What to do with an abandoned cache?

[+Totem Clan]

Here in the area there are a number of caches that have been abandoned by their owners for whatever reason. Some of them are just things like a M&M minis tubed shoved in a hole in a park bench. Some are very well place cache, like the one in what was a residential area that is now a memorial park for the flood of '97. In fact it was placed by the former owner of the property. The point is some of them are junk, some are good, but they all are deterioration due to lack of care.

 

What would you do in cases like this?

 

The options I came up with are....

 

Take care of them as is,

 

Adopt them,

 

or SBA them.

 

*I'll tell you what I did after I hear some of your comments*

[+sbell111]

Here in the area there are a number of caches that have been abandoned by their owners for whatever reason. Some of them are just things like a M&M minis tubed shoved in a hole in a park bench. Some are very well place cache, like the one in what was a residential area that is now a memorial park for the flood of '97. In fact it was placed by the former owner of the property. The point is some of them are junk, some are good, but they all are deterioration due to lack of care.

 

What would you do in cases like this?

 

The options I came up with are....

 

Take care of them as is,

 

Adopt them,

 

or SBA them.

 

*I'll tell you what I did after I hear some of your comments*

All are good options depending on the cache and your motivations. Edited May 3, 2007 by sbell111

[+egami]

Here in the area there are a number of caches that have been abandoned by their owners for whatever reason. Some of them are just things like a M&M minis tubed shoved in a hole in a park bench. Some are very well place cache, like the one in what was a residential area that is now a memorial park for the flood of '97. In fact it was placed by the former owner of the property. The point is some of them are junk, some are good, but they all are deterioration due to lack of care.

 

What would you do in cases like this?

 

The options I came up with are....

 

Take care of them as is,

 

Adopt them,

 

or SBA them.

 

*I'll tell you what I did after I hear some of your comments*

 

It'd probably depend on the cache.

 

If I wanted to maintain it I would adopt it. If it was just another cache like the M&M example I might verify it was abandoned by contacting the owner then post a SBA.

 

Guess it depends.

[+StarBrand]

Just checking - have you contacted the owners and verified they are abondoned in some way? If so....

 

I personally would try and adopt them if they were decent hides that I would not be ashamed of.

 

Otherwise I would maybe just try the neighborly thing and fix them up best as I could.

 

Failing both of the above - I would SBA them.

[+Renegade Knight]

First email the owner. If they don't respond in about a month, or haven't posted something saying they have taken a year log sabatical to the University of Hawaii to teach beach bumming, then start on other actions.

[+sbell111]

First email the owner. If they don't respond in about a month, or haven't posted something saying they have taken a year log sabatical to the University of Hawaii to teach beach bumming, then start on other actions.

I'm thinking of doing some post-graduate work in Beach Bumming. Does UH have a good program?

[+Too Tall John]

Here in the area there are a number of caches that have been abandoned by their owners for whatever reason. Some of them are just things like a M&M minis tubed shoved in a hole in a park bench. Some are very well place cache, like the one in what was a residential area that is now a memorial park for the flood of '97. In fact it was placed by the former owner of the property. The point is some of them are junk, some are good, but they all are deterioration due to lack of care.

 

What would you do in cases like this?

 

The options I came up with are....

 

Take care of them as is,

 

Adopt them,

 

or SBA them.

 

*I'll tell you what I did after I hear some of your comments*

Here's what I'd do, assuming the owner is unresponsive to attempts made to contact them:

• M&M minis tubed shoved in a hole in a park bench - The word "shoved" stands out to me as your impression is this wasn't well thought out. SBA
  
• Very well placed cache in a memorial park for the flood of '97 - A well placed cache in a place with some local history? Adopt.
  Of course, if the owner did respond to your emails & yet didn't take action, I might just take care of it as it is, depending on the tone the owner takes.
  

There are, of course, many other factors that might change my reaction to such cases, but I'm just going with my gut here.

Edited May 3, 2007 by Too Tall John

[+egami]

TC, if you adopt the M&M cache please be sure to denote that you could get splinters.

 

Thanks!

[+Totem Clan]

It sounds like my thinking is on the mark. In the past week or so between the efforts of another local cacher and myself there have been four caches archived, three of them were missing for months and one was placed on state land without permission, one cache adopted, and 3 others are waiting to be adopted.

 

I hate posting an SBA but sometimes it's needed I guess. Also at first I didn't want to ask for the caches to be adopted through the reviewer, but the owners never responded to my notes or emails. I just wanted to know I was doing the right thing. Thanks.

[+geocatt]

"Here's what I'd do, assuming the owner is unresponsive to attempts made to contact them:... Very well placed cache in a memorial park for the flood of '97 - A well placed cache in a place with some local history? Adopt."

 

"I hate posting an SBA but sometimes it's needed I guess. Also at first I didn't want to ask for the caches to be adopted through the reviewer, but the owners never responded to my notes or emails. I just wanted to know I was doing the right thing. Thanks."

 

How does one go about adopting a cache if the cache owner doesn't respond to your emails asking to adopt it? There's a cache with great potential in my area that seems like it's been abandoned. It's needed help for quite some time. More than one person has logged the problems but the owner hasn't done anything to fix it. I've emailed the owner twice telling him about the problems and explaining that I'd like to adopt it but haven't received a reply. From what I've read in this post it sounds like it's possible for the local reviewer to grant an adoption. How does that work? It's such a neat cache, I really hate to see it just sit there in it's sorry condition.

[+JimyLee]

Interesting timing for me to find this thread. I just found a cache that the container is thrashed, the log doesn't fit in it, and it generally needs a maintenance visit. I PM'd the owner asking if they would like me to handle it for them, as I am closer than they are. The owner, who seems to be an active cacher in the area, said that they believe cachers should replace the log sheets when they get full, and if I wanted to do maintenance, that's fine, or it could just "run it's life". That confused me, as I always thought that if I placed a cache it was something I should be committed to maintaining, so I asked him if he wanted to let me adopt it. He replied that he would not transfer it, but if I wanted to maintain it, I could.

 

I won't name the owner as he seems to be active here and a very contributing member to the community. It just confused me. Does anyone else consider a cache something to set out there and let "run its life", then die?

 

I don't mind maintaining his cache. I like the location, and I'm not such an attention hog that I feel the need to let it die if I can't adopt it. It was just kind of surprising to hear someone consider their responsibility towards a cache so differently then I do.

 

And owner, if you read this, please don't take offense. I will be happy to do the maintenance. Just seeking the opinions of others.

[+egami]

Interesting timing for me to find this thread. I just found a cache that the container is thrashed, the log doesn't fit in it, and it generally needs a maintenance visit. I PM'd the owner asking if they would like me to handle it for them, as I am closer than they are. The owner, who seems to be an active cacher in the area, said that they believe cachers should replace the log sheets when they get full, and if I wanted to do maintenance, that's fine, or it could just "run it's life". That confused me, as I always thought that if I placed a cache it was something I should be committed to maintaining, so I asked him if he wanted to let me adopt it. He replied that he would not transfer it, but if I wanted to maintain it, I could.

 

I won't name the owner as he seems to be active here and a very contributing member to the community. It just confused me. Does anyone else consider a cache something to set out there and let "run its life", then die?

 

I don't mind maintaining his cache. I like the location, and I'm not such an attention hog that I feel the need to let it die if I can't adopt it. It was just kind of surprising to hear someone consider their responsibility towards a cache so differently then I do.

 

And owner, if you read this, please don't take offense. I will be happy to do the maintenance. Just seeking the opinions of others.

 

Seems like a completely irresponsible approach to me (on his part). Personally, I won't place a cache a that I am not willing to maintain and it's also the guidelines GC.com have put forth.

 

Furthermore, I wouldn't put the responsibility on another cacher without transferring ownership. It's one thing to assist an owner that is out of town or that you can really help out by saving them a trip. It's quite another when they fail in their responsibility as an owner that they agreed to.

 

Step 5 - Maintain the cache

Once you place the cache, it is your responsibility to maintain the cache and the area around it. You'll need to return as often as you can to ensure that your cache is not impacting the area, and ensure that the cache is in good repair.

 

Once people have visited the cache, inquire about the cache and their opinion of the location. Does the area look disturbed? Are visitors disrupting the landscape in any way? If you have concerns about the location, feel free to move or remove it from the area.

 

Also, in the guidelines that the cache owner checked "I read and understand..." when published:

 

As the cache owner, you are also responsible for physically checking your cache periodically, and especially when someone reports a problem with the cache (missing, damaged, wet, etc.). You may temporarily disable your cache to let others know not to hunt for it until you have a chance to fix the problem. This feature is to allow you a reasonable time – normally a few weeks – in which to arrange a visit to your cache. In the event that a cache is not being properly maintained, or has been temporarily disabled for an extended period of time, we may archive or transfer the listing.

 

But, if you are willing and able to maintain it for him then I guess that will suffice and everyone is happy...certainly looks like a nice hike from the logs.

Edited May 4, 2007 by egami

[+Totem Clan]

How does one go about adopting a cache if the cache owner doesn't respond to your emails asking to adopt it? There's a cache with great potential in my area that seems like it's been abandoned. It's needed help for quite some time. More than one person has logged the problems but the owner hasn't done anything to fix it. I've emailed the owner twice telling him about the problems and explaining that I'd like to adopt it but haven't received a reply. From what I've read in this post it sounds like it's possible for the local reviewer to grant an adoption. How does that work? It's such a neat cache, I really hate to see it just sit there in it's sorry condition.

 

Just contact the reviewer for the area where the cache is located and explain things to them. The is a four week wait for the owners to respond.

Here's a link that will explain it all.

 

http://forums.Groundspeak.com/GC/index.php...t&p=2099537

[+PJPeters]

How does one go about adopting a cache if the cache owner doesn't respond to your emails asking to adopt it? There's a cache with great potential in my area that seems like it's been abandoned. It's needed help for quite some time. More than one person has logged the problems but the owner hasn't done anything to fix it. I've emailed the owner twice telling him about the problems and explaining that I'd like to adopt it but haven't received a reply. From what I've read in this post it sounds like it's possible for the local reviewer to grant an adoption. How does that work? It's such a neat cache, I really hate to see it just sit there in it's sorry condition.

 

Just contact the reviewer for the area where the cache is located and explain things to them. The is a four week wait for the owners to respond.

Here's a link that will explain it all.

 

http://forums.Groundspeak.com/GC/index.php...t&p=2099537

Based on information from my local reviewer, they 'prefer' to archive abandoned caches, and allow someone to place a new one. Doesn't mean that they won't allow adoption, but doesn't sound too common.

[+mamid]

I "adopted" the site of a previous cache. and guess what - mine was muggled within a month. *sigh*

[+Totem Clan]

 

Just contact the reviewer for the area where the cache is located and explain things to them. The is a four week wait for the owners to respond.

Here's a link that will explain it all.

 

http://forums.Groundspeak.com/GC/index.php...t&p=2099537

Based on information from my local reviewer, they 'prefer' to archive abandoned caches, and allow someone to place a new one. Doesn't mean that they won't allow adoption, but doesn't sound too common.

 

I've never heard that before. I don't understand why, if it's a good cache, they would want to archive it. This is not the policy as I understand it or have seen at work.

[+Miragee]

How does one go about adopting a cache if the cache owner doesn't respond to your emails asking to adopt it? There's a cache with great potential in my area that seems like it's been abandoned. It's needed help for quite some time. More than one person has logged the problems but the owner hasn't done anything to fix it. I've emailed the owner twice telling him about the problems and explaining that I'd like to adopt it but haven't received a reply. From what I've read in this post it sounds like it's possible for the local reviewer to grant an adoption. How does that work? It's such a neat cache, I really hate to see it just sit there in it's sorry condition.

 

Just contact the reviewer for the area where the cache is located and explain things to them. The is a four week wait for the owners to respond.

Here's a link that will explain it all.

 

http://forums.Groundspeak.com/GC/index.php...t&p=2099537

Based on information from my local reviewer, they 'prefer' to archive abandoned caches, and allow someone to place a new one. Doesn't mean that they won't allow adoption, but doesn't sound too common.

That is certainly not the case here. Our Reviewer has even Un-Archived caches to keep the "History" of a cache if someone has expressed interest in taking over. Adoption of caches here is very common.

[+Jhwk]

I adopt them, and then care for them as my own. If I think it isn't 'worthy' (whatever that is) then I would archive and move on.

[+PJPeters]

Original message (edited):

Okay, I've been pondering this for a bit... What are the options regarding adopting the cache. I'm not sure if I want to, since I haven't really seen the area in daylight, but as time passes, I'm more and more inclined to do so.

Reply: (also edited)

It's possible but in most cases we just recommend that you place a new cache after the old one is archived.

Obviously, your reviewer may do things differently. That's just the information I received from mine.