Leaving Swag OUTSIDE the Cache Container?

[+The VanDucks]

We recently placed two new caches in a local park. They are only about 650 feet apart. One is a small lock'n'lock box, and the other is a larger box. We clearly state on each cache description page the size of each container, and that the smaller one has room only for a few small trade items. The other cache has room for quite a bit more. Over the past few days, a fairly new cacher put his trade item in the small box, and noted in his log that, so he could fit his TB in, he left another toy outside the box but that it's just plastic! The next finder, a more experienced cacher, logged that there are several items now overflowing the container! But of course he just left them lying there, because they are weather resistant!

 

How on earth could any cacher think it's OK to just leave stuff lying around on the ground outside the cache?

The small cache is very close to a dirt road in the park; the park rules are that caches have to be hidden in clear plastic containers, no more than 25 feet from a path or road. We placed these two caches to be used for a county geocaching camp to be held in the park in a few weeks. Now I'm worried that cachers will be compromising the safety of our cache by leaving swag lying on the ground nearby, which may very well attract curious muggles. I can go by and pick up the stuff, but it's not very close to our house, and I can't go by there everyday. I have posted a note on the cache page suggesting that cachers can go to two other nearby caches which can hold larger swag.

 

What else can I do to protect our cache? I'm used to worrying about muggles - now I have to worry about cachers!

Edited August 1, 2010 by The VanDucks

[+Jackalgirl]

That is just some plain craziness. Maybe if you add, in bolded type: "PLEASE do NOT leave swag outside of the container! If it won't fit, PLEASE HELP YOURSELF AND TAKE IT!" to the cache page, or something?

 

I realize that there's a "trade even or trade up" tradition, but some common sense has to prevail, right? If you don't want to take the good stuff out of the overflowing cache 'cause you don't have anything to trade for it, certainly there has to be some junk in there that could be cleared out? CITO!

 

Edited to add: this is a generic third-person "you", not you in particular, VanDucks. I'm just surprised by the situation. I am regularly accused of lacking common sense, and even I would know what to do here.

Edited August 1, 2010 by Jackalgirl

[+Jackalgirl]

Posted to add: I see you've done all that on the cache. Craziness, sheer craziness. Must be the heat or sumthin'.

[+Klatch]

A larger container is another option.

[knowschad]

This is all about one particular cacher in your area that is doing this, and rather than to approach that cacher about his habits, you chose to start a forum thread asking how can he do it? Have you considered asking the person responsible?

[+narcissa]

I once left an antler on top of a cache.

[+Jackalgirl]

This is all about one particular cacher in your area that is doing this, and rather than to approach that cacher about his habits, you chose to start a forum thread asking how can he do it? Have you considered asking the person responsible?

 

Well, to be fair to the OP, there were at least two different cachers involved. I think that the OP did the right thing (in terms of modding the cache pages so that it specifically asks people not to leave stuff around the cache and suggests the other [bigger] caches in the area for swag overflow).

 

What'd I'd be curious is this: is this a crazy isolated two-person incident? Or are there other cache owners who have run into the same thing?

[+Jackalgirl]

I once left an antler on top of a cache.

 

I think that's actually pretty cool. : ) Though, of course, that could be a draw for muggles too, depending on the situation! (Which is not necessarily a bad thing, if the muggle becomes a cacher.)

[+drain13]

i once left a GC button right next to a lamppost that had no skirt just for giggles. it was near the cache but didnt give away the real location, as expected the next seasoned cacher found it and put it in the cache. tis life people do what they do!

[+buttaskotch]

I see that this is irritating, but wouldn't the swiftest thing to do is PM the 2 cachers involved letting them know that their behavior contributes to littering and compromising the integrity of the cache?

 

And secondly, why don't you just take out the large TB, put back the smaller swag and send the TB on its way to another cache? If the large TB is already gone and the cache is not overflowing and your request on the cache page in place you are all done.

Somehow, from your OP it sounds like nothing is done which is also contributing the the misdeeds that have occurred. Break the chain and all should be sorted.

[+The VanDucks]

Thanks for the comments above. We didn't see the logs about leaving stuff outside the container until after dark last night, and the park is only open during daylight hours. We will go by the cache today and pick up whatever is left outside. As far as the suggestion by a poster above, to email the two cachers; it's not my policy to scold other cachers. The one who left the swag outside the first time is new to the sport, and from looking at their account, they may be just visiting in our area. Maybe from where they come, leaving swag lying outside caches is ok; I don't know. We are fortunate to have a very tight-knit group of local cachers, who normally look out for each other very well, but this area has a large numbers of tourists, year round, visiting Washington, D.C., so maybe they play by slightly different rules.

 

My point in the OP was to mention this "geo-littering around a cache" as a possible new problem, which I have never seen before, and to find out if other cache owners have had to deal with this. It would not be a problem if the cache is hidden deep in the woods, but for urban park hides, where the possible hiding locations and cache container possibilities are determined by the park authority, it is a problem.

[Andronicus]

Well the other day I was trying to get the swagg back into a cache I had found. It was a realy tight squeez. After a few minuts of fighting with it, and getting eaten by mosquitos, I gave up and took the largest item out (which was a lame toy). I then still had a tough time closing the cache, but managed to get it closed. I quickly re-hid it, and ran away from the bugs. Felt guilty due to trade even/up rule, but it was better than not closing the cache, and ruening everything, or bleeding out.

 

So I guess I agree with Jackalgirl on this one.

 

PS I added the 'stolen' toy to another larger cache.

[+narcissa]

I once left an antler on top of a cache.

 

I think that's actually pretty cool. : ) Though, of course, that could be a draw for muggles too, depending on the situation! (Which is not necessarily a bad thing, if the muggle becomes a cacher.)

 

I found the antler near the beginning of a long, wet hike. By the time we got to the cache I was sick of carrying it.

[AZcachemeister]

I have occasionally found it necessary to remove items to make room for a TB I wanted to drop.

 

If the offending cacher had taken the items removed to make room for the TB, would this thread be about how they took something, but left nothing?

 

Were the items left out of the cache arranged in an arrow shape pointing towards the container?

 

Without more details, I'd say the OP is overreacting to the issue of items left outside the container.

[+roziecakes]

Thanks for the comments above. We didn't see the logs about leaving stuff outside the container until after dark last night, and the park is only open during daylight hours. We will go by the cache today and pick up whatever is left outside. As far as the suggestion by a poster above, to email the two cachers; it's not my policy to scold other cachers. The one who left the swag outside the first time is new to the sport, and from looking at their account, they may be just visiting in our area. Maybe from where they come, leaving swag lying outside caches is ok; I don't know. We are fortunate to have a very tight-knit group of local cachers, who normally look out for each other very well, but this area has a large numbers of tourists, year round, visiting Washington, D.C., so maybe they play by slightly different rules.

 

My point in the OP was to mention this "geo-littering around a cache" as a possible new problem, which I have never seen before, and to find out if other cache owners have had to deal with this. It would not be a problem if the cache is hidden deep in the woods, but for urban park hides, where the possible hiding locations and cache container possibilities are determined by the park authority, it is a problem.

 

Hey, you started caching one day after we did, pretty cool. Anyhoo; I've personally never seen anything like this before, but I do think that something does need to be said to the folks who did the 'geolittering.' I think if you say it in a nice enough way that it won't be looked at as scolding. The person may appreciate you teaching them something they didn't know before.

 

I do hope that the integrity of your caches is not compromised by this incident, good for you for taking care of it!

[Clan Riffster]

...but I do think that something does need to be said to the folks who did the 'geolittering.'

Agreed. The offending cacher is pretty new to the game, and might benefit from some well worded advice. In my early days, I made some blunders, mostly because I didn't know any better. A few kind souls corrected my evil ways, and I consider them great friends today. A kindly worded email could go a long way toward teaching them why their actions were not good for the game. As it stands, unless they return to the cache page, they'll likely never know about their error.

[+buttaskotch]

As far as the suggestion by a poster above, to email the two cachers; it's not my policy to scold other cachers. The one who left the swag outside the first time is new to the sport, and from looking at their account, they may be just visiting in our area. Maybe from where they come, leaving swag lying outside caches is ok; I don't know. We are fortunate to have a very tight-knit group of local cachers, who normally look out for each other very well, but this area has a large numbers of tourists, year round, visiting Washington, D.C., so maybe they play by slightly different rules.

I can see not wanting to aggravate new cachers, but its really our duty to inform people that this particular thing is not a generally accepted practice. In fact it could be viewed as littering in a public park that could face them littering fines.

If the cachers were to travel to other destinations in/out of the country it could look really bad for them and all of us as a larger community.

If the email is nicely worded, then no offense should be taken.

[+redsox_mark]

I've never seen sawg purposely left outside the cache box, and agree this is not good practice.

 

The closest I've come is recently I found a TB in a plastic bag attached to a small cache box (with a rubber band). It was a large TB, and in a city (Milan) with few if any large caches - in fact this small box was the biggest I found. I assume someone really wanted to drop the TB in Milan, so did this. It wasn't much of a problem as it was attached to the cache and well hidden; though it was the plastic bag I noticed first, and I thought it was trash... was surprised to find a cache attached to it!

[+briansnat]

Well the other day I was trying to get the swagg back into a cache I had found. It was a realy tight squeez. After a few minuts of fighting with it, and getting eaten by mosquitos, I gave up and took the largest item out (which was a lame toy). I then still had a tough time closing the cache, but managed to get it closed. I quickly re-hid it, and ran away from the bugs. Felt guilty due to trade even/up rule, but it was better than not closing the cache, and ruening everything, or bleeding out.

 

So I guess I agree with Jackalgirl on this one.

 

PS I added the 'stolen' toy to another larger cache.

 

I had a cache in a decon box. When I placed it the container was stuffed pretty full but I made sure the swag could be easily removed.

 

A few months later I went for a maint run and the decon box was sitting inside n a large Ziploc along with all kinds of other swag that couldn't be fit in the decon container. Yeah, it was annoying. My well hidden decon box was now in a large Ziploc visible from 20 yards away.