Food for thought... As Geocachers are we really enviomental friendly?

[Snakecatcher]

Here is a little food for thought. as we as geocachers move from doing cache to cache in an area, then we more on to the next area and so on. As some cachers place there cache containers out in areas in grasslands, woods, forrest, hills, vally rivers etc... Everyday more and more people are taking up this great outdoors activity. It makes me think, how much of an Enviromental impact are we creating. A fellow cacher in Victoria Australia has just pulled in a series of 8 mystery cache's because they were in state park area. Park Vic are saying that there are leaving an eviromental inpact to the area. Yet there are walking tracks that have been cut throw the heaths that have been there long before geocaching even start. Mind you there is a large open cut mine near one of the cache location (not to close thou)An area has been blocked off due to recent rains and part of the colaspsed. This seems to be having more impact in my eyes.

Then a thought came to me the other day. How much impact do we really have on out enviroment. As a Scout Leader, I've been always one of the mind set of treading lightly when out in the bush and leaving an area better than I had found it. Anyway, after doing a few Mystery/Puzzle cache's up north from home and sitting down to rest where we were camping near a lake, pulling out the grass seeds for my socks to dispose of them into the bin instead of dropping them on the ground. Are we walk through grassy areas we collect burrs and grass seeds in our socks and shoes, then we more on to another area, sometimes it may be an area well away for where we were caching. We may be introducing new weeds to an area. Not only weeds but the possible chance of disease from plants. Eg Cinamon fungus. This played on my mind so I thought that I would post something on the Forums. What are you views on this? Do you do your part in caring for out surroundings and enviroment?

Thanks, SNAKECATCHER.

[+TeamCassie]

I agree we can have an impact on our environment, but I believe this can also be a positive impact for example the cache in trash out program. I also see it as a chance to educate my daughter, nieces and nephews on the environment around us, wildlife and how we should care for it. I always try to use worn tracks so as not to make my own, I will in fact leave a cache if I think or feel I have to bush bash to much to get to it.

 

I agree with caches being banned from non public area's of state forests, I believe we should be able to use walking tracks,reserves and picnic and camping areas as other public members and hobbyist's are, but I also agree with the caches being NON swaps and the focus being more on the environment, again more of educational experience.

 

I do not see why we can not combine our sport with tree planting and clean up programs that already exists. Anything to improve our environment and to educate people is a good thing in my eyes.

 

I also see the positives to our health and to my daughters and niece and nephews health they are out in the fresh area and sunshine caching or treasure hunting as my little one calls it, not in front of the TV or playing video games and its something we enjoy as a family.

[+jindi kid]

but then there are the people that go bashing through it on there motorbikes as a hobbie

geocaching is nothing compared to other hobbies when it comes to impact on the environment

[+digitalformula]

Geocaching *can* be a negative impact on the environment but not because of the nature of geocaching itself.

 

E.g. I can think of two geocaches (one here in Melbourne, the other in Wellington, NZ) that are in locations that have been so badly trampled by what I assume is people looking for the caches that I'm surprised the caches are still there. The Wellington one was on a hillside and I know that the hill had to be replanted a while ago due to the bushes there getting destroyed.

 

That said, it's like any outdoor activity. Take due care when out there geocaching and there shouldn't be a problem. If a hint says "buried in the bush" don't destroy the bush while looking for the cache.