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Getting caches removed from this site?


sealcove

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Hello,

 

I work as a land manager, and have a good relationship with a couple of geocachers who use a properties that are appropriate for this activity. I recently noticed two caches on this site that are not on suitable properties (both private), and no permission was ever requested to place either cache. I sent a message the person who created these caches, and received a polite but somewhat defiant response and no communication since or action on removing the caches from the site. I intend to remove the materials from the properties myself, but I need to have the caches removed from this database. I have a letter ready to go out to Groundspeak tomorrow, but I thought I would ask here in case I am missing a tool for flagging inappropriate caches. Any suggestions for having inappropriate caches removed from geocaching.com would be appreciated.

 

Thanks, Douglas

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Hello,

 

I work as a land manager, and have a good relationship with a couple of geocachers who use a properties that are appropriate for this activity. I recently noticed two caches on this site that are not on suitable properties (both private), and no permission was ever requested to place either cache. I sent a message the person who created these caches, and received a polite but somewhat defiant response and no communication since or action on removing the caches from the site. I intend to remove the materials from the properties myself, but I need to have the caches removed from this database. I have a letter ready to go out to Groundspeak tomorrow, but I thought I would ask here in case I am missing a tool for flagging inappropriate caches. Any suggestions for having inappropriate caches removed from geocaching.com would be appreciated.

 

Thanks, Douglas

Thanks for allowing caches. I'm sorry that some didn't get the approval needed.

You may want to look on the questionable cache pages (you seem to know which ones they are), see who published them (often the first log on the cache page) and send them a quick note with the same stuff you've shared here along with the GCcode and the note you sent the cache owner.

They should be able to help you resolve your issue.

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It's a sad day for geocacher's when they refuse to ask for permission from a land manager who thinks highly of this game. I wouldn't be surprised if stopped allowing people to play this sport on his property, simply because they could not ask. He obviously doesn't mind the sport, if they would have spent two seconds to ask then they could have been told it was a bad area.

 

This is terrible. Please don't be discouraged from this sport.

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Thanks folks! I messaged the publisher and I am sure we will get this resolved.

 

Not to worry, this does not hurt my view of geocaching. I even offered to chat with this individual about some more suitable locations. As I mentioned in my first post, I work with a few other cachers (is that the right word?) and they do an excellent job at getting permission and using our land in a careful manner. I suspect that cacher of these inappropriate sites has just gone a little off course, and I don't hold it against him or the activity.

 

Douglas

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Thanks folks! I messaged the publisher and I am sure we will get this resolved.

 

Not to worry, this does not hurt my view of geocaching. I even offered to chat with this individual about some more suitable locations. As I mentioned in my first post, I work with a few other cachers (is that the right word?) and they do an excellent job at getting permission and using our land in a careful manner. I suspect that cacher of these inappropriate sites has just gone a little off course, and I don't hold it against him or the activity.

 

Douglas

I would hazard a guess that they are new to caching (or new to your area) and didn't know that the other caches in that area have permission. They saw that someone had already placed caches there.

Again big thanks for allowing caching on the lands you manage.

You should find them and log them. :D

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You're handling things the right way - there's no tool, per se, that you've missed (like a button on the cache page). Team GPSaxophone makes a good suggestion about contacting the reviewer who published the cache page. When you're looking at the logs on the page, below the first five logs or so it should say something like:

 

"There are 37 additional logs. View them all"

 

If you click "View them all" you'll get every log for the cache; near the bottom will be a log with a green circle (as opposed to a yellow smiley face or a blue frown face or a few other icons) and with a message that simply says "Published". That is the volunteer Groundspeak reviewer for that area. Click on that user's name to pull up the profile and then click "Send Message" and tell them everything you told us here, along with the cache details of course - the waypoint numbers (which are in the format GCXXXXX), and the identity of the cache owner.

 

That will typically get you a very fast response; the reviewers are generally on their toes.

 

ETA - oops, I see you had already replied while I was typing this

Edited by addisonbr
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Since nobody knows who you really are you might or might not be the property owner/manager or just another "FDer*" looking to troll in a new way. If you really are the owner/manager then just toss their stuff in the trash. /End

That actually isn't very good advice in my opinion.

 

Usually the Nutty Ones aren't very well spoken, don't want to talk to reveiwers, don't want any caches and like to stir up the forums. I don't see where this person has done any of those things. But that is just my opinion.

 

*edited to take out the Nutty Ones names in case they still Google themselves to see if they get a rise out of folks.

Edited by MooseJawSpruce
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Since nobody knows who you really are you might or might not be the property owner/manager or just another "Forest Defender" looking to troll in a new way. If you really are the owner/manager then just toss their stuff in the trash. /End

Please do not just throw it in the trash. Not for the cache owners sake but for the land. If it goes missing then people will look harder and venture further and further into the land. If the cache owner goes and replaces it then you are back where you started. The correct action is contact the publisher/reviewer of the cache he can archive the cache and prevent future caches from being placed there.

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Since nobody knows who you really are you might or might not be the property owner/manager or just another "Forest Defender" looking to troll in a new way. If you really are the owner/manager then just toss their stuff in the trash. /End

 

I understand your concern. I have supplied my professional contact information with my communications to the publisher and the Groundspeak staff. It will be easy enough for them to verify that I do in fact manage the properties in question.

 

Thanks, again for the help here folks. I will be sure to report back when the issue is resolved, and I should add that I am intentionality leaving out specifics on the caches in question. I truly want to give the cacher the benefit of the doubt, I don't think it is beneficial to call out this individual publicly. I am also happy to return the cache materials should I get to them first.

 

Douglas

Edited by sealcove
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I understand your concern. I have supplied my professional contact information with my communications to the publisher and the Groundspeak staff. It will be easy enough for them to verify that I do in fact manage the properties in question.

 

Thanks, again for the help here folks. I will be sure to report back when the issue is resolved, and I should add that I am intentionality leaving out specifics on the caches in question. I truly want to give the cacher the benefit of the doubt, I don't think it is beneficial to call out this individual publicly. I am also happy to return the cache materials should I get to them first.

 

Douglas

 

Douglas,

You made my day (at least in a geocaching context).

 

:cool:

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I understand your concern. I have supplied my professional contact information with my communications to the publisher and the Groundspeak staff. It will be easy enough for them to verify that I do in fact manage the properties in question.

 

Thanks, again for the help here folks. I will be sure to report back when the issue is resolved, and I should add that I am intentionality leaving out specifics on the caches in question. I truly want to give the cacher the benefit of the doubt, I don't think it is beneficial to call out this individual publicly. I am also happy to return the cache materials should I get to them first.

 

Douglas

 

Douglas,

You made my day (at least in a geocaching context).

 

:cool:

Agreed.

We like you.

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Problem solved! The publisher was kind enough to remove the caches, and I communicated my interest in suggesting some more suitable locations.

 

Thanks again for the help.

 

Douglas

Thanks for not having a knee-jerk reaction that ends up banning geocaching in the park! Nice to know some people are level-headed and try to do things the right way. I hope we as a whole respond in a responsible fashion.

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I understand your concern. I have supplied my professional contact information with my communications to the publisher and the Groundspeak staff. It will be easy enough for them to verify that I do in fact manage the properties in question.

 

Thanks, again for the help here folks. I will be sure to report back when the issue is resolved, and I should add that I am intentionality leaving out specifics on the caches in question. I truly want to give the cacher the benefit of the doubt, I don't think it is beneficial to call out this individual publicly. I am also happy to return the cache materials should I get to them first.

 

Douglas

 

Douglas,

You made my day (at least in a geocaching context).

 

:cool:

Agreed.

We like you.

Yes. Thank you, Douglas! You're awesome!

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You're handling things the right way - there's no tool, per se, that you've missed (like a button on the cache page).

 

I'm glad it worked out, but there most certainly is a "button on the cache page" for just this sort of situation. It's labeled "Log your visit." After clicking it, you can select "Needs Archived." There's a great big text box below that where you can explain who you are and why the cache shouldn't be there.

 

The cache owner and anyone who has the cache on a watch list will learn something from the NA log. The entire community benefits from keeping things out in the open, rather than sending private emails to the reviewer.

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You're handling things the right way - there's no tool, per se, that you've missed (like a button on the cache page).

 

I'm glad it worked out, but there most certainly is a "button on the cache page" for just this sort of situation. It's labeled "Log your visit." After clicking it, you can select "Needs Archived." There's a great big text box below that where you can explain who you are and why the cache shouldn't be there.

 

The cache owner and anyone who has the cache on a watch list will learn something from the NA log. The entire community benefits from keeping things out in the open, rather than sending private emails to the reviewer.

 

Not all land managers have a GC account to post an NA log with. Nor, do I think they should have to.

 

..........

 

It was once said that threads full of kudos are never as popular as the controversial topics...so lets change that.

 

Props to the OP for doing everything right!

 

And may this thread grow in grateful acknowledgement.

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You're handling things the right way - there's no tool, per se, that you've missed (like a button on the cache page).

 

I'm glad it worked out, but there most certainly is a "button on the cache page" for just this sort of situation. It's labeled "Log your visit." After clicking it, you can select "Needs Archived." There's a great big text box below that where you can explain who you are and why the cache shouldn't be there.

 

The cache owner and anyone who has the cache on a watch list will learn something from the NA log. The entire community benefits from keeping things out in the open, rather than sending private emails to the reviewer.

 

Not all land managers have a GC account to post an NA log with. Nor, do I think they should have to.

 

 

100% of land managers who post questions on this board have a GC account.

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Not all land managers have a GC account to post an NA log with. Nor, do I think they should have to.

My gut tells me that you'd also have to be a bit involved in geocaching culture to know how to navigate to the Needs Archived option... It's definitely nice to have that available as a log type, but putting myself in the shoes of someone new to geocaching it's not obvious to me that I should start with "log your visit" for something I may never have actually visited (but can see is on my land).

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Since nobody knows who you really are you might or might not be the property owner/manager or just another "Forest Defender" looking to troll in a new way. If you really are the owner/manager then just toss their stuff in the trash. /End

Thanks so much, this is really how to create a positive working relationship with land manager. NOT!

That would be a plus more than 1 :ph34r:

 

Thank you Douglas for your efforts and promotion of GOOD caching principals :antenna:

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Problem solved! The publisher was kind enough to remove the caches, and I communicated my interest in suggesting some more suitable locations.Thanks again for the help.Douglas

 

Let me echo the sentiments expressed by the other posters and say "thanks for handling this is such a level-headed fashion".

 

Since you've now contacted a reviewer, the reviewer will now know to not publish caches on your land without making sure that permission has been granted. You could even give thought to establishing a permit system. Cachers who wish to place caches would have to meet with you and secure a permit prior to caching. They would have to email a copy of that permit to the reviewer prior to having a cache published on the land that you manage/own. That's how we have to do it for caches located in state parks here in Indiana. There's no charge for the permit, but it gives the park managers the ability to approve a cache placement prior to it being published at geocaching.com. An Indiana reviewer will not publish it until they've received a copy of the permit for that particular cache placement.

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I wonder how many land managers have considered using geocaching as a tool? Having an active account would allow them to monitor caches in their area to verify no-one is abusing permissions, and through placing caches on their watchlist, they could check conditions around the cache from the comments made and pictures uploaded. Caches could include specific observations to be part of the find.

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I wonder how many land managers have considered using geocaching as a tool? Having an active account would allow them to monitor caches in their area to verify no-one is abusing permissions, and through placing caches on their watchlist, they could check conditions around the cache from the comments made and pictures uploaded. Caches could include specific observations to be part of the find.

The owner could request such a note... otherwise it would be an ALR and disallowed. Good thinking though, about monitoring their areas... I'd go one further... Play the game yourself... put out the caches on your property as you wish to have them done.

 

Doug 7rxc

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Since nobody knows who you really are you might or might not be the property owner/manager or just another "Forest Defender" looking to troll in a new way. If you really are the owner/manager then just toss their stuff in the trash. /End

My vote for wort post of the week.

[Like] for all of the posts from the OP and the way in which they handled this situation.

I believe that Groundspeak would encourage all land managers to have accounts, and might even comp the Premium Member status if asked.

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I wonder how many land managers have considered using geocaching as a tool? Having an active account would allow them to monitor caches in their area to verify no-one is abusing permissions, and through placing caches on their watchlist, they could check conditions around the cache from the comments made and pictures uploaded. Caches could include specific observations to be part of the find.

 

Sorry for the slow response, I got focused on other things after the caches in question early in the thread were resolved.

 

That is a great question/suggestion. I view caching as way of getting people to the land in hopes of having a small impact on the rise of sedentary or indoor based activities. Caching appears to be a great bridge between peoples online and technology based lives with the outdoors, and since other traditional uses of the outdoors are in decline, anything that constructively reestablishes that connection is a good thing. As a land manager, my primary concern is that caches be in places that can withstand the use (as well as the likely routes that people will use to get to a cache). Assuming that criteria is met, it is certainly an interesting thought that I might be able to get some basic monitoring input from visitors to the cache. Perhaps I should look into creating a couple of caches with that intent as an experiment.

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