the federation

Sorry R.K. just a little tongue in cheek humor about the trade item thing. I agree with the school of thought that the area should determine the size of the cache and it's characterisitcs for hiding. I also agree with leading by example when placing caches if you want to see more of a paticular type of cache hide it. I don't believe we need more guidelines or items that the Admins have to try and enforce. We have had this discussion in Florida and I believe the consensus was that by setting positive examples and giving good feedback through our logs "lame Caches" will be diminished over time. Both Large and small caches have a place and are appreciated by large segments of cachers the trick to it is to place quality caches whatever the size.

I seldom post on this issue but I thought what the hay(sorry for the play on words). I generally hold to the rule of place a sized cache that the hiding area will support ie big woods, large cache, but I had a thought this morning that I have never heard answered or really discussed. Since most people never trade items anyhow and only sign the log what is the problem with hiding a micro in the woods, isn't a full sized ammo can simply overkill for just a log sheet? or is it that it is EASIER to find? I am sure there is a legitmate reason and I can think of 2 or 3 already but I just would like to hear an argument for that one. tnln

It seems JumpJunkie was on a returning from a day of caching when the accident happened. I had just placed 7 new caches in the area where he was . I am going out to check my caches and see if they were the ones he was hunting that day. If so I will be posting logs on my caches to reflect his finds.

this topic was already started in the general forum soI am closing this one.

I am sad to announce the death of one of the members of our caching community here in Northeast Florida. JumpJunkie was on the way home from a day of caching when his vehicle crossed over the center line of the highway and was struck by another vehicle headon. He was a good friend to those of us who knew him and he was a dedicated cacher. He started caching in January of this year and was already over a 1000 finds. In an email I recieved from one of his closet friends I was told that "once Sam started caching he just never stopped." Our community has been greatly affected by the loss so unexpectedly of a man that we were just getting to know. Please keep JumpJunkie's Friends and Family in your thoughts and prayers during this time. The Federation

I have found the can odf pop out snakes as well as a cache with a rubber snakle placed on top of it that was revealed when you removed the camo. I recently placed a cache in an ammo can that has a battery operator burglar alarm sensor on it so when you open the lid it emais a high pitch wail until you switch it off.

A lot of the florida cachers visit these 2 web sites I am unsure where that zip but you may get a quicker response by visiting either one of the links in my signature line.

Just posting a note to bump this thread. We are recieving replies daily from cachers who are expressing interest in coming to Jacksonville on May 28, 2005. We are looking forward to seeing as many cachers in Jacksonville as possible. If there is anything we can do to assist in planning your trip please let us know. Planning is going strong for GW3. As we are planning for the event we would like to get as much input as possible on what you would like to see at the event. If anyone would like to help us out with suggestions please feel free to drop us a note or post on our forums at Nefga NEFGA GW3 Disscussion Forum or post your ideas and suggestions here. Thanks The Federation

Thanks I amsure it will appreicate the journey and we look forward to seeing the stick make the trip. Happy hunting and goodluck we look forward to seeing you all at the event.

I realize we are not exactly along the path for the Karma Stick on it's current Mission but NEFGA would like to extend an invitation for the stick to visit GeoWoodstock3 on May 28,2005. Possibly that could be it's next mission. We are anticipating having 500 cachers present from around the world and we are hoping to have at least as many tbugs as at GW2 where there were over 400 bugs present. We have 2 traveling hiking sticks here in Florida as well and it would be nice to get the three of them together.

Greetings everyone from the Hurricane State. No updates to the thread lately trying to dodge falling trees and power lines. For those who are traveling to GW3 please check out this thread for a recent update at the NEFGA site. Nefga GW3 Discussion forum This update was posted in this manner to help maintain the non-commercial stauts of this thread. If you have any questions please contact us at NEFGA in the above forum or me personaly through my email account. The Federation NEFGA & GW3 Promotions Director thefederation@se.rr.com

The Good thing with the St Augustine Run is that a lot of the caches are off the normal Tourist Routes. So you will get to see things that the everday tourist will never see. Alas if it wasn't for Geocaching I would have never known that was here.

This a list of some of the key people involved with GW3 if you need info for now and their specific areas of interest. Any of these members can be reached through their respective profiles here at GC.Com: Paintfiction is the Chairman of GW3 Organizing Committee and BBQ Cook-Off. The Federation is the Promotions Director for GW3 . Stressmaster is the Director for Handi-caching in Jacksonville and GW3. IceCreaMan is the Director for the Event Site and for Event Caches and Wagon Train Runs. We have committees working on travel as well. The travel committee is working on trying to arrange group rates or discounts for travellers I will post more on that as things develop. The Camping at Hanna Park is a very Large area. Depending on how many people plan on camping we are requesting that you stay here so we can have everyone close together to help with the Sirit Of Friendship and Love. LOL, We are working on some group rates for the camping area but it is best to make reservations as early as possible at Hanna. I will post some links for other camping and Hotels in the area shortly. We will have a Meet and Greet Event of Friday evening and more details will be available shortly. The Wagon Train Runs for GW3 will be organized a little differently than at last years GW2. There will be some runs that will focus on the Jacksonville area and be about the numbers only 12 hrs/100 caches. There will also be runs for a series of 4WD caches, A Handicaching Run, a Historical Run to St Augustine with a minimum of 75 caches in 12 hrs, a Beaches Run with 100 in 12 hours and also other runs as they are worked out. Our plans will be further ironed out and I will post details as they are. Much has been said about 24 Hr Record Attempts being held in Nashville and the current World Record held by The Leprechauns and Carleen P being establsihed there. We have been contacted by a few cachers who are interested in trying this feat. Having completed 2- 24 hr caching marathons myself I can say it is one of the most fun experiences I have ever had. With that said we have been contacted by sveral cachers who want to try for a new record in Jacksonville. The Density to accomplish this task is available in Jacksonville. While a 24 hr attempt will not be an official event at GW3 I am sure we have enough people to help out cachers who would like to make an attempt. If this is something you are interested in please make a note at http://www.nefga.com]NEFGA FORUMS GW3 DISSCUSSION[/url] and someone will contact you. We are still working on the actual event itself. We are striving to have the event as unstructred, that's Laid Back for those from the South. Our goal is to have as much Social time as possible. We don't want to miss the oppurtunity to get to know as many cachers as possible in the time we have. Last but not least we are currently working on a web page to get the word out and provide greater detail than these forums. Please help us spread the word so that we can have the greatest participation possible. As new details become available I will post them here or at the website when it become available. In my next post I will be posting some helpful links for our area and Zip Codes ifor those who want to run PQ's. We look forward to seeing you all at GW3 the federation

This is a link to the prespective site for GW3: Hanna Park is the gem of Jacksonville Parks it has many great fewatures for cacher to enjoy while in Jacksonville. Here are the coords for Hanna Park: N30 22.128 Wo81 24.110 for those who are wanting to run PQ's edited to add coords.

With the recent discussions here in the forums NEFGA felt it was important to get a thread up that everyone could visit to see the latest news and updates on GW3. The date for the event is Memorial Day Weekend 2005. We will be hosting a series of events and activities for Geocachers from across the world. We are extending an invitation for everyone to attend. In keeping with the spirit of previous Woodstock’s, NEFGA would like to extend a special invitation to the Top 10 cachers in the world. This event will host a variety of activities and something should be found to suit each cacher and their family’s needs. I am the Federation and I am the Promotions Director for NEFGA and GW3. We are establishing contacts with as many of the local organizations as possible to get the word out to as many people as possible. If your group has not been contacted please feel free to post a link here to your group if you would like us to contact you directly. Or if you have questions related to the specifics of the event either forward to me or post to this forum and we will get you an answer shortly. The purpose for this thread is to be a place where information can be exchanged about GW3. We encourage friendly banter and discussion here regarding GW3. It is our hope that this topic will stay centered on the new information as much as possible and not on past issues. Stay tuned to this thread for updates on activities and updates about the event. Greg Smith The Federation thefederation@se.rr.com GW3 & NEFGA Promotions Director

ThankS to El Diablo for the kind gesture. After speaking with Doc Dean through a Pm last night he brought your offer to my attention I will be contacting you shortly to see how we can handle this to benefit all cachers who are interested in attending GW3.

Again I want to chime in with my fellow NEFGA members. The Event is being planned to be very laid back and unstructured. I am sure we will have caches specifically for the event but the size the structure of the park lend itself to a close group enviroment. Our structured runs were based on GW2 where they would be vouluntary and on Sunday for those who wished to see a more structured cache run. We are also planning a Friday Night Meet and Greet to help promote exactly what Mtn Man was asking for. That is one reason we chose this paticular park which offers a huge campground to help promote a central meeting place where we all could congregate and fellowship. As far as getting the word out to the local organizations we are in the process of doing that. We have contacted some of the local orgs. We havve posts on GeoMunnity.com where a large group of the organized groups have membership and we are actively seeking other groups as well. We are actively working on a web page for GW3 and hopefully we will have that up shortly. Rest assured we want to continue the tradition that GW1 and GW2 started as being an event to meet and greet fellow cachers. One of my greatest experiences a GW2 was meeting so many of the cachers I had met through these forums. I sincerly hope that my fellow cachers won't allow the perceptions of what is read in these forums to negatively influnece you will or desire to travel to GW3 on May 28 ,2005 for the greatest event you will ever attend. Greg Smith The Federation Promotions Director GW3 & NEFGA

Again I apologize to anyone who may have been offended by this thread. I in no way wished it to become another cachers drawing sides affair. I for one am open to reasonable discussion on options. I think the underlying princple here is the listing criteria for Geocaching events. I think in all fairness that is not what this thread was originally meant to be. I will gladly reopen another thread and perhaps it would be more appropiate in the web site discussion forum that way Jeremy will feel free to discuss with us the possiblities of extedneding the calendar for Large Scale Events to a longer period of time and also possibly provide some guidance for future reference on time frames for events in general. With that thought in mind and to try and avert anymore animosity I am closing this thread. Rest assured we are discussing this issue with our local admin and we are actively working on a web site for GW3. the federation Promotions Director NEFGA

Not by me Brian I think sometimes when these things happen everyone tends to have gut level reactions to what is said. I don't think there is any place for negativity from either point of view. I am trying to find a common ground for both opinions without negativity from either side. I appreciate the postive feedback from you all. I really frown on the negativity as well.

I appreciate the postive feedbackl from you all. I really frown on the negativity as well. I guess for us we felt that a formalized cache page was not necessarily the first line of promotion rather it was a place to make announcements and to track happenings with the event. As well as a pre-count place so we could start getting a head count for the event. Our hope and was and still is that we would be able to contact each of the caching organizations to work out a liasion with them to help make plans and keep them updated on Woodstock. But again I reiterate the overwhelming problem of running down 60 plus groups, organizations, informal yahoo chat groups and similar entities. The underlying problem and a idea that I hope comes to fruition on GC.Com is a comprehensive listing of recoginized groups so when items such as this or other large scale events are planned groups could easily access all groups of cachers. I can honestly say and I really mean this to my knowledge I have never encountered any rule or guideline which gave a timeframe for posting events. I am not saying it has not been discussed in previous forums but I have never personally experienced it or not have I read any posts about it. Again I am not sure nor was I privy to the discussion between Paintfiction and our local admin so I don't know how or what the disscussion was. I do agree if one group was held to a 2 month time frame how some would feel like their event was being slighted or how they may feel like we feel GW3 is more important than others. We had no intention of trying to be more important than anyone else or any other group we were simply trying to give everyone interested as much planning time as possible. Yes even with all of the disscussion and confusion this has caused I still look forward to seeing every cacher at GW3. I know that those who have very strong opinions about how things have been handled are not attacking us personally so I still look forward to seeing them In Jacksonville. I would only hope that maybe through this as with other issuses GC.com will establish or work with all of us to find some reasonable solutions to the problems mentioned here.

I agree with The Leprechauns in their statement about everyone being entitled to have their own personal opinion. I believe what has happened here is that people have drawn conclusions as to our motivations based upon their perception of what they have seen. I for one and other members of NEFGA are totaly amazed at the reaction to this thread. I cannot speak for what was said between Paintfiction and our local admin in regards to the cache listing but I do know from personal experience and 2 1/2 years of caching that I had never heard of a time limit on event posting till this was raised as an issue in this forum. Now don't misunderstand me it may be an unwritten guideline but it is not posted in the Event Cache Guidelines. So if our local approver agreed to list the cache I don't see where we have done anything wrong. To adress the issue of spaming the boards I will admit that I posted the announcement not the cache page to multiple forums and that was considered spam by GC.Com. I did not consider it such since the guideline has always been to post to the appropiate forum I posted it in multiple forums to which the post was relevant. When it was brought to my attention by an admin I spoke with them through 3 or 4 private messages I explained my position, the admin explained their's we agreed to disagree and I left it at that. I further agreed to remeber GC.Com's position on spam in the future. To address the issue of contacting individual organizations and other groups, yes we have actively sought out contacts from as many groups, web sites, and other organizations as possible. If in that pursuit someone recieved a cut and paste letter not adressed to a specific individual I can only say where I knew who to contact I tried to adress them personally, where I was contacting a webmaster i adressed it that way, where I had no idea who I was reaching I did use a To Whom It may concern type greeting. One of the issuses that this has brought about, is it is very difficult to reach the vast array of groups and organizations represented across the spectrum of Geocaching. oAt our last count I believe we have identified over 60 geocaching groups. As far as the comment about commercializing Geowoodstock I have no idea where that comes from. Geowoodstock is an event for cachers about caching so I have no idea where that come from. Yes we have heard of web sites and yes we are currently working on a site that we can update on a continous basis for people to check out. The biggest complaint we heard outside of the date was that people didn't know about the event. That was the one area that we sincerly belived we could enhance the event by making it more availalbe to everyone. If in my zeal to get the word out about GW3 I have offended anyone I will personlally accept the responsibltity for that. Please don't hold these problems against GW3 or The Other cachers who are working dilligently to put on this event. I have only tried to get the word out about the greatest oppurtunity for cachers to get together and enjoy this sport we all love together. I know each of us holds strong opinions about how we cache and how things should be done but lets not let our personal opinions about caching affect something as huge as a National Level Event for all cachers. If anyone feels like they would like to discuss any of the topics I have raised or how I have handled these issues please feel free to contact me personally I would be glad to talk to you, but lets keep this thread as civil as possible. The Federation Promotions Chairman NEFGA & GW3 thefederation@se.rr.com

Thanks Clearpath I am glad someone caught that now I don't have to keep bumping the post every week. Oh yeah I am looking forward to that bbq cookoff

Only speaking for myself, I don't know who LaPaglia is? Can you enlighten us?

Thanksks Drat19 we are hoping other will do the same and in the near future our promotions committee will be contacting as many of the caching groups across the country to set up contact points to be contact point between us and them. We appreciate all the help and support.

Sorry folks that this is such a problem for some of you all. I am sure none of the locals are complaining about seeing this for 9 months. For those who have a problem with giving others plenty of time to prepare for an event of this nature I am sorry that you feel that way. For those who are waiting for the next shoe to drop so you can say we did this or we did that I am sure you will find something to say along the way. Just keep watching. For those who want to come to GeoWoodstock and have a good time experiencing caching in Jacksonville come along we will be happy to have to you. Stay tuned to the Cachepage and the Southeast forums for updates. We are also working with the State and Local organizations to try and help get the word out about future caching plans. I can assure you that no rules have been broken in listing the cache page for GeoWoodstock. Everything we are working on is run by our local cache approver and posted with his permission. There has not been nor will there be any slight of hand cache placements or page editing. For those who have acused us of such activity I am sorry you feel the need to say such things. Again we invite one and all to come and spend some quality time with other cachers and enjoy the experience of GeoWoodstock3 on Memorial Day Weekend 2005.