Geocaching

Policy Statement Regarding Geocaching in the Rolla Park System

Geocaching is a new, entertaining adventure game for Global Positioning System (GPS) users. The basic idea is to have individuals and organizations set up caches all over the world and share the locations of these caches on the internet. GPS users can then use the location coordinates to find the caches. Once found, a cache may provide the visitor with a wide variety of rewards. All the visitor is asked to do is to leave something to replace the item that they took.

We believe allowing Geocaching in the park system will have mutual positive benefits to the user and the department, including the following:

• Geocaching will attract visitors who otherwise may never visit Rolla parks;
• Geocachers will receive the benefits of exercise while searching for the caches;
• The placement of geocaches in the park system will provide new, wholesome recreational opportunities for individual and families.
• The Rolla Parks & Recreation Department eagerly welcomes this activity to the park system.

ATTENTION PARK USERS: If you accidentally find one of these Geocaches in any of our parks, please do not disturb it.

Policy

Parks and Recreation allows Geocaching in the Rolla Parks system under the following guidelines:

1. Caches shall not be placed within 100 feet of playgrounds, ball fields, pavilions, buildings and restricted or private drives.
2. Locations of caches must be approved by the Parks & Recreation Department before they are submitted to any geocaching website.
3. When placing caches in the park system, no digging or any other kind of disruption of the ground will be permitted.
4. Caches shall be clearly labeled as a geocaches and include an explanation of what it is in the event it is found by non-geocachers. At the very least, contact information should be included on or inside the cache with the description of the cache as well as the name of the cache as listed on the www.geocaching.com Web site.
5. Please include a detailed description of the cache location in the encoded "hints" section that will guide a finder to the location without difficulty.
6. In order to see the geographical impact of geocaching, The Rolla Parks & Recreation Department encourages the finder to submit his/her name, city and state on the official geocaches web site once a cache  is located in a city park.
7. Geocachers are allowed to place a cache on Rolla Parks & Recreation property as long as they comply with the restrictions state above. Caches found not to be in compliance with this policy may be removed at the discretion of the department staff.