Has Anybody Get Cited For Littering While Planting a Cache?

[Decoski]

Just wondering if anybody has had such an experience. I haven't, but thought it may be likely for all the caches out there that somebody would get caught by an unsympathetic officer.

[+egami]

Come on...like citations for litter ever get handed out anymore...

[+briansnat]

If you go by the dictionary definition, no way is a geocache litter.

 

Of course legal definitions often differ from what Webster says. I don't know anybody who has been cited for

littering for placing a geocache, though some jurisdictions that have banned caching have used their litter and/or abandoned property laws as justification.

[+StarBrand]

I have seen it threatened but never actually cited.

[+TexasGringo]

I have permits for my caches....so I have permission to "Litter".

[+Renegade Knight]

The only citation I've ever seen issued is "disposing of debris on state property". Bogus but the cacher chose not to fight it.

[+Isonzo Karst]

This cache was removed, and the litter laws were cited, but the owner was not actually issued a citation

GCJ2P4

 

Cache was not in the park, but in a rest stop on a highway. Seized by a park ranger anyway.

[+joranda]

And to call a cache litter. Wow. Nice park ranger.

[cowcreekgeeks]

The last person I can think of getting cited for littering was Arlo Guthrie when he was placing the Alice's Restaurant Massacre Cache. Was that a cache? I can't remember...it was about a half a mile from the railroad tracks.

 

"He said, "What were you arrested for, kid?"

And I said, "Littering." And they all moved away from me on the bench

there, and the hairy eyeball and all kinds of mean nasty things, till I

said, "And creating a nuisance." And they all came back, shook my hand,

and we had a great time on the bench, talkin about crime... all kinds of groovy things that we was talking about on the

bench."

 

"You can get anything you want, at Alice's Restaurant"

Edited January 23, 2008 by cowcreekgeeks

[+Team Cotati]

I haven't either.

 

But I'd like to.

Edited January 23, 2008 by Team Cotati

[+Zop]

This cache was removed, and the litter laws were cited, but the owner was not actually issued a citation

GCJ2P4

 

Cache was not in the park, but in a rest stop on a highway. Seized by a park ranger anyway.

 

As a retired Park Ranger I am appalled that Goodrich would have phrased his log in that manner but at least he went so far as to research the game. Or.. as you see, he only has one find, I wonder if this is just a sock puppet account. If not, maybe he's just a rookie and still in that wannabe stage.

 

Now, if the cache owner had obtained permission first and took measures to insure that seekers would have a minimum impact, the cache may still be in place.

[+TexasGringo]

***The last person I can think of getting cited for littering was Arlo Guthrie when he was placing the Alice's Restaurant Massacre Cache.***

 

But didn't he have 8x10 glossy photos he presented to the blind judge?

[+Rattlebars]

I had to archive one today, but no citation. Here's the cache (GC104XB) which was a "trucker friendly" cache and on a coupla bookmarks.

 

This is the e-mail I got from Janet who is a GC member and also - well, just read.

 

Hi, I am a member of geocaching.com and I work at the Hubbard Township Police Dept. Your cache was confiscated by one of our officers on January 21, 2008. Please contact me, Janet, at Hubbard Twp PD, 330-534-xxxx.

 

Not cited for litter. Not really any complaint. An officer "confiscated" the cache after getting a call from the local Waffle House. I called and spoke to the chief of police in Hubbard. Had a pleasant conversation and told him to just dispose of whatever the officer confiscated. No sweat. Archive. Some truckers will be unhappy tho.

[+sTeamTraen]

But didn't he have 8x10 glossy photos he presented to the blind judge?

 

Nooooo, that was poor Officer Obie. And he'd drawn circles and arrows on the (color!) photos, and put a paragraph on the back of each one saying what it was.

[cowcreekgeeks]

But didn't he have 8x10 glossy photos he presented to the blind judge?

 

Nooooo, that was poor Officer Obie. And he'd drawn circles and arrows on the (color!) photos, and put a paragraph on the back of each one saying what it was.

 

Wow... ...I learned something new today. Officer Obie is REAL!!!! (and according to the write up, ANGRY)

[+Renegade Knight]

This cache was removed, and the litter laws were cited, but the owner was not actually issued a citation

GCJ2P4

 

Cache was not in the park, but in a rest stop on a highway. Seized by a park ranger anyway.

 

As a retired Park Ranger I am appalled that Goodrich would have phrased his log in that manner but at least he went so far as to research the game. Or.. as you see, he only has one find, I wonder if this is just a sock puppet account. If not, maybe he's just a rookie and still in that wannabe stage.

 

Now, if the cache owner had obtained permission first and took measures to insure that seekers would have a minimum impact, the cache may still be in place.

Most rest areas are not under the jurisdiction of the parks system. That seems odd in and of itself.

 

However they did properly follow abandoned property laws it would seem. That's a plus.

[jholly]

Most rest areas are not under the jurisdiction of the parks system. That seems odd in and of itself.

 

However they did properly follow abandoned property laws it would seem. That's a plus.

 

Many (most? all?) park rangers are also peace officers. That makes it their jurisdiction.

 

Jim

Edited January 25, 2008 by jholly

[+Renegade Knight]

Most rest areas are not under the jurisdiction of the parks system. That seems odd in and of itself.

 

However they did properly follow abandoned property laws it would seem. That's a plus.

 

Many (most? all?) park rangers are also peace officers. That makes it their jurisdiction.

 

Jim

Ever since Claude Dallas (sp?) I've seen a lot more armed rangers and I don't blame them. They do have the ability to enforce the law. However they are still rangers and not State Troupers. That was my point.

[jholly]

Most rest areas are not under the jurisdiction of the parks system. That seems odd in and of itself.

 

However they did properly follow abandoned property laws it would seem. That's a plus.

 

Many (most? all?) park rangers are also peace officers. That makes it their jurisdiction.

 

Jim

Ever since Claude Dallas (sp?) I've seen a lot more armed rangers and I don't blame them. They do have the ability to enforce the law. However they are still rangers and not State Troupers. That was my point.

 

I'm afraid I don't see your point. Yes park rangers do not administer the grounds of a rest area, generally that falls under the the state DOT. However, as a peace officer they are responsible for enforcing laws. That park ranger could pull you over and give you a speeding ticket even though that is not their "jurisdiction".

 

Jim

[+benh57]

I had to archive one today, but no citation. Here's the cache (GC104XB) which was a "trucker friendly" cache and on a coupla bookmarks.

 

This is the e-mail I got from Janet who is a GC member and also - well, just read.

 

Hi, I am a member of geocaching.com and I work at the Hubbard Township Police Dept. Your cache was confiscated by one of our officers on January 21, 2008. Please contact me, Janet, at Hubbard Twp PD, 330-534-xxxx.

 

Not cited for litter. Not really any complaint. An officer "confiscated" the cache after getting a call from the local Waffle House. I called and spoke to the chief of police in Hubbard. Had a pleasant conversation and told him to just dispose of whatever the officer confiscated. No sweat. Archive. Some truckers will be unhappy tho.

 

So why did you archive it? Sounds like you volunteered to archive it without being asked, and could have just put it back.

[+Renegade Knight]

Most rest areas are not under the jurisdiction of the parks system. That seems odd in and of itself.

 

However they did properly follow abandoned property laws it would seem. That's a plus.

 

Many (most? all?) park rangers are also peace officers. That makes it their jurisdiction.

 

Jim

Ever since Claude Dallas (sp?) I've seen a lot more armed rangers and I don't blame them. They do have the ability to enforce the law. However they are still rangers and not State Troupers. That was my point.

 

I'm afraid I don't see your point. Yes park rangers do not administer the grounds of a rest area, generally that falls under the the state DOT. However, as a peace officer they are responsible for enforcing laws. That park ranger could pull you over and give you a speeding ticket even though that is not their "jurisdiction".

 

Jim

 

I truly doubt that. However I'll ask next time I cross paths with a ranger.

[+Osprey101]

Most rest areas are not under the jurisdiction of the parks system. That seems odd in and of itself.

 

However they did properly follow abandoned property laws it would seem. That's a plus.

 

Many (most? all?) park rangers are also peace officers. That makes it their jurisdiction.

 

Jim

Ever since Claude Dallas (sp?) I've seen a lot more armed rangers and I don't blame them. They do have the ability to enforce the law. However they are still rangers and not State Troupers. That was my point.

 

I'm afraid I don't see your point. Yes park rangers do not administer the grounds of a rest area, generally that falls under the the state DOT. However, as a peace officer they are responsible for enforcing laws. That park ranger could pull you over and give you a speeding ticket even though that is not their "jurisdiction".

 

Jim

 

I truly doubt that. However I'll ask next time I cross paths with a ranger.

 

Actually park rangers have considerable power. More than most people realize. Yes, they CAN give you a speeding ticket. In many cases, they have more authority and a larger jurisdiction that most of the local police or sheriffs. They also have years more schooling and years more training then either police OR sheriffs.

[+strayfarce]

But didn't he have 8x10 glossy photos he presented to the blind judge?

 

Nooooo, that was poor Officer Obie. And he'd drawn circles and arrows on the (color!) photos, and put a paragraph on the back of each one saying what it was.

 

Wow... ...I learned something new today. Officer Obie is REAL!!!! (and according to the write up, ANGRY)

 

And I had no idea he was the inspiration for that Norman Rockwell! huh! Interesting. learn something new everyday..

[+TeamThom]

Many (most? all?) park rangers are also peace officers. That makes it their jurisdiction.

 

Jim

 

In Utah most badges were given a wide range. There was a big stink about it a few years ago when a fish cop tried to pull over a female TV news reporter who was driving down the interstate with a broken tail light. She thought that he was impersonating a cop so didn't pull over. It ran on the news night after night.

[+KBI]

If you go by the dictionary definition, no way is a geocache litter.

 

Of course legal definitions often differ from what Webster says. I don't know anybody who has been cited for littering for placing a geocache, though some jurisdictions that have banned caching have used their litter and/or abandoned property laws as justification.

I think the only time I have ever gotten truly angry while participating in this hobby is the time the National Park Service, or Corps of Engineers, or Wildlife Service – or whoever the heck it was – went into a forest in a National Recreation Area near here for the sole purpose of collecting up and removing about a half-dozen geocache containers.

 

The fact that they were actively fighting against a wholesome outdoor recreational hobby in a place specifically intended for wholesome outdoor recreational public use was bad enough; the fact that they presumably used my tax money to buy themselves a GPS for the purpose was even worse; but what really made me nail-spitting angry was the fact that the person who grabbed up the caches could only have done so after stepping over HUGE MOUNDS of illegally-dumped trash right there in the same place!

 

I know. I saw them. I had to navigate the very same trash piles in order to get to those caches when I found them before they were removed; the trash piles were still there, untouched, when I went back later after the federal cache-hoovering.

 

The only grin I got out of the whole debacle was in the realization that they couldn’t find one of the caches – it was too clever for them! LOL!! That cache was the reason I went back the second time, and it really wasn’t that hard to figure out. Somebody must have tipped them off with a hint, however, because that last cache eventually got "arrested" by Barney Federal Fife as well.

 

This, therefore, is the apparent policy of our Federal Government: Huge piles of garbage illegally dumped on federal land are perfectly acceptable. It is the small, well–hidden containers which have been placed specifically for the purpose of healthy recreation that are the true threat.

 

(And to think, there are people who actually want to put federally-paid geniuses like these in charge if our oil production, our health care system, and other critical parts of our economy.)

 

There I was, visiting federally owned land I might not have ever enjoyed otherwise of it weren’t for those geocaches. There I was, enjoying the benefits of my tax dollars. There I was, getting exercise, enjoying nature, and seeing reasons why I should support the National Park System. All because of Geocaching.

 

And there they was, afterward, following up to make sure nobody else would ever again engage in such unacceptable foolishness – and to check on the trash piles to make sure they were okay.

[+briansnat]

If you go by the dictionary definition, no way is a geocache litter.

 

Of course legal definitions often differ from what Webster says. I don't know anybody who has been cited for littering for placing a geocache, though some jurisdictions that have banned caching have used their litter and/or abandoned property laws as justification.

I think the only time I have ever gotten truly angry while participating in this hobby is the time the National Park Service, or Corps of Engineers, or Wildlife Service – or whoever the heck it was – went into a forest in a National Recreation Area near here for the sole purpose of collecting up and removing about a half-dozen geocache containers.

 

The fact that they were actively fighting against a wholesome outdoor recreational hobby in a place specifically intended for wholesome outdoor recreational public use was bad enough; the fact that they presumably used my tax money to buy themselves a GPS for the purpose was even worse; but what really made me nail-spitting angry was the fact that the person who grabbed up the caches could only have done so after stepping over HUGE MOUNDS of illegally-dumped trash right there in the same place!

 

I know. I saw them. I had to navigate the very same trash piles in order to get to those caches when I found them before they were removed; the trash piles were still there, untouched, when I went back later after the federal cache-hoovering.

 

The only grin I got out of the whole debacle was in the realization that they couldn’t find one of the caches – it was too clever for them! LOL!! That cache was the reason I went back the second time, and it really wasn’t that hard to figure out. Somebody must have tipped them off with a hint, however, because that last cache eventually got "arrested" by Barney Federal Fife as well.

 

This, therefore, is the apparent policy of our Federal Government: Huge piles of garbage illegally dumped on federal land are perfectly acceptable. It is the small, well–hidden containers which have been placed specifically for the purpose of healthy recreation that are the true threat.

 

(And to think, there are people who actually want to put federally-paid geniuses like these in charge if our oil production, our health care system, and other critical parts of our economy.)

 

There I was, visiting federally owned land I might not have ever enjoyed otherwise of it weren’t for those geocaches. There I was, enjoying the benefits of my tax dollars. There I was, getting exercise, enjoying nature, and seeing reasons why I should support the National Park System. All because of Geocaching.

 

And there they was, afterward, following up to make sure nobody else would ever again engage in such unacceptable foolishness – and to check on the trash piles to make sure they were okay.

 

I remember a cache a few years ago that was hidden in the Gateway National Recreation Area. There were some complaints from finders at the time because it was hidden in an area strewn with discarded tires, refrigerators, couches and other debris and people felt that it was just a disgusting place for a cache. The NPS demanded that the cache be archived and removed. The debris field was still there last I heard.

[+Sparticus06]

I had to archive one today, but no citation. Here's the cache (GC104XB) which was a "trucker friendly" cache and on a coupla bookmarks.

 

This is the e-mail I got from Janet who is a GC member and also - well, just read.

 

Hi, I am a member of geocaching.com and I work at the Hubbard Township Police Dept. Your cache was confiscated by one of our officers on January 21, 2008. Please contact me, Janet, at Hubbard Twp PD, 330-534-xxxx.

 

Not cited for litter. Not really any complaint. An officer "confiscated" the cache after getting a call from the local Waffle House. I called and spoke to the chief of police in Hubbard. Had a pleasant conversation and told him to just dispose of whatever the officer confiscated. No sweat. Archive. Some truckers will be unhappy tho.

 

That is a bummer. I had found that cache right before a huge snow storm hit. You definitely got muggled if you was not careful.

I have never heard of anyone gettin a ticket for placing a cache. I have heard of a cop pulling up and asking what they (the cachers) were doing....lol. They of course were night caching. They told the officer and he went on his way.

[+Sparticus06]

I had to archive one today, but no citation. Here's the cache (GC104XB) which was a "trucker friendly" cache and on a coupla bookmarks.

 

This is the e-mail I got from Janet who is a GC member and also - well, just read.

 

Hi, I am a member of geocaching.com and I work at the Hubbard Township Police Dept. Your cache was confiscated by one of our officers on January 21, 2008. Please contact me, Janet, at Hubbard Twp PD, 330-534-xxxx.

 

Not cited for litter. Not really any complaint. An officer "confiscated" the cache after getting a call from the local Waffle House. I called and spoke to the chief of police in Hubbard. Had a pleasant conversation and told him to just dispose of whatever the officer confiscated. No sweat. Archive. Some truckers will be unhappy tho.

 

That is a bummer. I had found that cache right before a huge snow storm hit. You definitely got muggled if you was not careful.

I have never heard of anyone gettin a ticket for placing a cache. I have heard of a cop pulling up and asking what they (the cachers) were doing....lol. They of course were night caching. They told the officer and he went on his way.