By complying with these guidelines you insure a healthy relationship between geocachers and land managers and you have also taken steps to insure the safety of the cache hunters.
Also be aware that different areas have different policies and regulations about the placement of caches. Familiarizing yourself with these before asking permission will show the land manager that you're willing to meet his or her organization's concerns about cache placement. Geocachingpolicy.info may be helpful when looking for cache policies (it's also a great site to contribute to when you find policies that aren't listed there yet). Asking for permission might seem like a difficult step, especially in the face of the excitement of placing a new cache. But like my mom always told me, "It's always easier to ask for permission than for forgiveness." By taking this step and respecting the authority of those who care for the land you're helping all geocachers by upholding our reputation. SafetyMost remotely hidden geocaches are far enough off established trails that hikers won't accidentally stumble across them. However, many trails are established where they are to keep people away from potentially dangerous locations. Maybe there's a cliff nearby or an old abandoned well or other structure that could prove to be unsafe to anyone in the area. Sometimes safety is a matter of "who else is around?" Is a particular park known as a place frequented by people buying and selling drugs? Are there issues with animals in the area (either predatory or poisonous)? Some of these issues should cause you to rethink your hide, others simply need to be noted on the cache page so the finder can be aware of them. Environmental ImpactSometimes trails aren't there to protect us from dangers in other areas, but rather to protect those other areas from us. Delicate plant life or wildlife habitat might be just a few feet away from the trail and a cache placed in the area could cause problems with either. If you're placing a cache in a state park or other such recreational area, land managers will likely point out such "off-limits" areas to you. Another issue of environmental impact is the establishing of new "social trails" after a few visits to your cache. Land managers often look down on such unauthorized trails and curious hikers who notice them might wonder where they might lead. Also, other geocachers often see them as obvious markers telling them exactly where the cache is. Fortunately, nature is very forgiving when it comes to trails like this and will often reclaim the path fairly quickly (some regions will vary). Still, being aware of the impact can help you plan for it and do your part to keep your cache well hidden.
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Usually getting permission involves a simple call or letter to the owner or land manager. Sometimes the most difficult part can be finding out who this person is, but asking the right questions and doing the right research always seems to help. Other times the difficult part is explaining to them exactly what geocaching is! I recommend handing them a brochure like