Jump to content

CITO DAY 2008

Pokagon Nature Center
Followers 2

Recommended Posts

MissJenn

+MissJenn

Posted
Posted

While the placeholder is up, here are a few pertinent pages from www.cacheintrashout.org :

 

History

Cache In Trash Out was designed by Groundspeak to help improve the image of geocaching as a positive, environmentally-friendly and family-friendly activity. The idea was that, while out on a hunt, you should take a trash bag along with you and pick up trash along the trail. The goal was to empower hikers to pick up other people's garbage instead of ignoring it for the "next guy" to take care of. In that way, many hands make for light work.

 

Cache In Trash Out Day started in 2003, when geocachers around the world organized 67 cleanup events in 5 countries and 28 States. There were 1180 unique logs posted showing participation in these events, and hundreds more acted locally in recognition of this important day.

 

The events were such a huge success that Groundspeak committed to carry on the tradition.

 

Magellan was the first company to support Cache In Trash Out Day. Trimble and Jeep have also been past sponsors.

Link to comment
MissJenn

+MissJenn

Posted
Posted

Organizing

The first step is to choose an area that is important to you that you think needs extra attention. The next steps are up to you!

 

CITO on every hunt:

 

  • Cache In Trash Out doesn't just happen once a year. It can easily happen on every cache hunt.
  • Just bring a trash bag along with you on your walks in the woods and pick up the occasional piece of trash you see on the trail. Even this small gesture can make a huge difference.
  • Many people recycle film canisters with trash bags, and use that as trade items. Here are some ideas.

CITO as a large one-day or one-weekend event:

 

  • You can organize a larger undertaking and accomplish much more with the help of other people. Contact a land manager or local organization and work with them to find out the needs of the community. Clean up litter and illegal dumps on public lands. Always be sure to seek permission before cleaning up any areas that may be on private property.
  • Post a "Cache In Trash Out" event cache on Geocaching.com to announce the details to the local community and to advertise your plans. Provide the coordinates and time of your event. If you post it, they will come! Events can be posted up to three months ahead of time.
  • Be sure to give as many details as possible on your cache page so that people know what to expect: type of work that will be done, how strenuous it will be, availability of supplies, start and finish times and most importantly: the coordinates of the clean-up!
  • Guide people on what they should bring to you specific event: latex or work gloves, FRS radios, GPS units, trash bags, bug spray, winches, shovels, rain pants, cameras ...
  • We collected event tips from '03 organizers and an unofficial handbook was put together in '07..
  • See the FAQ section for many more details.

CITO as an ongoing activity:

 

Another way to help clean up your playing field is by committing to do a little bit of clean-up at the same location over an extended period of time. Here are some examples:

 

  • You and your geocaching friends can organize a road-side cleanup, or even officially adopt a highway.
  • Plant and/or care for native plants. Be sure to have the land manager's permission.
  • Assist with ongoing maintenance of a park's trail systems.
  • When appropriate, create a CITO event on www.geocaching.com to help spread the word.

TIPS

  • Remember that weather will determine much of your attendance and productivity that day.

  • If you want to catch the attention of passers-by, both for the sake of safety and as advertising of your good deeds, encourage your crew to wear the same color shirts or vests.
  • Plant a memorial cache: Have members bring something to add to a group cache to be hidden and posted later on at www.geocaching.com
  • Decide ahead of time what to do with broken glass and tires.
  • Estimate carefully how much area can be covered in the given time frame.
  • Read the FAQ page.

Topics to discuss with the land manager include:

 

  • Will restrooms be opened if the park is closed to regular visitors?
  • Many parks have day use fees. Will they provide free parking or free overnight camping for volunteers?
  • Will they supply work gloves, latex gloves and/or trash bags?
  • Will they make trash cans available or provide some other sort of trash removal?
  • What are the details of any procedures that may be important and/or dangerous? (e.g. where to dispose of dangerous materials)
  • Ask the land manager to give you coordinates of more remote areas of the park that may need attention.
  • Are any areas specifically off limits?
  • Do any invasive plant species need to be removed?

Link to comment
MissJenn

+MissJenn

Posted
Posted

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Every CITO event will have it's own unique details, of course. Perhaps some of these thoughts will help you with yours.

 

Does it cost any money to participate?

 

It requires no money: just some elbow grease and motivation.

 

I have never attended a CITO. I do not even know what geocaching is. Can I still join?

 

The more, the merrier. CITO participation is open to geocachers, and others who want to clean up the environment: scouts, other outdoor groups (mountain bikers, hikers, 4-wheel drive groups, etc.) or anyone who is walking by can help out. CITO events are set up and sponsored by geocachers. It is helpful for the organizer to have a firm handle on who is coming, in order to facilitate communication, and to estimate what work can be done by those who plan to attend. One must register with www.geocaching.com to participate in the many online aspects of CITO.

 

I want to organize my own event. Who do I contact locally? What are some ways to find a clean-up site?

 

Start with park managers. They can certainly point you in the right direction. Have you spoken to your local geocaching community? When you are ready to post your event, do so using the online form and specify your "cache type" to be a Cache In Trash Out event.

 

How do I get people to help me? How can I generate buzz?

 

  • Post a CITO event page at www.geocaching.com.
  • Contact your local media outlets (news, print, web sites, community notices) to encourage more involvement and increase public awareness. Be sure to provide the media with the URLs for www.cacheintrashout.org and www.geocaching.com.
  • Ask local businesses to donate either supplies for the work, or prizes to encourage more participation.
  • Post a note in Groundspeak's forums announcing your plans.
  • Post a note in your own group's local forum.
  • Place links to your event in all your cache pages. Feel free to use the small banner provided as a graphic.
  • Mention the CITO event in your cache logs, and point people to the source of more information.
  • Make CITO merchandise available at your event. There are shirts, trash bags, etc. available at the Store. There is also a CITO geocoin.

Where can I find CITO geocoins?

 

Geocoin information can be found at www.geocoinstore.com and www.signalgeocoinstore.com.

Geocoin discussions are hosted by Groundspeak.

 

What should we bring?

 

  • Drinking water is essential.
  • Trash bags. Sometimes trash collection materials are donated by the park, local stores, or your local area's environmental awareness programs.
  • Gloves, safety vests or other protective gear.
  • First Aid: consider bug bites, allergic reactions, sunburns, etc.
  • A special stick with a pointy tip is very handy to get trash out of icky places.
  • Some method for people to get themselves cleaned up after the clean-up event.
  • Food for volunteers is always good.
  • Cell phones and a list of pertinent phone numbers may be helpful if you are dispersing over a large area.
  • Camera, if possible. Take lots of pictures and share them in the Forum.

Where does the trash go at the end of the day?

 

Be sure to discuss this with the land manager before undertaking the project. They can help you make arrangements for local landfills to donate space, and even arrange for pickup and/or delivery of the trash. Discarded automobile tires can sometimes be an added challenge as some locations require that they be recycled, rather than thrown away in the landfill. The local experts would know best.

 

How long do we clean up?

 

Clean-ups can go for a few hours to several days. Each person can decide for themselves how long they can help. Perhaps there are a couple of shifts of volunteers. Inform your crew of the details. Give people some pointers on what to do if they arrive later than the posted start time.

 

What coordinates do I post?

 

This varies with each event. The important locations are the meeting place(s), the actual clean-up coordinates (which, in some cases, may be quite a distance away from the meeting place), and of course, where the food is. We have tips on how to add Additional Waypoints if you need them.

 

What if it rains?

 

Decide this ahead of time and post this clearly on the cache page. Keep in mind that the terrain difficulty will increase with inclement weather.

 

What's with the frog?

 

That's Signal! Read the background history on our mascot.

 

I have other questions not answered here.

 

The community is a wonderful source of information, and food for thought. Do a search at the CITO Forum and see if your question has been answered there.

Link to comment
Ambrosia

+Ambrosia

Posted
Posted

I don't know what's wrong with me. When I go to cacheintrashout.org, all I find is one page with the icon on it that links back to the main forums. How do I get to the rest?

 

I held my first CITO yesterday, it was a great experience! :rolleyes: Beforehand, I tried to go to the website to get some info and I'm wondering if I'm missing something. :huh:

Link to comment
peanutbutterbreadandjam

+peanutbutterbreadandjam

Posted
Posted

Hi MissJenn

 

That's awesome that you have such a big sponsor for this year's CITO and from a company that is so obviously a good match for Geocachers. Well done!

 

Just a question what does Delorme specifically sponsor? Do they provide advertising money or do they cover the costs for some of the events? Or do they subsidize the costs of the CITO merchandise? Or is there sponsorship more in terms of supplying personnel and gear rather than $$?

 

Thanks, just curious as apart from their logo on the CITO page and the mention here and a mention on their web page, I do not see what they are doing.

 

peanutbutterbreadandjam

Link to comment
MissJenn

+MissJenn

Posted
Posted
Just a question what does Delorme specifically sponsor? Do they provide advertising money or do they cover the costs for some of the events? Or do they subsidize the costs of the CITO merchandise? Or is there sponsorship more in terms of supplying personnel and gear rather than $$?
We are not at liberty to disclose the specifics of the sponsorship agreement, unfortunately. Sorry about that.

 

We thank DeLorme very much for supporting Geocaching and the Cache In Trash Out 2008 efforts. For more information about DeLorme, visit: http://www.delorme.com/geocachingfun

Link to comment
wavector

+wavector

Posted
Posted (edited)
MissJenn,

the link you posted = http://www.delorme.com/geocachingfun is broken.

 

No info on the page..

Delorme has simply closed down that page since I posted the link a few months ago. They have a new page here:

http://www.delorme.com/geocaching/

 

Thanks for the updated link MissJenn, Delorme headquarters is a destination I am adding to the list, I want to see Eartha!!!

That PN-40 GPS looks pretty cool also. <_<

Edited by wavector
Link to comment

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
×
Followers 2
Go to topic listing
×
×
  • Create New...