Reporting a Bad Cache

July 27, 2011

How should I go about reporting a cache that I found on National Park land? Such caches are illegal and I've already reported it to the park authorities. Is there a way to report a cache for review/deletion? Sorry if this is an obvious question. I'm a little new to this.

2.1k · July 27, 2011

Which cache?

And you can send a note to the Reveiwer of the cache and let them know your concerns.

Edit for spelling.

Edited July 27, 2011 by MooseJawSpruce

July 27, 2011

Which cache?

And you can send a note to the Reveiwer of the cache and let them know your conserns.

I would place a bet it is this one

2.1k · July 27, 2011

Which cache?

And you can send a note to the Reveiwer of the cache and let them know your conserns.

I would place a bet it is this one

The map calls that a National Battlefeild. I have no idea if that 'counts' as a NP.

2.8k · July 27, 2011

If you want to bring it to a reviewer's attention then feel free to log an NA.

4.2k · July 27, 2011

and How should I go about reporting a cache that I found on National Park land? Such caches are illegal

Visitors may possess firearms within a national park unit

how ridiculous is that? lmao

July 27, 2011

Which cache?

And you can send a note to the Reveiwer of the cache and let them know your conserns.

I would place a bet it is this one

The map calls that a National Battlefeild. I have no idea if that 'counts' as a NP.

IN the cache description-

Parking area maintained by the US National park service

July 27, 2011

and How should I go about reporting a cache that I found on National Park land? Such caches are illegal

Visitors may possess firearms within a national park unit

how ridiculous is that? lmao

So much for protecting wildlife. :blink:

2.1k · July 27, 2011

Which cache?

And you can send a note to the Reveiwer of the cache and let them know your conserns.

I would place a bet it is this one

The map calls that a National Battlefeild. I have no idea if that 'counts' as a NP.

IN the cache description-

Parking area maintained by the US National park service

I still think the best thing to do is approach the local Reveiwer and the CO.

Edit to fix the quotes.

Edited July 27, 2011 by MooseJawSpruce

2.1k · July 27, 2011

and How should I go about reporting a cache that I found on National Park land? Such caches are illegal

Visitors may possess firearms within a national park unit

how ridiculous is that? lmao

So much for protecting wildlife.

Don't you know?!? Ammo cans kill animals not guns. :unsure: Humm that doesn't sound right, oh well. The NPS says it is so there for it must be true.

4.2k · July 27, 2011

Which cache?

And you can send a note to the Reveiwer of the cache and let them know your conserns.

I would place a bet it is this one

The map calls that a National Battlefeild. I have no idea if that 'counts' as a NP.

IN the cache description-

Parking area maintained by the US National park service

I still think the best thing to do is approach the local Reveiwer and the CO.

Edit to fix the quotes.

...and ask a mod to close the thread while we all still have our limbs and fingers.

July 27, 2011

If you feel the cache is placed contrary to the land managers policies, post a "needs archived" log on the cache page.

If you would rather report the cache anonymously, you can email the GC code along with a note explaining your concerns to your area reviewer.

2k · July 27, 2011

How should I go about reporting a cache that I found on National Park land? Such caches are illegal and I've already reported it to the park authorities. Is there a way to report a cache for review/deletion? Sorry if this is an obvious question. I'm a little new to this.

Question asked and answered.

July 27, 2011

According to the NA log on 9/11/2005 and the cache owner's response the next day, it has permission to be here, and is outside the boundary line. I would tend to believe that, considering no further action was taken after that point in time.

2.1k · July 27, 2011

How should I go about reporting a cache that I found on National Park land? Such caches are illegal and I've already reported it to the park authorities. Is there a way to report a cache for review/deletion? Sorry if this is an obvious question. I'm a little new to this.

Question asked and answered.

Skippy, sounds like the question is answered.

July 27, 2011

I know of another that exists on National Park land. GC1YFAN

7.3k · July 27, 2011

How should I go about reporting a cache that I found on National Park land? Such caches are illegal and I've already reported it to the park authorities. Is there a way to report a cache for review/deletion? Sorry if this is an obvious question. I'm a little new to this.

Question asked and answered.

6 years ago!

It pays to read ALL the logs, not just the last 5 posted.

3.7k · July 27, 2011

How should I go about reporting a cache that I found on National Park land? Such caches are illegal and I've already reported it to the park authorities. Is there a way to report a cache for review/deletion? Sorry if this is an obvious question. I'm a little new to this.

Question asked and answered.

6 years ago!

It pays to read ALL the logs, not just the last 5 posted.

True, but the CO should really state the permission on the cache page. It also helps educate newer cachers about the restrictions around NPS placements (ditto for other caches in park systems that require approvals).

19k · July 27, 2011

I know of another that exists on National Park land. GC1YFAN

"A can of worms won't open itself! " - SuperTBone tagline :lol:

3.5k · July 27, 2011

and How should I go about reporting a cache that I found on National Park land? Such caches are illegal

Visitors may possess firearms within a national park unit

how ridiculous is that? lmao

Before they changed the rule, people who could legally carry weapons everywhere else had to leave them in their vehicles when within National Parks. Many cars were broken into and firearms stolen from them, so it was decided that the weapons were safer when carried by licensed owners than when left unattended in their vehicles.

10.1k · July 27, 2011

Since there are some caches legally placed in areas administered by the National Park Service, the best option is to bring your concern to the attention of the reviewer. You do NOT know that it is a 'bad' cache. You only suspect so. Thus, putting an NA on it is not the proper way to handle the situation. Note to reviewer is the way to go.

19k · July 27, 2011

and How should I go about reporting a cache that I found on National Park land? Such caches are illegal

Visitors may possess firearms within a national park unit

how ridiculous is that? lmao

Before they changed the rule, people who could legally carry weapons everywhere else had to leave them in their vehicles when within National Parks. Many cars were broken into and firearms stolen from them, so it was decided that the weapons were safer when carried by licensed owners than when left unattended in their vehicles.

Hmmmm... maybe the same logic can be applied to allow Geocaching. I wonder how many GPSr's have been stolen from cars because the visitors didn't have a good reason to take them with them.

6.1k · July 27, 2011

There are many caches on National Parks land. The restrictions were really in place many years ago. Each area is different.

2.1k · July 28, 2011

and How should I go about reporting a cache that I found on National Park land? Such caches are illegal

Visitors may possess firearms within a national park unit

how ridiculous is that? lmao

Geocaching is not protected by The Bill of Rights.

19k · July 28, 2011

and How should I go about reporting a cache that I found on National Park land? Such caches are illegal

Visitors may possess firearms within a national park unit

how ridiculous is that? lmao

Geocaching is not protected by The Bill of Rights.

Yes it is. You haven't seen National Treasure IV yet, have you?

1.2k · July 28, 2011

I agree with the above posters that it is best to email the reviewer. They can either contact the CO and archived, or let you know it has permission.

I think the CO should state in their description that it is placed with permission and/or permit. All my state park caches required permits, which I rotated in the cache description, as well as uploaded the permit to the page.

4.2k · July 28, 2011

Before they changed the rule, people who could legally carry weapons everywhere else had to leave them in their vehicles when within National Parks. Many cars were broken into and firearms stolen from them, so it was decided that the weapons were safer when carried by licensed owners than when left unattended in their vehicles.

that could have happened if the firearm was left in the car in plain sight

Geocaching is not protected by The Bill of Rights.

that is even more ridiculous :lol:

please note that I Am Canadian, a nation of peacekeapers

22.1k · July 28, 2011

1. This is not a "gun thread." If folks want to debate gun rights, gun use in National Parks, etc., it's a short jump over to the Off Topic forum. Posters who continue that tangent here will be shot on sight. Well, virtually, anyways.

2. Thank you to the several posters who noted helpfully that geocaching is not "illegal" in US National Park Service properties. Rather, the regulation of geocaching is left to the facility management. Some allow caches by permission. Some work very well in partnership with Groundspeak and local geocachers to sponsor exciting themed geocache programs. Others, like in this example, take a literal approach and are fine with a cache placed "just across the border" of the NPS land. And then there is the management of the Appalachian Trail corridor, who insisted on having caches archived because they were "near" the trail, even if not on NPS land. Don't get me started.

3.1k · July 28, 2011

And then there is the management of the Appalachian Trail corridor, who insisted on having caches archived because they were "near" the trail, even if not on NPS land.

Aren't there caches on ("near?") the AT nowadays?

Edited July 28, 2011 by Joshism

19k · July 28, 2011

And then there is the management of the Appalachian Trail corridor, who insisted on having caches archived because they were "near" the trail, even if not on NPS land.

Aren't there caches on ("near?") the AT nowadays?

Trying to get him "started", huh?

July 28, 2011

[edit]

Reply to DoubleBent poking fun at Americans deleted after reading point [1] from the moderator above. Probably best to let sleeping dog lie, as it were.

:unsure:

Edited July 28, 2011 by sshipway

38.2k · July 28, 2011

And then there is the management of the Appalachian Trail corridor, who insisted on having caches archived because they were "near" the trail, even if not on NPS land.

Aren't there caches on ("near?") the AT nowadays?

Several years ago the ATC approached Groundspeak with a list of several hundred caches that they demanded be removed. Some were on the trail, some were near it and a few where not even close to it. Heck one was a parking lot micro on Mount Greylock. Trying to be "good citizens" Groundspeak archived all of the caches on the list (to the chagrin of many).

Many other caches on or near the AT were not on the list and remain. I personally own several that have been out there without complaint for many years. I know of others that are at shelters or otherwise near the trail.

The ATC (who manages the trail for the NPS) came up with a somewhat vague policy. In light of that reviewers are looking for express permission for any new caches in the ATC corridor.

July 28, 2011

How should I go about reporting a cache that I found on National Park land? Such caches are illegal and I've already reported it to the park authorities. Is there a way to report a cache for review/deletion? Sorry if this is an obvious question. I'm a little new to this.

Your desire to look out for geocaching as a hobby is commendable, however think of the implications when you contact the authorities and notify them of a cache that you believe to be illegally placed. If it's been there for 6 years, another day or two to email the CO and reviewer to get clarification will not hurt, and does not make it seem as if geocachers are doing something wrong on the park's land. As others have noted, if a cache has been around for that long, it's worth looking through the old logs as the question of this cache's placement had been raised and answered within 3 months of the cache's initial placement.

Edited to remove a typo.

Edited July 28, 2011 by Aptly.Matched

July 28, 2011

I believe it is only illegal to put a cache in a National Park. You can even place them in National Forest land, just not in the National Park portion. With that said this is probably totally legal. I don't think the moderators would have posted it without checking the rules on this first.

Edited July 28, 2011 by coppermermaid

July 29, 2011

Thanks for all the advice. In conversation with park authorities it was determined that the cache is on park land and will be removed. There is no record of anyone asking for or receiving permission to place a cache with in the park boundaries. The parking area and all of the surrounding forest are park maintained. I'm not sure about other park areas but in this one it is termed illegal and incurs a fairly substantial fine.

2k · July 29, 2011

Thanks for all the advice. In conversation with park authorities it was determined that the cache is on park land and will be removed. There is no record of anyone asking for or receiving permission to place a cache with in the park boundaries. The parking area and all of the surrounding forest are park maintained. I'm not sure about other park areas but in this one it is termed illegal and incurs a fairly substantial fine.

Great job! <_<

1k · July 29, 2011

I know of another that exists on National Park land. GC1YFAN

Valley Forge National Historical Park has several caches ringing it. One of them involves locating all of the NPS survey markers showing the park boundaries. This makes it easy to determine just where you can and cannot place a cache.

1k · July 29, 2011

Thanks for all the advice. In conversation with park authorities it was determined that the cache is on park land and will be removed. There is no record of anyone asking for or receiving permission to place a cache with in the park boundaries. The parking area and all of the surrounding forest are park maintained. I'm not sure about other park areas but in this one it is termed illegal and incurs a fairly substantial fine.

Thank you for your efforts in shutting down this horrible cache.

You should delete your smiley in protest over it.

2.1k · July 29, 2011

Thanks for letting us know the outcome of this.

Now I'd recommend a flameproof suit and a request to the Mods to shut down the thread.

19k · July 29, 2011

Thanks for all the advice. In conversation with park authorities it was determined that the cache is on park land and will be removed. There is no record of anyone asking for or receiving permission to place a cache with in the park boundaries. The parking area and all of the surrounding forest are park maintained. I'm not sure about other park areas but in this one it is termed illegal and incurs a fairly substantial fine.

Which advice are you thanking people for?

"I still think the best thing to do is approach the local Reveiwer and the CO."?
"If you want to bring it to a reviewer's attention then feel free to log an NA." "
"If you feel the cache is placed contrary to the land managers policies, post a "needs archived" log on the cache page. If you would rather report the cache anonymously, you can email the GC code along with a note explaining your concerns to your area reviewer. "
"Note to reviewer is the way to go."
"I agree with the above posters that it is best to email the reviewer."
"If it's been there for 6 years, another day or two to email the CO and reviewer to get clarification will not hurt, and does not make it seem as if geocachers are doing something wrong on the park's land."

As for your discovery that "There is no record of anyone asking for or receiving permission to place a cache", all that points to is that nobody can find that permission. Or perhaps permission was verbally given by somebody that no longer works there.

I'm sure you did what you felt was the right thing, but I'm afraid that I just cannot agree with you. Alerting the park did more harm in a couple of minutes than the cache itself did in 6 years. I sure wish that you had listened to the advice that you asked for.

5.7k · July 29, 2011

I know of another that exists on National Park land. GC1YFAN

That cache is listed in a State Park.

2k · July 29, 2011

Alerting the park did more harm in a couple of minutes than the cache itself did in 6 years. I sure wish that you had listened to the advice that you asked for.

One wonders why bring it to the forums in the first place. In the OP he stated he had already reported it to the park service. Seems he would have come here first before talking to them if he really wanted advice. :angry:

5.7k · July 29, 2011

And then there is the management of the Appalachian Trail corridor, who insisted on having caches archived because they were "near" the trail, even if not on NPS land.

Aren't there caches on ("near?") the AT nowadays?

I know of some. I've hiked in to find them. When geocaching is outlawed, only outlaws will have geocaches. :lol:

1k · July 29, 2011

Alerting the park did more harm in a couple of minutes than the cache itself did in 6 years. I sure wish that you had listened to the advice that you asked for.

One wonders why bring it to the forums in the first place. In the OP he stated he had already reported it to the park service. Seems he would have come here first before talking to them if he really wanted advice.

Perhaps the OP thought they would be hailed as a hero.

6.1k · July 29, 2011

He went a little too far, but seriously, the game is not so secret anymore, with numerous articles in the news, geocache icons in gps units and whatnot. It would look better if a cacher brought it to their attention rather than if they discovered it themselves anyhow.

19k · July 29, 2011

He went a little too far, but seriously, the game is not so secret anymore, with numerous articles in the news, geocache icons in gps units and whatnot. It would look better if a cacher brought it to their attention rather than if they discovered it themselves anyhow.

Why would that look better? It was under their very noses for 6 years. It is even possible that they just turned their heads, until they were forced to look at it.

6.1k · July 29, 2011

He went a little too far, but seriously, the game is not so secret anymore, with numerous articles in the news, geocache icons in gps units and whatnot. It would look better if a cacher brought it to their attention rather than if they discovered it themselves anyhow.

Why would that look better? It was under their very noses for 6 years. It is even possible that they just turned their heads, until they were forced to look at it.

And suppose someone writes a newspaper article about geocaching and mentions the hide?

Then they would be very embarrassed, and would react much differently. It shows that not all geocachers hide their activities, and their opinion of us would be individualized, rather than labeling all of us as sneaky. If they believe that all geocachers would hide an illegally placed cache, then their imagination would run off and imagine us doing all kinds of other stuff. All he did was communicate. If that's a bad thing, then there are many other problems looming on the horizon. Embrace the light!

19k · July 29, 2011

He went a little too far, but seriously, the game is not so secret anymore, with numerous articles in the news, geocache icons in gps units and whatnot. It would look better if a cacher brought it to their attention rather than if they discovered it themselves anyhow.

Why would that look better? It was under their very noses for 6 years. It is even possible that they just turned their heads, until they were forced to look at it.

And suppose someone writes a newspaper article about geocaching and mentions the hide?

Then they would be very embarrassed, and would react much differently. It shows that not all geocachers hide their activities, and their opinion of us would be individualized, rather than labeling all of us as sneaky. If they believe that all geocachers would hide an illegally placed cache, then their imagination would run off and imagine us doing all kinds of other stuff. All he did was communicate. If that's a bad thing, then there are many other problems looming on the horizon. Embrace the light!

Pretty slim odds, I'd say. And why would they be embarrassed by that? Because it had gone on under their very noses for 6 years? Maybe they should be embarrassed, if that's the case.

2.4k · July 29, 2011

I agree.

Any other newbies reading this thread, PLEASE bring any questionable caches to the attention of the reviewer RATHER THAN alerting the park.

The reviewers here are very capable people who an determine whether the cache is a good placement or not.

Informing the park authorities gives geocaching a very bad name. If we can quietly remove offending caches it is much better.

6.1k · July 29, 2011

Hey, don't read more into it than I posted. He should have contacted the reviewer first and did go a bit too far. But he's not a "bad guy" for mentioning it either.

A general newspaper article about caching is very likely, as well as mentioning any hide. The wrong person reads it, and sees that there is a cache in the wrong spot and goes ballistic. Next they contact their peers in other NPS areas which allow caching. Then they decide to look more closely at the caches...

Once someone smells a coverup, that only triggers more scrutiny. In this case it was a mistake. So what? :rolleyes:

Edited July 29, 2011 by 4wheelin_fool

Reporting a Bad Cache

Recommended Posts

Join the conversation