Kyle S

Hi all, First off, thanks to all the cachers (hiders and seekers) who've kept up the CITO efforts while in our parks. it's always appreciated. I monitor caches for the Tualatin Hills Park & Recreation District (in and around Beaverton, OR), which basically means I catalog (on a master spreadsheet) all the caches in our parks. For those 'mystery' or puzzle caches, I either solve the puzzle or email the owner for the final location. In addition, I periodically spend a bit of time seeking some of the new caches or visiting caches that have been in place for a while. For the most part, the caches have been placed well, and there aren't any issues. But in rare instances, I've had to ask that a cache be removed, for a variety of reasons including safety issues, a new trail has been formed, etc. One other issue that comes up is when we are doing habitat restoration work in a park that may impact a known cache (or Letterbox). In these cases, I do my best to contact the cache owners and alert them so they can retrieve the cache and either permanently or temporarily disable the cache. Of course, this is greatly helped by knowing ahead of time that a cache is in an area where we are planning on doing some work. However, most often we have not been contacted prior to the cache placement, so there have been cases where we've found out after the fact that our work has destroyed a cache. This is always disappointing, both to me personally and to the Geocaching community as a whole. So, if you would like to place a cache in one of the parks of the Tualatin Hills Park & Recreation District, please contact me and I'd be happy to discuss hiding locations, any issues with a hiding location, etc. Thanks, Kyle Spinks, Park Ranger Tualatin Hills Park & Recreation District Natural Resources Dept. 5500 SW Arctic Drive, Ste. 2 Beaverton, OR 97005 503-629-6305 x2952

Hi all, As the guy from the Park District (Tualatin Hills Park & Rec. District) who has been promoting Geocaching for the last couple years I thought I'd add my 2 cents about caching after dark. I monitor the Geocaches in our District with an eye toward safety, so I try to keep on top of things like caches in the midst of poison-oak bushes or too near steep streambanks. I also try to be aware of impacts to the natural areas (which, from what I've seen, Geocachers are aware of this and try hard not to do too much bushwhacking through the woods). In both cases, I've received great cooperation from the Geocaching community when I've noted a potential hazard or an area getting too impacted. All of our parks are closed at dusk as a precaution against bad stuff happening to good people. The bad stuff may be as minor as tripping over a root in the dark or as major as being accosted by an after-hours drunk (or worse!). It's wise to remember that there's lots of people that use the natural areas to do stuff that is against the law and these people may pose a risk to a Geocacher that innocently 'finds' them in the woods, especially at night. From my point of view, I would hate to see the good name of Geocaching be hurt by an incident completely unrelated to the fun activity, except that the Geocacher was at the wrong place at the wrong time. So as a word of caution, I recommend AGAINST seeking caches in urban parks after dark. Kyle Spinks (Kyle S - THPRD Guy) Biologist THPRD, Beaverton, OR

Not sure if it's a new story or a repeat. There's an article in the "Geocaching in the News" section (see the bottom of the Geocaching home page) that strikes me as quite familiar, so I'm guessing it's the story I heard, but without the transcription of the conversation between the interviewer and one of the Geocachers.

Hi all, did anyone else hear the piece on OPB on Geocaching last week? Kyle S (THPRD Guy)

Hi all, Great to see the response! Just this morning I posted an Event Cache, as recommended by the sage amongst you. If you have any suggestions as to improving the page (this is my first posting so I'm learning all this as I go along) send me an email at kspinks@thprd.com and I'll edit the page. Thanks for all your support and hope to see you there! Kyle S

Thanks Jeremy. I posted an Event Cache this morning. "Thanks" to the Geocaching community for all the effort and cooperation with our Park District. It's been a pleasure working with your organization. Kyle S

Wow! It's only been about an hour and I've received a couple calls about this clean-up. We'll be meeting at 9:00 AM the main entrance to Ridgewood View Park at the end of SW Ardenwood Street. Hope to see y'all there. Kyle S (THPRD guy)

Wow! It's only been about an hour and I've received a couple calls about this clean-up. We'll be meeting at 9:00 AM the main entrance to Ridgewood View Park at the end of SW Ardenwood Street. Hope to see y'all there. Kyle S (THPRD guy)

Hi all, Spurred by the encouragement of local Geocachers (and the 'Trash Out' ethic of the Geocaching community) Tualatin Hills Park & Recreation District is sponsoring a clean-up of Ridgewood View Park on May 10th, 2003. I have received numerous questions about all those curious square, metal plates strewn about the wooded area, as well as about the trash all along the numerous dirt trails criss-crossing the woods. Our goal will be to pick up the trash and encourage neighborhood stewardship of the park. And, if we have enough people there, we will also remove some of the ivy which is climbing the trees and out-competing the native plants. I will be providing all the necessary tools and supplies (garbage bags, loppers, water, bagels) and will have a truck to fill with the garbage we haul out. Please bring heavy (leather) gloves and wear clothing appropriate to the work and our famous Oregon weather. If you have any questions, please contact me at 503-645-3539 or kspinks@thprd.com. Thanks and I hope to see all of you there! Kyle S (THPRD guy)

Hi all, Spurred by the encouragement of local Geocachers (and the 'Trash Out' ethic of the Geocaching community) Tualatin Hills Park & Recreation District is sponsoring a clean-up of Ridgewood View Park on May 10th, 2003. The park has been home to 4 different caches over the last year and I have received numerous questions about all those curious square, metal plates strewn about the wooded area, as well as about the trash all along the numerous dirt trails criss-crossing the woods. Our goal will be to pick up the trash and encourage neighborhood stewardship of the park. And, if we have enough people there, we will also remove some of the ivy which is climbing the trees and out-competing the native plants. I will be providing all the necessary tools and supplies (garbage bags, loppers, water, bagels) and will have a truck to fill with the garbage we haul out. Please bring heavy (leather) gloves and wear clothing appropriate to the work and our famous Oregon weather. If you have any questions, please contact me at 503-645-3539 or kspinks@thprd.com. Thanks and I hope to see all of you there! Kyle S (THPRD guy)

Hi all, First off, I wanna thank all of you who have kept in contact and alerted us to various 'unique' situations found near Geocaches in the THPRD parks (homeless encampments, the zillion metal plates in one of our parks, etc.) I've also put in a plea to my boss to do an Earth Day-ish clean-up in the park with the metal plates (Ridgewood View, near the intersection of Hwy 217 and Hwy 26). I should get the thumbs up or down in the next week or so. There are LOTS of things happening in the Portland Metro region on Earth Day (April 26)and THPRD has an Earth Day celebration going on at the Nature Park on the Saturday before Earth Day (April 19). I suggest we do a clean-up on the Saturday following the regional Earth Day celebration. That is, I and other Geocaching people could do the clean-up on May 3 (thus the characterization of this as an 'Earth Day-ish event). This would also coincide with the brand new No Ivy Day in Portland. I figure with just a few people and a few hours we can get the majority of the trash outta there. We can provide the garbage bags and I'll look into a dumpster for the site. And if we get enough people we can also work on the ivy crawling up the trees in the SW corner of the park. I'd do advertising to the neighborhood and the school, but would also post an ad on this forum. I'd like to hear how many of you would be intersted in such a project. Might I bribe you with bagels, coffee, juice, etc. ? Thanks, Kyle S (THPRD Guy)

Howdy everyone. I got the invitation to the get-together tonight and plan on getting there around 6. Hope to see and meet everyone! Kyle S

To whom it may concern, The following is an email memo I sent to my Administrators today: Geocaching has become a fun pastime in our urban parks. Adults and children alike participate, and often this pastime is a family activity that encourages cooperation and problem-solving, plus provides an opportunity for people to seek out urban natural areas often overlooked in our busy lives. I spent October 12 and 13, 2002, checking on Geocaches in Tualatin Hills Parks and Recreation District parks. I visited 26 parks and 23 caches, almost all of which were in natural areas. As a result of my survey this weekend I am pleased to report no significant adverse impacts to the natural areas as a result of Geocaching activities. In several cases, minor trails had developed as a result of the few people seeking the caches, but these were comparable to animal trails typically found in the woods, not to human trails characterized by bare, compacted dirt and scattered litter. Stumps and snags are often used as hiding places and none of those currently being used were torn apart or otherwise degraded. On the contrary, they showed little evidence of being used as hiding places for the Geocaches. The Geocaching.com organization encourages Geocachers and cache seekers to pick up trash when using natural areas. I have kept up an ongoing dialogue with several local Geocachers and have been kept informed of things such as litter, inappropriate use of natural areas, and homeless encampments. They have responded quickly when I have raised concerns about safety and have endeavored to work with me at every opportunity. In one case a physical cache was changed to a virtual cache in one of our sensitive natural areas, a good example of the efforts to respect the natural areas of the District. An added benefit of this activity is the introduction of people to little-known parks throughout the District. I feel this increases awareness of the sensitivity of our urban natural areas and further encourages stewardship. Because of this ethic of stewardship and cooperation with myself and other District personnel, and because of the educational aspect of the cooperation and problem-solving, I believe Geocaching to be a positive influence in our District. I hope to continue the positive relationship I've developed with Geocaching.com and the numerous Geocachers and cache seekers in our area. _______________ Thank you, Kyle Spinks Natural Resources Technician Tualatin Hills Park and Recreation District 15707 SW Walker Road Beaverton, Oregon 97006 503-645-3539 x528 fax 503-614-9514 kspinks@thprd.co

Hi all, I went by the site this AM and walked the entire wooded area (including the eastern portion owned by the Archdioces of Portland). I found no other encampments (or signs thereof) and pulled the cardboard outta there. Thanks for the tip on the site, friends. Kyle (THPRD guy)

Hi all, I went by the site this AM and walked the entire wooded area (including the eastern portion owned by the Archdioces of Portland). I found no other encampments (or signs thereof) and pulled the cardboard outta there. Thanks for the tip on the site, friends. Kyle (THPRD guy)

Thanks everyone for the tip on the encampment. I'll either have one of our Maintenance staff head up there to check it out or will do it myself today. For your safety, if it looks like the camp is occupied PLEASE DO NOT APPROACH THE CAMP OR CONFRONT THE PERSON(S) THERE. We'll get the police to approach the individuals and talk with them. By the way, all of you cachers are doing a great job. I've had a lot of fun finding the various caches throughout the District. Keep up the great work! Kyle (THPRD guy)

Thanks everyone for the tip on the encampment. I'll either have one of our Maintenance staff head up there to check it out or will do it myself today. For your safety, if it looks like the camp is occupied PLEASE DO NOT APPROACH THE CAMP OR CONFRONT THE PERSON(S) THERE. We'll get the police to approach the individuals and talk with them. By the way, all of you cachers are doing a great job. I've had a lot of fun finding the various caches throughout the District. Keep up the great work! Kyle (THPRD guy)

Hi y'all! I finally got a chance this morning to post a comment here before heading out into the sun for the day. I am glad I've gotten to talk with a few of you recently and hope to continue dialog on Geocaching in THPRD parks. Since I'm pressed for time this AM, I'll keep it short for now. A couple of you had comments on what to do about homeless encampments and homeless people you come across while looking for caches. I was a ranger at the Nature Park and we always called in the Beaverton Police when going in to homeless encampments. The problem is the uncertainty of what might be found inside tents etc. and the unpredictability of the homeless people themselves. 99% of all people I encountered were just down-on-their-luck and we had no problems at all...but it's the 1% that might be a problem that is a concern. I recommend calling the District (me or administration, for example) and the Beaverton Police (non-emergency). Furthermore, you should not confront a homeless person if you can avoid it. I would hate to hear of a good situation (Geocaching) going bad because of such an encounter. I had a lot of fun seeking all the caches recently. I'd like to meet with any and all of you if you have the time to talk about your experiences and I will continue to pass on the positive experiences we've had while caching. I'll keep in touch via the forum. My job is not to seek Geocaches (doh!) but I have been monitoring them online for the District (their time) and finding them in the field (my time). (...and this was short!?!?!?) Kyle Spink

Hi y'all! I finally got a chance this morning to post a comment here before heading out into the sun for the day. I am glad I've gotten to talk with a few of you recently and hope to continue dialog on Geocaching in THPRD parks. Since I'm pressed for time this AM, I'll keep it short for now. A couple of you had comments on what to do about homeless encampments and homeless people you come across while looking for caches. I was a ranger at the Nature Park and we always called in the Beaverton Police when going in to homeless encampments. The problem is the uncertainty of what might be found inside tents etc. and the unpredictability of the homeless people themselves. 99% of all people I encountered were just down-on-their-luck and we had no problems at all...but it's the 1% that might be a problem that is a concern. I recommend calling the District (me or administration, for example) and the Beaverton Police (non-emergency). Furthermore, you should not confront a homeless person if you can avoid it. I would hate to hear of a good situation (Geocaching) going bad because of such an encounter. I had a lot of fun seeking all the caches recently. I'd like to meet with any and all of you if you have the time to talk about your experiences and I will continue to pass on the positive experiences we've had while caching. I'll keep in touch via the forum. My job is not to seek Geocaches (doh!) but I have been monitoring them online for the District (their time) and finding them in the field (my time). (...and this was short!?!?!?) Kyle Spink