CrotalusRex and Mimichan

The second minting of the Crikey! Fundraiser Geocoin that I designed as a memorial to Steve Irwin and to benefit Wildlife Warriors Worldwide and the Bob Irwin Wildlife Fund are now for sale HERE. Get one before they are gone and help conserve our earth's wildlife. Please pass this link on to all your wildlife conservation minded friends--thanks:-) Take care, Steve

SECOND PRE-SALE UPDATE: As of August 19, 2009 all coins have been mailed and should arrive in your mail within the next 2-3 weeks. Thank you again for your support of the Turtle Tracks wildlife conservation and education project. There are still a few coins remaining so if you would like to get your hands on one just drop me an email for more information or check out the coin's official website.

SECOND PRE-SALE UPDATE: As of August 19, 2009 all coins have been mailed and should arrive in your mail within the next 2-3 weeks. Thank you again for your support of the Turtle Tracks wildlife conservation and education project. There are still a few coins remaining so if you would like to get your hands on one just drop me an email for more information or check out the coin's official website.

Hello to all who purchased a CrotalusRex and Mimichan/Turtle Tracks Geocoin, I will be mailing your coins out to you over the next few days so look for them in the mail soon! Thank you all again for all your support. CrotalusRex

Hey Crotalus Joe, First off--nice name If you are still interested in the coin I do have a few remaining--just let me know if you would like one or more. Cheers, CrotalusRex

Hi Chicahominy, Yes, they should all be shipped out by the end of next week! Take care and thanks again for your support of the Turtle Tracks conservation project. CrotalusRex aka: Steve

:drama::drama::cry::D;)

Thank you to everyone who has purchased a Sea Shepherd Fundraiser geocoin so far! Your kind donation by your purchase of this special coin will support the protection and conservation of countless whales, sharks, sea turtles, dolphins and other marine life and their habitats. NOTE: This is not a flame letter in response to anyone’s posts; it is just a clarification of why I decided to develop this unique geocoin. Here is a bit more background on this coin that may help you understand why I was inspired to design it: when I first watched Whales Wars on Animal Planet last fall I was astounded at some of the things that the Sea Shepherds did in order to protect wildlife. At first I thought--that can't be legal, that is a bit crazy. Then I watched more and was captivated and finally inspired when I realized that their actions, although questionable to some, were insignificant when viewed next to the blatant illegal slaughter of intelligent and often endangered creatures for food and wealth. What the Sea shepherds were doing may be considered harassment and eco-terrorism by some but they had tried everything else to stop the poaching of whales in the southern ocean whale sanctuary and it did not work. The bad press did not matter to the Japanese whale poachers who just continued to ignore the mandate set by the International Commission on Whaling that banned all commercial whaling in the 1980's. The whalers claim to be conducting scientific experiments on the whales. If this is so then why do they have to kill so many? I am trained in biology and understand that you occasionally may have to take a few animals out of a population to better understand the species as a whole. I conduct wildlife research but I do not kill the animals I am studying--if I did I would soon have to find another species of animal to study because the population would be extinct. Also, if the Japanese whalers were actually conducting research then why do they need a factory ship--it is to process the meat so that it can be frozen and later sold to consumers as food. Hundreds of whales die on beaches all over the world each year for unknown reasons and these animals could easily be studied by scientists from all over the world. What it all boils down to is that there is no need to kill whales anymore for food (unless you are a subsistence culture who hunts a limited number of whales each year for food.) Most species of whale have been studied and their biology is well known and documented for decades. There are plenty of other easier things to eat such as chicken, pork and beef that do not require sailing halfway around the world to get it. No one can deny that whales are intelligent, beautiful creatures that are integral to the health of the oceans and they do not need to be harvested for food. The whale poachers of the world must be stopped. Yes, other organizations are working to spread the word of the illegal whale poaching by the Japanese and other nations, but as they talk and send letters and petitions to those in power the simple fact is that whales are continuing to die by the thousands each year. While we all may not agree with some of the actions of the Sea Shepherds, it seems that if we want to see whales continue to exist in the worlds oceans that the Sea Shepherds are the only people actually doing anything about it. Sometimes talking about a problem does nothing and the only course left is direct action. This is why I support the Sea Shepherds because they don't just talk--they DO! Using “innovative direct-action tactics to investigate, document, and take action when necessary to expose and confront illegal activities on the high seas” the Sea Shepherds are reducing the numbers of whales killed each year by the Japanese whale poachers. Their goal is to “sink” the Japanese whaling fleet by bankrupting them when they return home with catches far below their quota. It is for these reasons that I support the actions of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society and it is for these reasons that I contacted Sea Shepherd and worked with them to design the Sea Shepherd Fundraiser geocoin. I thought it would be a good way to raise some funds to help them in their quest to “defend ocean wildlife and habitats worldwide” and a way to raise awareness of their cause as the coins traveled all over the earth from geocacher to geocacher. I truly want to help wildlife in any way that I am able. CrotalusRex NOTE: I am not racist in any way; it just happens that the Japanese whalers are the targets in this note so it seems that I am “bashing” the Japanese quite a bit. On the contrary, Japan is a beautiful country with a rich cultural heritage that I would love to visit one day. A large percentage of the Japanese public is against whaling—it is the elite, powerful few that want whale on their plate—it is a status symbol and they will pay anything to have it.

Hello fellow geocachers, Thank you for your support of my previous wildlife fundraiser geocoins the Crikey Fundraiser Geocoin and the CrotalusRex and Mimichan Turtle Tracks Geocoin. I now have a new one to tell you about; The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society Fundraiser Geocoin! I wanted to help the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society fight the wildlife criminals of the world so I came up with the idea for this coin while watching the Animal Planet series Whale Wars last fall. I was greatly inspired by Sea Shepherd Founder and President Captain Paul Watson and his crew of brave and dedicated volunteers who set sail in the anti-whaling ship the Steve Irwin to hunt down and attempt to stop or slow down the Japanese whaling fleet from illegally poaching whales in the southern ocean whale sanctuary south of Australia. I wanted to raise funds for Sea Shepherd and help spread the word of their cause so I teamed up with Sea Shepherd and Coinsandpins.com to create this new and truly unique wildlife conservation fundraiser Geocoin. This coin will be trackable at Geocaching.com--the tracking number is printed on the edge/side. On the evening of Saturday July 18th the new Sea Shepherd Conservation Society Fundraiser Geocoin will go up for pre-sale on the CoinsandPins.com website. With the approval of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society I designed this coin to raise money for Sea Shepherd so they can continue to protect ocean wildlife and habitats from the wildlife criminals of the world. This coin will be produced by Coinsandpins.com and all money after production costs will be donated to the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society. Please consider helping Sea Shepherd protect the oceans by purchasing one of these unique fundraiser geocoins and then pass this link on to all you friends...thank you for your support. Read more about the Sea Shepherd Fundraiser Geocoin on it's website. Purchase your coin starting on Saturday July 18th on the CoinsandPins.com website. For the Oceans! Steve O'Neil (aka: CrotalusRex) Naturalist Environmental Educator Wildlife Warrior Geocacher <commercial links removed by moderator>

Hi Geocachers, Due to the holiday I have extended the pre-sale of the CrotalusRex and Mimichan Fundraiser Geocoin until 12 midnight on July 10th. Get them before they crawl away! Take care, CrotalusRex and Mimichan

Hello all, The Turtle Tracks fundraiser geocoins are now on second pre-sale! Just click the link below to order yours now. Click here to order your coins The pre-sale will be active from June 29-July 07 at 12:00am. For more information on the coin and the Turtle Tracks project just follow this link. Thank you for your support of the Turtle Tracks Eastern Box Turtle conservation program. CrotalusRex and Mimichan

Hello Chickahominy, Thank you for your early donation to the project--I will send you your 6 coins as soon as I have them. Your story brings back fond memories of the box turtles I found in my youth. I also painted my initials on their backs and released them back in the woods. I grew up and I continue to mark turtles but with a bit more scientific direction behind the reason. Now I monitor them with a bit more high-tech methods but the theory is basically the same--mark-recapture. Over time I learn about their movements and habitat use and many other things that we would never know without just asking the question: where do they go, what do they do, how do they resopnd to our modification of their habitats and so on. Through mark-recapture and radio telemetry we are learning loads about box turtle movements at Earthshine Mountain Lodge and in our other study sites--it is really amazing to glimpse into the lives of these wonderful creatures that really need our help or they will not survive man and his machines. Thank you again for your support of the Turtle Tracks project and yes, I too see them as guardians and jems of the forest. CrotalusRex

UPDATE JUNE 10, 2009: TURTLE TRACKS COIN 2nd MINTING WILL PRE-SALE FROM JUNE 29-JULY 07! If you missed the first run of this unique and beautiful coin now is your second chance to acquire one or more in the original finishes of Bronze, Antique Silver and by popular demand--the Limited Edition (LE) Copper. Order as many as you like of the bronze and silver but remember the LE copper is just that--limited--only a limited number will be produced so they will go fast. All coins will be sold on a pre-sale basis. The way this works is as follows: on June 29, 2009 at 8:00 am eastern time (USA) the coins will go up for pre-sale on this website. Persons interested will then order and pay for all of the coins that they are interested in up front through the paypal link on the above website. I will invoice buyers through paypal. After the pre-sale ends the exact number of coins sold will then be minted and then shipped to all those individuals who purchased them. In this way resources will be saved and I will not have a surplus of coins sitting around gathering dust. Prices and shipping will remain the same as with the first minting. To get yourself a coin(s) PLEASE DO NOT PAY NOW. Wait until the pre-sale begins, follow the above link to the coin's website and then click the donate button to pay/donate. If you would like a reminder of the pre-sale just email me with your interest now and I will add you to the Earthshine Nature Notes Newsletter mailing list. One or two days or so before the pre-sale begins I will email you the next issue of the newsletter and it will have a pre-sale reminder article so you can set your reminder/alarm so you will be ready to order your coins during the pre-sale starting on June 29th. Email me if you would like to be added to the e-newsletter mailing list: earthshine.nature@gmail.com Cheers, CrotalusRex and Mimichan aka: Steve and Mimi

Thank you to everyone who has purchased one of our fundraiser geocoins!! WOO HOO!! Your generous support of the Turtle Tracks conservation project will benefit the conservation and study of the Eastern Box Turtle--thank you!! If you would still like to help the Turtle Tracks project there are still several coins available for sale so check out the coin's website to get yourself one today. Take care, CrotalusRex and Mimichan

I'm shooting for 200--so far I have about 50 interested parties. Please send coin's website link below to eveyone you know so we can raise awareness about the Crikey coin and help wildlife warriors help wildlife and wild habitat--thanks;-) http://www.geocities.com/thesolorover/crikeycoin.html CrotalulsRex

Hi Folks ! If you missed the presale of the CrotalusRex and Mimichan Turtle Tracks fundraiser coin then I have some good news--there are still a few coins left--WOO HOO ! If you would like one please check out the coin's website for how you can get your own coin and at the same time help our Eastern Box Turtle conservation efforts at Earthshine Mountain Lodge. Thanks again, CrotalusRex and Mimichan

Hi Everyone! First off--Thank you to everyone who purchased a CrotalusRex and Mimichan/Turtle Tracks geocoin! I truly hope you all enjoy our one-of-a-kind fundraiser coin--be sure to check out the http://www.geocities.com/thesolorover/Boxtrack.html ]Turtle Tracks project page [/url] for updates on how things are going with the turtles at Earthshine Lodge. Last September I wrapped up sales of the CRIKEY! Fundraiser Geocoin which sold close to 1000 coins and raised several thousand dollars for Wildlife Warriors Worldwide. The coin sold so well in fact that I have had many folks ask if they were still available but sadly I have had to say they were sold out. Due to the interest I am thinking about doing another minting of the coin. My question to you is this: how many of you would be interested in purchasing one or more CRIKEY! Fundraiser Geocoins? If you are interested please let me know by posting a note here and/or taking the poll on the CRIKEY! Fundraiser Geocoin's website If there is enough interest, more CRIKEY! Geocoins will be produced and more money will be donated to Wildlife Warriors Worldwide in memory of Steve Irwin "The Crocodile Hunter" Thank you for your interest-- CrotalusRex and Mimichan

Thank you so much to everyone who has purchased our coins ! You can feel good in knowing that all the money from the sale of these coins will be used for the conservation of the Eastern Box Turtle and the education of countless folks who visit Earthshine Mountain Lodge and go on my turtle tracking hikes, attend a presentation on box turtles and native reptiles or just hike our nature trail. If you are looking for an amazing all inclusive mountain vacation destination complete with high adventure activities such as our 7 element zipline, deep forest hikes, country-gourmet food, music, s'mores and stories around the campfire, farm animals, living history and turtle tracking expeditions with CrotalusRex (aka:Steve)--and soon--Geocaching on the mountaintop--then look no further than Earthshine Mountain Lodge in Lake Toxaway, NC. Thank you all! CrotalusRex and Mimichan and the turtles

Thank you for ordering one so fast!! Wow! They are presale--strange that is gave you that message--probably just a computer burp?? I will be sure to ask my contact at Coinsandpins about that tomorrow and then post a reply here so everyone knows what happened. Thanks again, CrotalusRex aka: Steve

WOOHOO!! Our new personal coin is now on pre-sale. This coin is the primary fundraiser for my conservation and rehabilitation work with Eastern Box Turtles for 2009. If you haven't already heard about it, this coin is reptile-themed with an Eastern Box Turtle on one side and an Eastern Diamondback Rattler (my other favorite reptile) on the other--and the coin rattles like a rattlesnake!! You can buy the new coin now through this link: http://www.coinsandpins.com/index.php?cPath=25_55 Get one fast because they will only be up for sale for a few days (about a week)! All proceeds--after production costs--will help provide funds for my donation-funded Turtle Tracks Eastern Box Turtle rehabilitation and conservation project at Earthshine Mountain Lodge (www.earthshinemtnlodge.com) in western North Carolina USA. Check out the coin here: http://www.geocities.com/thesolorover/turtletrackscoin.html Check out Turtle Tracks here: http://www.geocities.com/thesolorover/Boxtrack.htm Please send this note to all of your friends or to anyone else that you think may be interested in helping us help the turtles. Thank you in advance for any help you can offer. For the Turtles!! Cheers, CrotalusRex and Mimichan

Thank you everyone for the great interest in our new fundraiser coin I will be sure to post a link here when they go up for sale. Cheers, CrotalusRex and Mimichan

Hello ATMouse, Thanks for your interest in our new coin:-) I am glad that you had the good fortune to see many box turtles and rattlesnakes along the AT--I have encountered many in the forests along the NC section of the AT as well--yet another reason why we need unbroken tracts of wild lands as a place not only for us to play in but also as a place for the wildlife to live with no danger from humans. The price--not sure as of yet--but that will be posted as soon as the coin is up for sale on the coinsandpins.com presale page which can be found through a link HERE. The sale date is also unsure but sometime withing the next few weeks. If you sign up with Coinsandpins.com HERE you will be notified by email the instant the coin is for sale. The minting will be based on the number of coins pre-sold. Thanks again for your interest in our new coin and thank you for supporting our conservation cause--the survival of the box turtle and the education of the public on why we need reptiles in our world. CrotalusRex and Mimichan aka: Steve and Marian

Check it out folks! It is almost ready folks!! Our new personal geocoin is almost ready to be released! It is unique in many ways--while it is our first and only personal geocoin it is also a fundraiser for my wildlife conservation work with Eastern Box Turtles--and it also rattles--yes it rattles like a rattlesnake. "Crotalus" is the first part of my geocaching handle and the first half of the latin name of my favorite snake-- the Rattlesnake so I thought it would be cool if the coin rattled and the great folks at Coinsandpins.com made it happen--amazing! This is a fundraiser coin so all money from the sale of each coin (minus production costs) will go to help fund the donation funded Turtle Tracks Eastern Box Turtle conservation and education project at Earthshine Mountain Lodge in Lake Toxaway, NC. The coin is not for sale yet so this is just a heads up. It will be up for sale very soon--possibly before the end of January! If you want to be notified when it goes up for sale just sign up now and be first to get one when they go up for presale. Although it is not for sale just yet you can check it out the Coinsandpins.com preview page and you can read more about it on its website here: The CrotalusRex and Mimichan Wildlife Conservation Fundraiser Geocoin Thanks, CrotalusRex and Mimichan aka: Steve and Marian Note to forum admin: I posted this same note in another location on the forums before I saw this spot. Please remove the other entry if need be--thanks.

Check it out!! It is almost ready folks!! Our new personal geocoin is almost ready to be released! It is unique in many ways--while it is our first and only personal geocoin it is also a fundraiser for my wildlife conservation work with Eastern Box Turtles--and it also rattles--yes it rattles like a rattlesnake. "Crotalus" is the first part of my geocaching handle and the first half of the latin name of my favorite snake-- the Rattlesnake so I thought it would be cool if the coin rattled and the great folks at Coinsandpins.com made it happen--amazing! This is a fundraiser coin so all money from the sale of each coin (minus production costs) will go to help fund the Turtle Tracks Eastern Box Turtle conservation and education project at Earthshine Mountain Lodge in Lake Toxaway, NC. The coin is not for sale yet so this is just a heads up. It will be up for sale very soon--possibly before the end of January! If you want to be notified when it goes up for sale just sign up now and be first to get one when they go up for presale. Although it is not for sale just yet you can check it out the Coinsandpins.com preview page. and you can read more about it on its website here: The CrotalusRex and Mimichan Turtle Tracks Fundraiser Geocoin. Thanks, CrotalusRex and Mimichan aka: Steve and Marian