I think it sounds a little paranoid, but I guess thats the government for you.

Well, this doesn't sound like a case where anyone will be irreperably deprived of life, liberty and/or the pursuit of happiness if the government imposes a blanket policy while (with luck) they assess what the most reasonable policy is.

OTOH, I can think of some alpine meadows in the Olympics, Cascades and elsewhere that might be considered prime geocaching territory, but which are barely sustaining the current level of human activity, so a few of those might be protected from serious harm.

This is probably a policy that will be hard to apply on a case-by-case basis, so if the guvmint's initial policy reaction is a little severe, I think I understand a bit.

And, hell, I thought you could do *anything* in a National Forest!