4georges

Logscaler, I will address that which I can... I am not a digger and I don't even know what an EIS is. Drop me a line and I would be happy to take you caving. Jerry

Logscaler, I will address that which I can... I am not a digger and I don't even know what an EIS is. Drop me a line and I would be happy to take you caving. Jerry

All, The protection that secrecy provides for a cave is the only protection that many caves have. We as cavers have taken the responsibility for this secrecy. It may seem unfair to the rest of the world, but that which is at stake is great. As I said in my earlier post, I am sure most Cachers and cavers are environmentally like-minded. This is why we would have no problem introducing you to the delicate world of the cave environment. We simply act as a filter for those with less than the caves best interest at heart. By posting GPS coordinates for all to see, all forms of protection have been by-passed, natural or otherwise. Anyone can use this information for whatever reason with whatever intent. The ways that caves are preserved are as frail as the caves themselves. Help us do what we can to protect this fragile environment. Jerry

Howdy All, I am a caver with a new-found interest in Geocaching. I am still a caver first. One point in this discussion is degree of frailty. I feel cachers still don't appreciate just how delicate many cave environments are. Many caves were formed and decorated by a chain of events that will never, I say again, never be in place again. For those of you that have followed any of the NSS discussion group, you can tell we have internal problems with this as well. All visitation creates impact, impact that some caves will absolutly not tolerate. This is at least some of the reason for our attempts to keep them secret. Some Cachers seem to think that all caves will eventually become public. The truth is, many caves are so remote and well hidden, they have yet to be discovered. Even with folks looking for them nearly everywhere. Nature is protecting them from all of us. With the invention of the GPS, If one person finds this cave and posts the location for all to see, that cave has been stripped of it's natural protection. I also agree that many caves cannot be hurt much more than they already have. These are the ones that we take the Boy Scouts with misguided relatives to.(good point,Greenjeens) These caves are the ones that would be great starting places for Geocaching activities. As in the caving community, anyone with more interest(and showing an understanding and appreciation for the cave environment) could be shown more delicate caves. I am among those that would like to act as a bridge between our two interests. I have spent much time following the discussion and can tell that many of us are like-minded individuals. I hope we can find a middle ground that will both enhance Geocaching and protect the caves that we care so much about. Thanks for your time and consideration, Jerry [This message was edited by 4georges on January 06, 2003 at 12:13 PM.]