Reminder Cache Responsibly

[+hydee]

Please keep in mind when placing a cache or when seeking a cache that caches can easily be misunderstood and perceived as dangerous by those that are unaware of our sport.

 

Recent example: We were contacted this morning regarding an older cache that was placed in a popular theme park. It was a hollowed out cell phone case. The cache owner was being creative with both the cache container and the placement. BUT...an electronic device hidden in a theme park was seen as a threat by visitors, those that maintain the park, and the local authorities. Areas of the park were evacuated for a time and created quite a stir.

 

Accordingly, if you visit a cache that you feel may be questionable, please contact the cache owner. The owners are ultimately responsible for their cache placement and I am sure they would appreciate any feedback from the geocaching community.

Edited March 19, 2004 by hydee

[+wildearth2001]

Please keep in mind when placing a cache or when seeking a cache that caches can easily be misunderstood and perceived as dangerous by those that are unaware of our sport.

 

Recent example: We were contacted this morning regarding an older cache that was placed in a popular theme park. It was a hollowed out cell phone case. The cache owner was being creative with both the cache container and the placement. BUT...an electronic device hidden in a theme park was seen as a threat by visitors, those that maintain the park, and the local authorities. Areas of the park were evacuated for a time and created quite a stir.

 

Accordingly, if you visit a cache that you feel may be questionable, please contact the cache owner. The owners are ultimately responsible for their cache placement and I am sure they would appreciate any feedback from the geocaching community.

all I can say is OMG, that will really keep my carfull about hides, and always get permission for places like these, even if not needed, it will avoid this

[+TeamK-9]

Wow, that's really amazing, was it a BIG, popular theme park?

[+carleenp]

Wouldn't a theme park also be private property where permission should have been obtained first?

 

Anyway, unfortunately we all need to think about other's perceptions these days.

[+TeamK-9]

Anyone seeking more information should see this thread. Reading the one your reading now and the other won't make sense alone, but when you read the two, and put two and two together, you will understand, read the other topic.

 

Click Here

[+hydee]

The point of this topic is to raise awareness of an ongoing problem. Not just one cache or one theme park but a much bigger problem. We receive many emails and phone calls like the one today.

 

Please keep in mind when placing a cache or when seeking a cache that caches can easily be misunderstood and perceived as dangerous by those that are unaware of our sport.

[+RJFerret]

Thanks for the reminder Hydee and company... After participating in this hobby for so long, having many friends that do, having made friends by doing, and everyone knowing I do, it's good to be reminded to have awareness of public ignorance and over-reactions.

 

C'est la vie,

 

Randy

 

"Beam me up Scotty..." (Nevermind "up there" isn't doing so hot either!)

[+MissJenn]

Wouldn't a theme park also be private property where permission should have been obtained first?

Aha - there's that topic again.

[+clearpath]

A hollowed out cell phone strategically hidden in a crowded theme park ... hehehe ...thank God it wasn't an ammo box duct taped to the back of a phone booth, now that would of cleared the park in a hurry.

[+Lazyboy & Mitey Mite]

I've actually gone out and replaced a couple of ammo box containers with peanut butter jars. People are nervous these days but a plastic jar probably isn't a threat to them.

[+Criminal]

Seems like a lot of trouble could have been avoided by not writing "www.geocaching.com" on the container.

[Find Now, Log Later?]

Please keep in mind when placing a cache or when seeking a cache that caches can easily be misunderstood and perceived as dangerous by those that are unaware of our sport.

 

... if you visit a cache that you feel may be questionable, please contact the cache owner. The owners are ultimately responsible for their cache placement and I am sure they would appreciate any feedback from the geocaching community.

In my region, by far the majority of caches that have failed to conform to the geocaching.com guidelines have been placed by experienced (at least in terms of length of membership) cachers. That leads one to believe that the non-conforming caches were placed knowingly and with deliberate intent. Contacting the owner of such caches with one's concerns very often proves to be somewhat less than a positive experience.

 

Seems like a lot of trouble could have been avoided by not writing "www.geocaching.com" on the container.

 

If geocaching.com did not exercise final authority over the approval and listing of all caches appearing on their website, I would agree with you. But they do, and therefore contact information for the website really should be a required item for every physical cache. The fact that in many cases caches are listed on more than one geocaching website is immaterial: In order to be listed on geocaching.com, approval of the cache by geocaching.com was required.

[+briansnat]

I've actually gone out and replaced a couple of ammo box containers with peanut butter jars. People are nervous these days but a plastic jar probably isn't a threat to them.

 

Many of the caches that have resulted in the bomb squad being called in were plastic containers, including the first one ever blown up, which was Tupperware, clearly marked as a geocache. And with the possibility of biological and chemical attacks looming, responders will likely view even a film canister as a threat.

 

A clear container makes little difference, because someone can easily disguise their "bomb", or whatever as something benign.

 

The key is to make sure your caches are well hidden and off the beaten path. Caches in high traffic areas are not the best idea, no matter how well concealed, because someone searching is likely to draw attention to it.

Edited March 22, 2004 by briansnat

[magellan315]

Hydee,

 

having lived in the Orlando area before moving to Pennsylvania I can tell you that there are number of physical caches at Walt Disney World. I have no doubt that they do not have permission from WDW. Is anything being done to contact the cache owners to notify them either need permission or the caches will be archived by geocaching.com within a pre-determined period of time.

Edited March 22, 2004 by magellan315

[+JohnnyVegas]

I guess my idea of a travel bug made out of highways flares wraped with tape and a clock might not be a good idea Oh well backto the Pee Wee Herman bobble head idea.

[+SamLowrey]

I think those speaking of permission are missing the point. Even if permission is given, if it is seen by the public they are likely to panic. This is why I don't like urban caching period. I look like an anarchist planting a bomb. I don't want people to get desensitized to suspicious behavior, either.

[magellan315]

Getting permission will not reduce the chance of somone from the general public panicing. What it will do is prevent a full response from the police department/bomb squad which will cost tens of thousands of dollars. For example I have permission form an area park, if a muggle were to find my cache and report a suspicious object to the park staff or the police they would know it is not a risky item

 

I agree with Sam Lowery, caching in urban environmenst does create a higher risk of this type of response.

Edited March 22, 2004 by magellan315

[+Lone Duck]

There also needs to be consideration on the part of the hider as to where people might look for the cache. One cache that I hunted for turned out to be near a historic marker. Because of the cache name and the clue given by the hider, a lot of people were removing rocks from a nearby stone wall. That is basically vandalism, and was mentioned in cache pages log.

 

There's another local cache that had the possibility of electrocuting someone because of where that micro was hid. It was in a safe enough location, but someone looking for it actually removed screws from a cover exposing electrical wiring. I notified the hider and he verified that the conditions had changed since he hid it, and relocated the micro.

 

Probably the most important reason for logging your caching activities.