaching.com! If there’s no policy in place yet how do we know which cache locations are acceptable and which are not? We’re being asked to remove caches only to perhaps go out an place them again when the NCC gets around to finalizing their policy!
Blue -
May 27th, 2010 - 12:24
“Parks Canada Welcomes Geocachers”, by telling them to leave until they work on that policy they have been “getting around to” the last few years … Lovely.
May 27th, 2010 - 14:05
Juicepig, it’s the NCC who maintains Gatineau Park. I’d be interested in getting an answer about the possibility of an overzealous reviewer but I wouldn’t be surprised if this the NCC’s policy as they have a history of blunders (http://www.nccwatch.org/blunders/index.htm ).
May 27th, 2010 - 19:05
The Québec reviewer in charge of this case in known as a cache killer. He likes to archives caches for obscure reason. The choice of grounspeak to put this reviewer on this case is a very bad choice, one of the worst in my opinion.
May 28th, 2010 - 12:22
This stands to be a serious blow to geocaching and geocachers in the area, but it could have a wider impact. Ottawa is known throughout the geocaching community as a geocaching hotspot. We have thousands of geocaches scattered throughout the region’s substantial public greenspaces. Other communities and park authorities have successfully embraced geocaching as part of larger tourism initiatives to increase visitors, increase park revenues, and stimulate local economies. Just a few miles away from Gatineau Park, the South Nation Conservation Authority is welcoming geocachers with open arms and benefiting immensely as a result.
May 28th, 2010 - 12:58
Useful post at
http://geonarcissa.wordpress.com/2010/05/28/mass-archival-of-geocaches-in-gatineau-park/