INFO ON FIELD FROM RANGER SERVICE

Soo um has this panned out? Do we have a field again? And if not how can i help? Studio is done so i have 4 days with little to do other than clean and pack and then Im home and will have absolutely nothing to do.

as far as i know, we are waiting on the waiver from andrew. Last i checked he was supposed to have sent it to Zach already. Once that gets to zach we'll meet with the rangers and then should have it all done.

Any updates?

Bump. Very curious about updates.

Update is that Zach sent all info via email and we are waiting for response...

Update is that my email sucks and has not been getting emails to their intended subjects. Oh well. Fresh email with all included documents was resent out today and I should hear back... probably tomorrow. That being said, it will not be until Sunday at the earliest that we will be able to convene with the Ranger Service and finalize our own field.

Received info back. They need to know a date to meet and how many of us will be here this summer. There are controlled burns on that field so making any kind of obstacles and stuff will not be happening. If you are going to be a point of contact for the Ranger Service, PM your email so that I can forward it to them and get this finished.

sent. The number of peeps here for the summer should be in the thread on that subject.

i am currently out of town and won't be back till the 20th so i won't be able to attend anything with the rangers till then

alright so what is happening with this? Free almost any day after about 11:15 or so, until i find a job.

AFAIK Zach resent the info and added our contact stuff but hasnt gotten a reply yet.

Would like to give everyone an official update. The email has been sent to the rangers, we are waiting for a reply back then we will set up a meeting with them to finalize everything. I will try to keep everyone updated as things come along.

expect an update very soon, good news inbound

WOOT!!!!!!!!!!!!

If only I could like comments or give rep for them. We really need such a thing on this site as we did on the old one.

Yay! Games resume soon, I hope!

Thank you to all our officers who worked hard to make this good news happen. More good karma/well wishes/thanks will be delivered when actual good news arrives.

Okay everybody, Listen up! ... or read:

I went to the ranger station today to see if I could speak face to face with out representative for the airsoft field matter. As it would seem, we were on the top of her to do list. Note: she has been a very busy person but a delight to deal with even though this has taken some time. We still need to get clear with VT as a club and then their sponsorship could result in a private use field.

Now for the good news: After speaking today and just checking over everything in person, we have been cleared to use the field that they have allotted for us whenever we so chose. Which means, we can start having games again. The field is about 15-20 minutes away from VT campus and is located opposite of Caldwell fields. This will give us access to better parking as well as a bathroom. The land is estimated to be between 25 and 30 acres in size but boundaries are not extremely clear meaning there is a possibility to great expansion in to the area as long as we do not stray too far. This area is also pretty well removed form public areas where people would simply be roaming around which makes it easier for us as we will not be getting shot at for real and don't have to worry about people walking in on our games and having to end all games for the day. Parking is not immediately available to us just yet, as from what I have been told, they are going to make a designated parking area as well as place a sign stating that the land is set aside for public use that is airsoft related. WE DO NOT OWN THIS FIELD AND CANNOT TREAT IT AS PRIVATE!! <- This is a major point with the Ranger service. We have to welcome anyone that is out there no matter age, race or whatever. Also, we cannot sell tickets or charge for people to come to this area (not like we would anyway). Included with that, we cannot buy BBs and then sell them at a profit there. In fact, we cannot sell anything on this land as it would be a breach in agreement with the ranger service.

Now, we do not have full authority to do whatever we want on this land outside of the selling of things. What I mean is that the leadership still has to meet with the rangers and walk off the property and have a face to face meeting with our out-of-office representative who physically takes care of the land we will be on. The biologist and archeologist have already done their sweep of the land (could not have been completed but just a few days ago by the sounds of it) and say we are clear to play there. Now we are just getting familiarized. Also, at the present time, we are clear to play on this land. It is necessary, though, that we contact the ranger service a week in advance so they can inform all offices of our whereabouts and keep us and others safe. Once the sign has been placed, then we do not need to contact them any more and can go whenever we wish.

This field is a burn field and is burned every year around March. Also, the corp of cadets has training exercises out there so when they do we cannot be on that field. This will only be 2 weekends out of a year. We also cannot build structures or any kind of permanent enclosures as the land has to be left as we found it. That also includes the use of bio BBs as our only BBs. We can set up tarp structures or bead sheets, but no wood or steal or whatever. Must be lightweight, moveable, and non-permanent. Otherwise we lose the field.

Airsoft is not looked upon so highly nationally right now and this forest ranger service is one of the first to try to make a public field. The people at the station do hope to begin to put airsoft in a positive light on a larger scale and for public recreation. Basically, they are taking a risk on us. We cant let them down. We will act with complete respect and be honorable members of the community. At this point, if people do not get along with VTAC, they can kiss the road because we can move on without them if they cannot play by the rules. We were the ones that contacted the service and set the rules. That is the only authority we have. I am sure, however, that the members we have are much more respectful and this should not be a problem.

I know I don't have all the info listed, but it is basically be responsible and respectful.


Rules of the area:
BIO BBs Required
Waivers need to be signed for use of the field. These will need to be kept on record for the ranger service as well.
There will be FPS limits and they will be checked every game. That means we need a club chrono.
Goggles (full seal) are required for under 18. Everything else must be ANSI E87.1+.
Also, we may be required to not even bring real knives with us on to the field. Could be one of their safety rules.


If you have any questions, ask me. This is posted on both facebook and Forum. Full clearance should be approved by the start of school.

Congrats, Gentlemen (and ladies)! We have a Field.