Should we form a Geocaching Maine Organization?

[Trezurs*-R-*Fun]

For me, it is quite the opposite. I don't have a problem with the idea that it IS changing. It sounds like organizing to protect it as it is, is an effort to prevent change rather than seeing things evolve.

Either way, I will still enjoy geocaching and take from it what I am interested in and give to it what I would like to.

The change I forsee is that we will be limited to where we can place caches. No public parks, no caches on private property in the Northern Maine woods. This is how I see it evolving if we don't protect it. So I guess I agree, organizing to maintain what we have today is what I'm after.

[attroll]

Maybe we should schedule and event and talk this all out. Sometime in August would be great. I am free the 12th or the 19th. I would like to attend and hear what everyone has to say.

[we3beans]

Do we know if the Geochicks are planning their BBQ for August???

[becket]

Maybe we should schedule and event and talk this all out.

i think this is a great idea!

[SewN2Cachin']

For what it's worth, I think we're already an organization, we're just not officially registered anywhere as such. The thought of this place being referred to as a "gossip site" is offensive. I think there have been some intense debates, but the term "gossip" is really not what we've been about. If that's how we'd be perceived by the non-geocaching community, than I'm for making what we already HAVE, official.

I basically subscribe to the "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" model. But the point TRF makes about having a voice before we NEED one on political issues has swayed me from my initial thoughts. I haven't voted yet....but I intend to. I just wanted to read all the entries before I did so, and I'm glad I did.

I think people's concerns about the potential for hurt feelings, is valid. Organizations can get very ugly in this way. I don't think we can let that potential for difficulty stand in the way of this forum's potential for speaking in a unified way to anyone opposed to geocaching.

So I guess I believe that the risks of "organizing" outweigh the risks of not doing so. I would hate to see the atmosphere here change -- or add a bunch of rules and reg's to abide by. But I don't think that's necessary.
I just want us to have a voice beyond this setting, should we ever need one. And the time to do that is BEFORE we need one.

I'm just looking for the best of both worlds -- to be loosely bound together, enough to legitimize us in the public eye....but not to make any profound difference in the way we interact or participate in the sport. We could do a mission statement in saying that we subscribe to LNT or the "geocacher's creed"..........

What a tough line to walk! I do want some of the "yes" characteristics, and the "no" options, but I can't vote "I don't care" because I DO!!

Welcome to that fuzzy space inside my head. It isn't free to rent, but the view is often nice......

[Haffy]

I agree with everything you have said Sewin2cachin and I wish more more of everyone in here felt the same way. I think all we need to do is just come up with some sort of "Geocachers Creed" so to speak and we'll have everything right in front of us. The time will come, I'm almost certain, that we will need a unified voice and I can't think of a better organization to be able to support than the one we have right here.

[tat]

Maybe we should schedule and event and talk this all out. Sometime in August would be great. I am free the 12th or the 19th. I would like to attend and hear what everyone has to say.

I can't make either weekend, I'll be in Montana. But, no matter what day you chose, someone won't be able to go!

I have been working with the Nature Conservency at Mt. Agamenticus. The person I talked to was actually concerned that too many cachers would visit. If we organize and are a powerful voice, I wonder if this would be percieved as a threat rather than a group that must be listened to.

We may get more benifit from being more active in trail maintenance and public education projects. This year, there was at least one CITO event. I am certain that Brewer recognizes the effort geocachers put in. CITO events do not need to include cleaning trash. They can also include any type of trail maintenace or such project.

Not to change the subhect, but is anyone up for a Mt. Agamenticus trail maintence event on 15 Oct. 2006? You heard it here first!!

[d’76]

This here makes for the 108th post about this. For the folks that are in favor of this will you just do it. At this point we have not made any ground in awhile. It's all sounding the same. Someone needs to grab the bull by the horns and take charge. No more voting, no more talking about it just post a creed and lets get it done. It appears that we are going to ingnore the fact that right now the majority that have voted have said that the dont want to organize, and gonna beat this until folks change there mind cause they are tired of hearing about it. There are lots of gc creeds out there all ready done. Lets not reinvent the wheel.

[Haffy]

If we organize and are a powerful voice, I wonder if this would be percieved as a threat rather than a group that must be listened to.

You really can't be serious Tat. I can't for the life of me understand why forming an organization would be perceived as a threat. I agree with Dave1976 we are just rehashing the same things here over and over again and getting nowhere. Let's either get someone to put together a simple platform for this geocaching group we have here or just let some other group do just that and let them be the voice for all that we have worked for here.

Maybe after this weekend we won't have to worry about anything anyway.

[LaughingTerry]

I don't see anything wrong with having an organization as long as it isn't telling us how we can place or chase caches, or make special demands to have a meet.

My feeling is that if me have an organization the main thing it should do is to work with the land management people, the park people, etc. The same thing we do now basically. Like Hiram and FireFighterJake to name a couple. The mission statement would be to work to keep geocaching something we can all do wherever we go..