The Real Secret, There Is No Secret

[+Rockin Roddy]

...please! When a FRISBEE is confused as a bomb, I'll worry about such nonsense

 

Star Wars Toys, Laptops, Whoopie Cushions, Personal Effects, Flashlights, Exotic Foods. I haven't yet read about a frisbee, but I can't say one wasn't in that box of personal effects, Easter Egg Styple Hunt Prizes, Chilli, Recording Equipment, Honey & An Oyster Shell, Golf Ball Speed Checker. In other words most of the things we use in daily life can be on the receiving end of a situation.

 

Just like caches, none of these things are a problem. The problem is that there are people who do make bombs. That in turn results in the need for professionals to deal with those bombs. In turn those pro's can't see everthing and be everywhere so they ask the public to watch and call leaving the decision making to the pros. The public does this resulting in false alarms. False alarms are a side effect of bombs. Not the items we use in daily life.

 

Yet, just informing the landowners and LEO of the cache can be a HUGE difference in whether the bomb squad is called when an officer is made to investigate! An informed LEO or landowner really helps keep our caches safe!

[+infiniteMPG]

In fact, the REAL secret...there SHOULDN'T be a secret between us and the landowners!

Especially in places like formal parks, preserves and managed lands. I currently have a little privately owned nature park working with me as we placed caches there with permission of the 'previous' manager who failed to pass the information along to the new manager. Now that the new manager knows he is excited about it and wants to promote geocaching in his park and even have geocachers tell them they are geocachers when they arrive so they can see how much geocaching activity they get. He has also granted permission to visit the park outside of operating hours for maintenance and we're working on an information sheet so the workers there will know where everything is, and be able to offer additional 'hints' to cachers who may have problems with something. It's nice to find places like that.

 

Some others, like the manager of a local state park, shuts us out every time we approach him yet other nearby state parks have dozens of caches on their lands. There is some personal vairables that affect how things turn out. All we can do is try.

[+Rockin Roddy]

.......someone walks up and steals my frisbee while I'm playing and we'll have a good go before the law is brought in. Someone steals your cache...what will you do? You see, I'll be right there with my frisbee, the cache is left for anyone to find and do with as they please......

 

The Frisbee Test is a rule of thumb for placing caches. Not defending them from all comers. I think you are talking about the "Pry it from my cold dead fingers" test which works well for things you are directly watching over. Unlike say, your car in a high school parking lot, or like you point out, a cache.

 

I guess if you hadn't taken my quote out of context (parsed), it would have made more sense and been more on topic!

[+Rockin Roddy]

In fact, the REAL secret...there SHOULDN'T be a secret between us and the landowners!

Especially in places like formal parks, preserves and managed lands. I currently have a little privately owned nature park working with me as we placed caches there with permission of the 'previous' manager who failed to pass the information along to the new manager. Now that the new manager knows he is excited about it and wants to promote geocaching in his park and even have geocachers tell them they are geocachers when they arrive so they can see how much geocaching activity they get. He has also granted permission to visit the park outside of operating hours for maintenance and we're working on an information sheet so the workers there will know where everything is, and be able to offer additional 'hints' to cachers who may have problems with something. It's nice to find places like that.

 

Some others, like the manager of a local state park, shuts us out every time we approach him yet other nearby state parks have dozens of caches on their lands. There is some personal vairables that affect how things turn out. All we can do is try.

 

EXCELLENT!!! Use your google maps to make a printout of where each cache is hidden, it's worked GREAT for me! I gave our managers one when I finished placing caches last year...they LOVE knowing where each cache is so no problems arise!!

 

If you can get the manager to set up an account (free one of course) with GC.com, they can put ALL your caches on watch and read about the fun cachers have while in their parks!! Works GREAT at our local s.p.!! They then can tell exactly how many visitors were there for caching, they can read of any potential problems and they can enjoy the fun others are having...might even make a cacher or two of them!!

[+Renegade Knight]

....In fact, the REAL secret...there SHOULDN'T be a secret between us and the landowners!

 

There is no secret between us and landowners. If you are afraid to talk caching when the subject comes up, or you are afraid to say anything about your cache then your cache is where it shouldn't be. If I'm talking with a land manager and caching comes up, I'm perfectly happey to talk caching and caches. This all goes hand in hand with the other activties I mentioned. If you have to enter a piece of property under the cover of night wearing Ninja clothes so you can enjoy jogging, odds are you shouldn't be jogging there, let alone playing frisbee.

[+infiniteMPG]

EXCELLENT!!! Use your google maps to make a printout of where each cache is hidden, it's worked GREAT for me! I gave our managers one when I finished placing caches last year...they LOVE knowing where each cache is so no problems arise!!

We had given the previous manager an info sheet with their trail map overlaid with the GPS tracks and waymarks where every cache was. A printout of the cache pages and a description of the hides (for their reference). It didn't get handed down to the new manager but it will be replaced.

 

If you can get the manager to set up an account (free one of course) with GC.com, they can put ALL your caches on watch and read about the fun cachers have while in their parks!! Works GREAT at our local s.p.!! They then can tell exactly how many visitors were there for caching, they can read of any potential problems and they can enjoy the fun others are having...might even make a cacher or two of them!!

Great idea!!! Didn't think of that. They are savy enough to have a nice website and they respond to emails so that would be easy to even set it up for them. A couple of us locals are yakkin' about having an event there as they have a nice boardwalk, observation tower, and a big covered learning center with fire pits and facilities. I'm thinking they will also promote geocaching there on their website when it's all said and done. We have several individual caches there and then in each is clues to a full sized ammo can bonus cache. We also placed one just outside their gate so if people come when they're not open they can log a find and see the place from outside the gates and not walk away empty handed.

 

Like I said, those kind of places are rare and nice finds

[+Rockin Roddy]

....In fact, the REAL secret...there SHOULDN'T be a secret between us and the landowners!

 

There is no secret between us and landowners. If you are afraid to talk caching when the subject comes up, or you are afraid to say anything about your cache then your cache is where it shouldn't be. If I'm talking with a land manager and caching comes up, I'm perfectly happey to talk caching and caches. This all goes hand in hand with the other activties I mentioned. If you have to enter a piece of property under the cover of night wearing Ninja clothes so you can enjoy jogging, odds are you shouldn't be jogging there, let alone playing frisbee.

Wow, then why is it that some have such a hard time going to ask for permission? Seems some would rather secretively place a cache and play dumb if the LM finds out and gripes. This is where the "no secret" comment comes into play! Keep in mind, I've been to plenty of places where jogging, football, basketball, frisbee etc are allowed...but not caching. WHY? Mostly because someone placed a cache w/o permission and the LO/LM had no idea as to what caching was...and banned caching. Some want me to believe it's because some took the time to ask and made the LM/LO make a decision....when it's actually (usually) the other ay around!

 

You see, I too LOVE talking caching with ANYONE who listens (my latest victims have been the Girl Scouts). I also love to KNOW I have the right to place my caches. This doesn't mean I ask permission for EVERY cache, but I do ask more than not! An informed LM/LO is a content one!

[+Renegade Knight]

...Yet, just informing the landowners and LEO of the cache can be a HUGE difference in whether the bomb squad is called when an officer is made to investigate! An informed LEO or landowner really helps keep our caches safe!

 

Once the call is made protocal is followed. There was one great example where a cacher found a cache, was observed, the call was made, the area was shut down, the cacher said 'hey that's where I was caching! went back and offered to show the squad that it was just a cache and was told "no" they used a water cannon to disable the cache. When it was all over you had one perfectly viable dead cache, and offer of assistance and permission by the land owner for the cache to be there.

 

I also forgot to mention a traffic counter that was blown up in my prior list. Placed by the owner on land owned by them, for a purpose that's fairly common. Someone called it in, you know the punchline. Most everything blown up is something that is where it should be or used like it should be used. One thing slighly out of ordinary in the mind of the person calling is all you need to generate the call that gets a responce. Nothing more.

 

Things happen regardless. The first line of defence is to place your cache so it's not found by someone who will call it in. Next is to place your cache so that if it is found it's clear its a cache. Next is LEO cachers involved with the bomb squad. After that it's all out of your hands. My remote cache that was called in was reported as a drug stash. It was duly investigated as a stash, determined to be a cache, and when I called the officer on the scene I was told everthing was good, carry on.

[+Rockin Roddy]

EXCELLENT!!! Use your google maps to make a printout of where each cache is hidden, it's worked GREAT for me! I gave our managers one when I finished placing caches last year...they LOVE knowing where each cache is so no problems arise!!

We had given the previous manager an info sheet with their trail map overlaid with the GPS tracks and waymarks where every cache was. A printout of the cache pages and a description of the hides (for their reference). It didn't get handed down to the new manager but it will be replaced.

 

If you can get the manager to set up an account (free one of course) with GC.com, they can put ALL your caches on watch and read about the fun cachers have while in their parks!! Works GREAT at our local s.p.!! They then can tell exactly how many visitors were there for caching, they can read of any potential problems and they can enjoy the fun others are having...might even make a cacher or two of them!!

Great idea!!! Didn't think of that. They are savy enough to have a nice website and they respond to emails so that would be easy to even set it up for them. A couple of us locals are yakkin' about having an event there as they have a nice boardwalk, observation tower, and a big covered learning center with fire pits and facilities. I'm thinking they will also promote geocaching there on their website when it's all said and done. We have several individual caches there and then in each is clues to a full sized ammo can bonus cache. We also placed one just outside their gate so if people come when they're not open they can log a find and see the place from outside the gates and not walk away empty handed.

 

Like I said, those kind of places are rare and nice finds

 

Yep, the parks I'm working with surely are promoting caching! I'm working with them to get some GPS units so they too can loan them out and thus get more visitors! Our local s.p. even has me down as a contact on their website...the contact person for caching! I;ve even had our management ask us to join them at festivals to promote and teach caching. A real working friendship!!

[+Rockin Roddy]

...Yet, just informing the landowners and LEO of the cache can be a HUGE difference in whether the bomb squad is called when an officer is made to investigate! An informed LEO or landowner really helps keep our caches safe!

 

Once the call is made protocal is followed. There was one great example where a cacher found a cache, was observed, the call was made, the area was shut down, the cacher said 'hey that's where I was caching! went back and offered to show the squad that it was just a cache and was told "no" they used a water cannon to disable the cache. When it was all over you had one perfectly viable dead cache, and offer of assistance and permission by the land owner for the cache to be there.

 

I also forgot to mention a traffic counter that was blown up in my prior list. Placed by the owner on land owned by them, for a purpose that's fairly common. Someone called it in, you know the punchline. Most everything blown up is something that is where it should be or used like it should be used. One thing slighly out of ordinary in the mind of the person calling is all you need to generate the call that gets a responce. Nothing more.

 

Things happen regardless. The first line of defence is to place your cache so it's not found by someone who will call it in. Next is to place your cache so that if it is found it's clear its a cache. Next is LEO cachers involved with the bomb squad. After that it's all out of your hands. My remote cache that was called in was reported as a drug stash. It was duly investigated as a stash, determined to be a cache, and when I called the officer on the scene I was told everthing was good, carry on.

 

Again, letting the LEO know would help a lot just as letting the LM/LO know! If I were called for a bomb scare, I'd not listen to a civvy, but when the LEO already know this, the bomb scare isn't a scare at all!

 

This isn't an end-all to the problems and there's ALWAYS the exception...but sure does help to have them know!

 

The KEY word to my coment was HELP!!

Edited February 6, 2008 by Rockin Roddy

[+sbell111]

... I've been to plenty of places where jogging, football, basketball, frisbee etc are allowed...but not caching. WHY? Mostly because someone placed a cache w/o permission and the LO/LM had no idea as to what caching was...and banned caching. Some want me to believe it's because some took the time to ask and made the LM/LO make a decision....when it's actually (usually) the other ay around!

I rather believe that your post #45 alluded to why the game is verboten in some parks. If people force a land manager to develop a geocaching 'policy', they will often develop one that we won't like.

You see, I too LOVE talking caching with ANYONE who listens (my latest victims have been the Girl Scouts). I also love to KNOW I have the right to place my caches. This doesn't mean I ask permission for EVERY cache, but I do ask more than not! An informed LM/LO is a content one!

The jokes just write themselves.

[+sbell111]

Again, letting the LEO know would help a lot just as letting the LM/LO know! If I were called for a bomb scare, I'd not listen to a civvy, but when the LEO already know this, the bomb scare isn't a scare at all! ...

I believe that this would only work in the smallest of departments. Print off all the cache pages for caches in LA county and take them to the police. I doubt that they would keep them on hand and welcome you to bring in more, as they are listed.

[+Cpt.Blackbeard]

Yet I cannot fish or hunt without a license (read "permission").

 

You can if you own or lease the land you're hunting or fishing on.

 

Um -- no you can't, even if you own the property -- at least in Oklahoma. You STILL must have a fishing or hunting license.

 

Uh, yes I can. Please read the more detailed explanation I posted above. Thank you.