geoaware

The Event is almost upon us! Its is "1st International EarthCache Mega Event Eve"! I would like to send out a huge thank you to everyone who has been involved: The wonderful folks at Groundspeak. The great team of folks in Maine The fantastic team of geoawares! The dedicated and highly supportive GSA E&O Staff ..and the folks who have supported EarthCaches and this Event! I will try my hardest to say hi and thank you to you all at the Event (but I am sorry if I miss folks in the 700+ crowd) ...and yes, you can still attend. You can register on site or at the pre-Event registration at Delorme (2 Delorme Drive, Yarmouth Maine from 1pm till 5pm). See you all soon...and again...THANKS! Gary

You are welcome to sign the log book and meet other cachers in that area for free. Entrance to all sessions and other activities require you to register.

We are so very pleased to announce that the 1st International EarthCache Event is now MEGA! www.earthcacheevent.org Come join us, and 500+ others, at this special event!

As of today, 491 folks are registered to attend! We are so close to the magic 500.....we are pretty confident that this will become a MEGA event

Hi Folks Just an update on the planning of this wonderful Event. As of today (20 June) we have 453 folks registered to attend....so MEGA status is looking very promising indeed. We still have some of the special Commemorative Event geocoins available - to get one you need to register in the first 500 at a level that includes a coin! We have a full program of sessions including one by very senior staff of Groundspeak! Other sessions cover topics like how a GPS works, using EarthCaches in the classroom, understanding the EarthCache guidelines, how to find geologic information and so much more. Activities for the geokids are also planned. Signal the Frog will be at the Event! The very special VIP Reception for Platinum EarthCache Masters who are registered for the Event is planned on the evening of Saturday 1 September. However, you have to register soon to be sent an invitation (it's an 'invitation only' event) Other events are developing around the main Event - including a CITO, Flash Mob etc So don't delay - get registered! www.earthcacheevent.org Geoaware PS Please note that you can register on the day at the event, but only at the lower levels. Non-registrants can sign the log book, but can't enter any of the sessions, vendor area etc.

As quoted, no it does not meet the guidelines! The logging task has to be Earth science related and site specific (and not answerable via an internet search)

This is not the case. However, we do re-evaluate EarthCaches that are brought to our attention ("needs maintenance" logs for example) when they obviously do not meet the current guidelines. We would strongly encourage all EarthCache owners to make sure that their existing active EarthCaches meet the guidelines as part of their regular cache maintenance work.

I guess that your Czech reviewer is not aware of the opinion Gary Lewis has on automatic checking of answers for ECs. A while ago a German guy had setup what he called Earthchecker (he had obtained initial encouragement from Groundspeak, not the GSA) and when the GSA became aware of this, they reformulated the guidelines. Cezanne This is not true...we did not reformulate the guidelines. However, it did stimulate the discussion with all the EarthCache review team. Auto-responders do not encourage the formulation of educational logging tasks that meet the guidelines and so, as a review team, we actively discourage their use.

Hi You must seek and obtain permission to use the names EarthCache and EarthCaching and any associated logos/icons as they are the trademarks of the Geological Society of America. Geoaware

Registration opens on the 15 February. The first 500 people who register at a level that includes a geocoin will get the limited education Commemorative coin www.earthcacheevent.org Come and help us make this a very special event!

It shouldn't matter when the person visited the EC site. If they actually visited and can answer the questions correctly, they deserve to log the find. That is anything but armchairing...the person actually did visit the site. Yep - you may be right. I was thinking of the example of a person saying 'well I have been to the Grand Canyon so I can log all the EC there!' I feel that doing something like that would not be in the spirit of the game. For example I have been to almost every EC site in Iceland, but I have not logged them - as many were established after I visited the sites. For me its an ethics call...and each person has to play that call themselves. If it is so very important for a person to log an EC because they can rather than because they follow the game, then so be it. The whole object of the logging tasks is to have the person learn something by visiting the site - not to prove they were there. Clever logging tasks can, however, do both of those. Maybe its more an issue that the logging tasks are not strong enough if a person can do them when they visited the site without even knowing an EC existed there? I would leave the final call up to the EC owner...

I think that a person should not log an EarthCache unless that visited the site to DO the EarthCache. Attempting to log a site because they have been there in the past, even if they can answer the logging questions, is, in my opinion, the same as armchair logging . As others have said, it is a game. It has rules. You should follow them. Not following them is cheating.

International EarthCache day has always been the first Sunday of Earth Science Week. This year it is 14 October. As always, I will be able to provide a small package of materials for anyone who organizes an official geocaching event to mark International EarthCache day to use as prizes as part of the event.

This whole issue has been discussed recently with Groundspeak, the Geological Society of America and the EarthCache reviewers and it was decided that it is the cache owners decision to make or not make an EarthCache a PMO - just as it is with all other cache types.

It is my personal opinion that once an EarthCache has been archived it is like it does not exist, and therefore you should not log it.

A good example of where a photo could be requested is to record the retreat of a glacier - when the photo provides a way for one cacher to measure the change from the previous cachers... Requesting a photo of a person (dog, gps, car etc) at a site can only be optional. The vast majority of people are asking for cachers to log a photo as an optional extra - and people seem to be doing it happily. From my reviewer perspective, I no longer have to deal with the many many (many) fights between cachers because of photographs and my guess is many more people left the game because of those fights than because they can't have a photo as a requirement!

I did find that a little funny too with all the emphasis on adding more and more material to the cache pages to just get them through review. It's always been about content, not length! There is no 'suddenly' in this equation.

A good rule to remember: It is always harder to write less and still get the message across.

I think there is a place for both...and yet I think many times an EC developers tend to add too much information - they provide every snippet of information about a site rather than the critical background information needed to appreciate what you see on site and undertake the logging tasks. For this reason it can be difficult to work out where on the line bewteen the two end examples you have given any EC falls. I personally like shorter text and a stronger learning experience on site.

It is almost impossible to have a distance limit like those you suggest. However, the rule of thumb is that a cacher should not be presented with the same lesson in a hour of travel. That said, the same feature can provide DIFFERENT lessons and it is the duty of the developer to make sure that their submission is really doing that. Glacial erratics is a good point. In my part of the world every boulder is an erratic. So allowing every one become an EarthCache is just crazy. However, having a few that cover the topic that have different lessons - and not the old 'how much does it weigh' task - is quite acceptable and even encouraged. The distance between them is therefore someone irrelevant. Two features with the same lesson within an hours traveling time are probably not going to be published.

Guys guys guys...this is starting to get nasty. Lets keep on the topic and keep its friendly and constructive. And, as I have reminded ALL of you..'It's a game'

I don't belive there is such a restriction, providing you can phrase the Logging Requirements in a way that a Middle School student can understand them. Actually a reviewer from country A typically does not even know what a student at age 14 is taught in country B. I know of several ECs where the writeup was rejected although it was at a suitable level with respect to what I was taught in school until the age of 14. Moreover, I also referred to the type of comments that typically come if someone wants to come up with more difficult questions, namely that this spoils the fun and conflicts with the idea of a game or/and the idea of Earthcaching. The implicit assumption behind many statements of that type appears to me that climbing, canyoning etc is automatically fun while spending quite some time on doing e.g. an experiment is not fitting to a game. Cezanne With the greatest respect, you seem to always infer that a reviewer who is not in your country has absolutely no knowledge of anything that pertains to your country This is such a false premise. I, for one, have a great knowledge of education standards around the globe. Its the nature of my job and reflected in the positions I hold on international education committees. I have a great understanding of level that a 14 yr old is taught and understands around the globe - and to be honest, its is not rocket science to have that appreciation. The issue here is not the pedantics of what a 14 yr can read or know - but rather if a layperson can read, understand and learn from an EarthCache.

I don't belive there is such a restriction, providing you can phrase the Logging Requirements in a way that a Middle School student can understand them. You are correct. And in fact, there is no Difficult restriction at all...other than the reading age. And that guideline was written to reduce geological jargon and other geoscience terms that were not explained in the text.

I think this sums it up very well. The intent of the EC guidelines is to teach people about the Earth science of a site through them reading the notes, observing a phenomenon and undertaking a task. However...I can also see a place for an EarthCache that requires some additional effort to be put in before visiting the site...and therefore making it a more difficult one on the scale. I would not want to see all EC move in that direction - but variety is the spice of life!

Thanks for sharing this w/us. Now knowing that there is an exclusionary agreement between the Earthcache Team and NSS concerning areas in and near caves everything appears to fall into place. This is no longer a question of ownership or a lack of notification. Having a background in environmental compliance, I am well aware of statutes and regulations they are easy to follow. It is the exclusionary elements inserted into each, that cause confusion and raise debate, but none the less need to be followed. Are there any other agreements that deviate from the norm, which we as EC generators need to be aware of, hoping to eliminate future confusion and debate? None spring to mind on a global or even continent level.