[dougshep]

I have noticed quite a few DNF's, damaged containers, wet logs, etc. Many caches are getting really old. Some back to 2001. Speaking for many of us, you hike along way through rough terrain, thorns, Endure heat, cold, water, etc. only to find the cache either trashed or not there. Not a whine just and observation

Also, checking the logs of several in your area you would like to get, but there are several DNF's logged and you dare not look the one that no one had found for several months.

Would some sort of announced national or international "Geocache Maintenance Week" (or Month) make a difference?

How about it. Your opinions?

Dougshep

[stites1]

That's a great idea. Sure we should all be maintaining our caches anyway, but an organized "month" may give many of us that extra kick we need to go the extra mile.

An idea: Perhaps we could involve free doughnuts. I went to an event cache this past weekend that featured free doughnuts, and it made my weekend. I, personally, would perform maintenance on a cache in the pits of Hell for free doughnuts. Just a thought.

Seriously though, we perform "Beach Sweeps" on the various islands around here and the difference is amazing. One weekend where everyone who picks up trash as a matter of course does it at the same time really shows results.

[Skippermark]

I'll pass. I check on my caches when someone says there's a problem. If they're getting found all along without problems, there's really no need to check on them.

[gypsy1965]

i think thats a good idea, maybe a week long event, would give you a chance to see whats in your cache too!

[DanOCan]

I think the owners who are maintaining their caches will do so regardless and those caches which are owned by people who have lost interest will continue to ignore them.

[Taoiseach]

DanOCan, on Sep 16 2008, 09:35 AM, said:

I think the owners who are maintaining their caches will do so regardless and those caches which are owned by people who have lost interest will continue to ignore them.

What if it's organised as some sort of community effort to maintain the caches that are being ignored?

[Vinny & Sue Team]

dougshep, on Sep 15 2008, 08:24 PM, said:

I have noticed quite a few DNF's, damaged containers, wet logs, etc. Many caches are getting really old. Some back to 2001. Speaking for many of us, you hike along way through rough terrain, thorns, Endure heat, cold, water, etc. only to find the cache either trashed or not there. Not a whine just and observation

Also, checking the logs of several in your area you would like to get, but there are several DNF's logged and you dare not look the one that no one had found for several months.

Would some sort of announced national or international "Geocache Maintenance Week" (or Month) make a difference?

How about it. Your opinions?

Dougshep

I will pass. And, I see no need... We maintain our own caches as needed (unless a helpful cache with a cache maintenance kit in their pack discovers the problem before we do, and decides to fix if for us), and, speaking for myself, I almost always carry a cache maintenance kit when caching, and I often perform spontaneous maintenance as needed on caches which I find. And, I have been known to travel ten miles or so one-way to town or a nearby state park to do some quick fix-up work on caches (which I first had found much earlier) owned by other cachers, if t to whey are traveling or otherwise unavailable (i.e., perhaps they have left the hobby.)

[Mocadeki]

I'll pass on this. We try to get to our caches as soon as time permits when there is a problem.

[Wild Thing 73]

I take care of my cache placements....It is called "owner maintenance" and it works....along with the DNFs from concerned Geocachers....If you place caches, you have a responsibility to maintain each and everyone..Why put that Cache Responsibility on a National Agenda. Happy Trails and CITO...

[Renegade Knight]

Vinny & Sue Team, on Sep 16 2008, 12:13 PM, said:

...I will pass. And, I see no need... We maintain our own caches as needed...

I was leaning this way. Then I read stites1's post and they nailed it. Technicly it's true, we dont need CITO to pick up trash. We don't need CITO events. We dont need an Earth day to do what we should be doing anyway and so on.

And yet, we do, because like stites1 said. It's that extra kick that helps is remember what we should be doing anyway. Rather like Gingko Viagra, Helps you remember what the F you are supposed to be doing.

[Vinny & Sue Team]

Renegade Knight, on Sep 16 2008, 02:50 PM, said:

Vinny & Sue Team, on Sep 16 2008, 12:13 PM, said:

...I will pass. And, I see no need... We maintain our own caches as needed...

I was leaning this way. Then I read stites1's post and they nailed it. Technicly it's true, we dont need CITO to pick up trash. We don't need CITO events. We dont need an Earth day to do what we should be doing anyway and so on.

And yet, we do, because like stites1 said. It's that extra kick that helps is remember what we should be doing anyway. Rather like Gingko Viagra, Helps you remember what the F you are supposed to be doing.

Your post is rather cryptic and puzzling to me, a bit confusing to say the least, because when I use the "Find Another Player" feature on my My Account Details page, I can find no trace of any accounts at Groundspeak named either Ginko or Viagra, and thus, I have no idea who these cachers are to whom you are referring.

[dougshep]

Renegade Knight, on Sep 16 2008, 10:50 AM, said:

Vinny & Sue Team, on Sep 16 2008, 12:13 PM, said:

...I will pass. And, I see no need... We maintain our own caches as needed...

I was leaning this way. Then I read stites1's post and they nailed it. Technicly it's true, we dont need CITO to pick up trash. We don't need CITO events. We dont need an Earth day to do what we should be doing anyway and so on.

And yet, we do, because like stites1 said. It's that extra kick that helps is remember what we should be doing anyway. Rather like Gingko Viagra, Helps you remember what the F you are supposed to be doing.

That is more of what I meant. Not something organized or a big event but more of a reminder. The reminder (National Cache Maintenance Week or Month) encourages or reminds those that have been busy and have forgotten. I agree most of us do maintain our own. I will from now on carry a maint. Kit. That is a great idea.
This doesn't have to be some big deal, you don't have to wear a wrist band, Groundspeak could email all account holders of this effort for that week.
Our town has a cleanup day twice a year perhaps a cache cleanup every 5 years wouldn't be to demanding. Missing caches could either be replaced or removed from the website.

[StClairC]

Wild Thing 73, on Sep 16 2008, 11:32 AM, said:

I take care of my cache placements....It is called "owner maintenance" and it works....along with the DNFs from concerned Geocachers....If you place caches, you have a responsibility to maintain each and everyone..Why put that Cache Responsibility on a National Agenda. Happy Trails and CITO...

Unfortunately, many cache owners don't. If you take care of your caches, then you can just ignore it and go about maintaining them however you see fit. I see nothing wrong with an awareness month geared toward both cache owners and finders to maintain a high standard for all caches. Promoting things like cache repair kits and such is a good idea that I'm sure many people have never thought of doing. Anything to reduce the number of rusted-over altoids cans and wet, unsignable logs is good to me.

[Cherokee Bill]

I'll vote for it!

Now for a question! How many "DNY's" should be posted before an owner goes to check the involved cache?

[NYPaddleCacher]

Vinny & Sue Team, on Sep 16 2008, 01:19 PM, said:

Renegade Knight, on Sep 16 2008, 02:50 PM, said:

Vinny & Sue Team, on Sep 16 2008, 12:13 PM, said:

...I will pass. And, I see no need... We maintain our own caches as needed...

I was leaning this way. Then I read stites1's post and they nailed it. Technicly it's true, we dont need CITO to pick up trash. We don't need CITO events. We dont need an Earth day to do what we should be doing anyway and so on.

And yet, we do, because like stites1 said. It's that extra kick that helps is remember what we should be doing anyway. Rather like Gingko Viagra, Helps you remember what the F you are supposed to be doing.

Your post is rather cryptic and puzzling to me, a bit confusing to say the least, because when I use the "Find Another Player" feature on my My Account Details page, I can find no trace of any accounts at Groundspeak named either Ginko or Viagra, and thus, I have no idea who these cachers are to whom you are referring.

That's because Ginko and Viagra are among the very few that have achieved the super double secret "Stealth Membership" status. I wouldn't have known about it myself but I was following someones instruction on how to get to the Transcendental Calculator Page and I stumbled upon this exclusive group.

[Zop]

DanOCan, on Sep 16 2008, 10:35 AM, said:

I think the owners who are maintaining their caches will do so regardless and those caches which are owned by people who have lost interest will continue to ignore them.

I have to agree. Perhaps posting "Needs Maintenance" logs or SBAs would help in situations like that.

[Zop]

Taoiseach, on Sep 16 2008, 11:06 AM, said:

What if it's organised as some sort of community effort to maintain the caches that are being ignored?

I like the enthusiasm but if a cache is being ignored by the placer, it should be archived and CITO.

Then someone can place a new hide that will be maintained and lure more visitors

[dougshep]

Zop, on Sep 16 2008, 03:20 PM, said:

Taoiseach, on Sep 16 2008, 11:06 AM, said:

What if it's organised as some sort of community effort to maintain the caches that are being ignored?

I like the enthusiasm but if a cache is being ignored by the placer, it should be archived and CITO.

Then someone can place a new hide that will be maintained and lure more visitors

I found this information in the FAQ section regarding reporting a missing cach:

What do I do if I find out that a cache has gone missing?
If you visit a cache location and the cache is missing, make sure to log the cache as one that you "Did Not Find" so the cache owner is notified. Cache owners who repeatedly receive "Did Not Find" logs should check to see that their cache has not been removed. As a geocacher, if you notice that a cache detail page has an unusual number of "Did Not Find" logs, please let the local reviewer know or contact us. We rely on the geocaching community to let us know the status of caches in their area.
______________________________________________________________
I guess the Local Reviewer is the reviewer that approved that cache initially.
Another question possed by Cherokee Bill, "How many DNF's do you need before you report it?".
I would say probably 2 or 3 DNF's by different cachers on different dates. I have noticed two DNF's on the same day by different cachers, no doubt traveling together.
And if the owner hasn't responded to the Maint. requests after a month if should be archived. I am sure the Reviewers have guidelines.

P.S. How Bout them Cowboys!!!!!!

This post has been edited by dougshep: 16 September 2008 - 04:11 PM

[Zop]

dougshep, on Sep 16 2008, 04:54 PM, said:

[Another question possed by Cherokee Bill, "How many DNF's do you need before you report it?".
I would say probably 2 or 3 DNF's by different cachers on different dates. I have noticed two DNF's on the same day by different cachers, no doubt traveling together.
And if the owner hasn't responded to the Maint. requests after a month if should be archived. I am sure the Reviewers have guidelines.

Wouldn't that really depend on the difficulty of the hide?

[NYPaddleCacher]

Zop, on Sep 16 2008, 03:20 PM, said:

Taoiseach, on Sep 16 2008, 11:06 AM, said:

What if it's organised as some sort of community effort to maintain the caches that are being ignored?

I like the enthusiasm but if a cache is being ignored by the placer, it should be archived and CITO.

Then someone can place a new hide that will be maintained and lure more visitors

Maybe it's because I live in an area that every available area isn't saturated with caches but I know of quite a few caches that the original owner is long gone but are essentially maintained by the local community. I've added log sheets/book replaced plastic baggies, and replaced containers on caches that have been around for a long time, but have never seen any activity by the original owners. There was one awhile in which the two previous logs had indicated that they had found the remains of the original container but I went to the location with a container of the same size and type mentioned in the listing, added a log book and a few swag items and placed it in as far as I can tell in the original hiding spot. At the end of the day, does it really matter if the owner of the cache is maintaining a cache, as long as it's being maintained? In this case, the cache is located in the foundation of the childhood home of John D. Rockefellar, so it's a historical and unique spot worthy of a cache.

[dougshep]

dougshep, on Sep 15 2008, 04:24 PM, said:

I have noticed quite a few DNF's, damaged containers, wet logs, etc. Many caches are getting really old. Some back to 2001. Speaking for many of us, you hike along way through rough terrain, thorns, Endure heat, cold, water, etc. only to find the cache either trashed or not there. Not a whine just and observation

Also, checking the logs of several in your area you would like to get, but there are several DNF's logged and you dare not look the one that no one had found for several months.

Would some sort of announced national or international "Geocache Maintenance Week" (or Month) make a difference?

How about it. Your opinions?

Dougshep

Here is an interesting idea that the Wisconcin Geocaching Association has done regarding fixing caches in need. http://www.wi-geocac...me=Cache_Rescue
Dougshep[color=#33CC00]