By Sarah Pace (RSPace)
We’re incredibly lucky as Alaskans to have the Alaska State Park system as part of our game board. Over 120 separate park units and a total of almost 3.5 million acres gives us the biggest state park playground in the US! We even have State Park units that are bigger than whole states! As Geocachers, we have an obligation to help protect our parks by being responsible owners, hiders, and finders of the geocaches hidden on State Park lands. GeocacheAlaska! will be talking a lot this summer about how we can do this!
If you own a geocache, or if you’re considering hiding a new geocache within the boundaries of the Alaska State Parks system, be sure to read the full set of guidelines outlined in our park user permit. Alaska State Park Rangers have recently reported finding caches that are in violation of the permit, and we want to be the best parks users that we can be! Remember, these are the rules that you’re agreeing to as a cache owner:: https://gcak.org/documents/2021_AK_State_Park_Permit_GCAK.pdf
Responsibilities for individual cache owners and (cache finders) include:
- Standard caches must be at least 10 feet away from any trail, road, structure, or sign. Caches must be at least 100 feet from any public use cabin.
- Caches must be bear proof/resistant and may NOT contain any food, edible items, or items with an odor. Remember: never use food or candy as swag!
- Cache may not contain any profanity, offensive material, or anything that would otherwise be inappropriate for young children. This includes swag!
- Caches must have a waterproof log and container.
- All caches must be marked in permanent marker Alaska State Parks Permit/Geocache AK.
- Cache must be placed in a durable, sealable, watertight, non-biodegradable container that is not bigger than a standard 50 caliber ammo can, in a color that blends in with its surroundings. The cache must be kept clean, dry, and serviceable.
- The cache should not hinder, deter, or affect the park aesthetics to the visiting public.
- No natural resources are to be damaged or disturbed in hiding the cache. No live vegetation is to be cut or disturbed.
- Caches cannot be placed in any location that could damage, disturb, or otherwise impact a historic site, building, or artifact. No caches can be placed in areas that are intentionally fenced, signed, or otherwise marked has hazardous or closed to the public.
- The cache owner shall visit the cache annually (yes, annually), to ensure that the cache is in compliance with permit regulations, signing the log to indicate that it’s been inspected.
- State Parks staff (as well as the GeocacheAlaska! Board of Directors) may, without notice, remove any cache that is in violation of our permit regulations. Several wet caches and caches containing food or garbage have already been removed.