MovedOn

Can't it equally be said that the same middle age man is probably poking around in the public parks where kids are playing too - where there is less security, and there was likely no assurance that permission to hide the cache in the park was granted (Think about what a geocacher would look like to a parent picking up their child from a pubic park, with no security, and no reason for him to be there if he did not have kids). I do see your point, but the same stereotype can be applied to a number of situations, and geocaching shouldn't just be exclusive to men, as it is something that kids and other students (13+) seem to enjoy as well. The question then becomes, if kids are to participate, wouldn't it be safer for them to do it at school, rather than in some public park, or public area, where there is little supervision? This was a consideration, and we felt it would be a safer environment for kids than other places, as adults would be hesitant to be poking around teh school while it was in session for the very same reason you pointed out. Because the cache was initially intended for kids, the school seemed to be the safest environment, as it would (1) deter adults from going, and (2) give the kids and teachers a low cost alternative to participating in the activity. However, as another person pointed out, it should have been made private, but I have no idea how to restrict the cache on here to exclude adult members. Lesson learned.

Thanks, and yes, it was a poor assumption to assume I was a teacher, and a better assumption to assume we are noobs (we had no idea we were killing those other people's logs because we were under the impression that the cache didn't count anyway. It's just frustrating that in one statement it says that every cache requires permission, but I have not seen any cache that details that proper authority to place a cache was granted. We're trying to get this project off the ground; we looked at this as more than just a treasure hunt, and rather a way to learn about geography. Then, we get a bunch of rules thrown at us, one of which also states that every cache requires permission...so where is the consistency? Please don't let this experience turn you off geocaching. It can be annoying as a newbie to have been told you did something against the guidelines. I know I've missed things in the guidelins and have been corrected by our reviewer many times. Try not to take it personally. There's a lot to read and there's certain sections of the guidelines that you have to dig around to find. Here's the one relevant to your situation: http://www.geocaching.com/about/guidelines.aspx Fundamental Placement Guidelines All local laws apply. You assure us that you have the landowner's and/or land manager's permission before you hide any geocache, whether placed on private or public property. Geocaches are never buried. Geocache placements do not deface or destroy public or private property. Geocaches are not placed on school property or military bases. Geocaches should generally be at least 0.10 miles or 161 meters apart. Geocaches are allowed in space, other planets and spacecraft. Thanks for the encouragement and sympathy. You're correct that was the guideline section that was thrown at us. The guidelines, when read in context with the other provisions, really undermine the credibility of them. In one instance, it states that Geocaches are not placed on school property or military bases. , and for reasons that can be easily assumed. However, then it also says that Geocaches are allowed in space, other planets and spacecraft. And then it also says You assure us that you have the landowner's and/or land manager's permission before you hide any geocache, whether placed on private or public property. . Due to the unreasonableness/impracticability of the former, as it would require entrance onto a military base in order for the cache to be hidden in Space, and the unreasonableness/impracticability of getting permission from the city manager every time someone wanted to hide a cache in a city park (public property), there would not be too much of a fit thrown if a cache was placed in the far corner of a soccer field. Apparently, however, there are some people who are very particular about some rules, and not others. We all know there are tons of caches out there, especially those in public property (like parks), that are certainly lacking the "landowner's and/or manager's permission." So, should those caches also be tossed out if the assurance was not stated? Well, lesson learned. I guess having more people involved just creates more competition for some people who take this activity as a competitive event and keep detailed charts of their finds, or maybe they feel threatened because it's the only thing they excel at, or maybe they just don't like noobs, or maybe Geocaching.com should require new members to take a test in order to join this elite group of treasure hunters, who knows. Nonetheless, there is a great lesson taken away from all of this, much more than what we initially expected...

Wow! Not only did you delete (edit) your forum rant, you also deleted all of the finds on your cache. And you are calling who what? Beware of mirrors. Caches on school property are problematic. If your goal was truly to teach your students, there is no reason why you could not have a private cache. A cache does not need to be listed on this web site to serve that purpose. When you start bringing strangers onto campus, misunderstandings happen and it usually turns out badly. Also, it truly scares me that someone with your temperament and lack of maturity could be a school teacher. You too amigo! We're over it.

Thanks, and yes, it was a poor assumption to assume I was a teacher, and a better assumption to assume we are noobs (we had no idea we were killing those other people's logs because we were under the impression that the cache didn't count anyway. It's just frustrating that in one statement it says that every cache requires permission, but I have not seen any cache that details that proper authority to place a cache was granted. We're trying to get this project off the ground; we looked at this as more than just a treasure hunt, and rather a way to learn about geography. Then, we get a bunch of rules thrown at us, one of which also states that every cache requires permission...so where is the consistency?

Apparently, every cache requires permission, rather its private or public. Apparently, it has nothing to do with being "unusual." As it was noted to us: "Per: Table of Contents I. PLACEMENT Guidelines: ... You assure us that you have the landowner's permission before you hide any geocache, whether placed on private or public property. " However, it does not state, "if it was placed with permission, it should state this on the cache page to avoid confusion as this is an "unusual" area for a cache." How many caches have people placed without permission? And, those that were placed with permission, how can you assure that the person granting the permission has the adequate level of authority? For example, if the cache is placed in a city park, does it have to be approved by City Counsel, or the DA, or the maintenance workers, or is the taxpayer as a member of the public someone with adequate authority to grant permission?

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