Geocachers found

[+MorWoods]

Two Geocachers thought it be a great thing to go caching after celebrating a wedding. I assumed that they were celebrating with alcohol and then took off in the middle of the night to go caching in a rural area. All is well. They were found the next day wading in the Wolf River. Be sure to make waypoints to find yourself in the woods... especially when you're in an unfamiliar area or intoxicated.

MorWoods

[+dameetro]

I was the last person to visit the cache they were attempting. It's a 4.5 accessible by kayak. They were using an iPhone in an area with little to no cell signal too. Not a good choice to go after that one on foot without a real gps. I don't know if alcohol was involved....or just bad decision making.Swamps aren't fun in the dark with no gps.

 

http://wreg.com/2012/07/16/missing-men-found-alive-in-fayette-county/ Story

 

http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.aspx?guid=c5193f53-3100-48ea-820f-f01996207b2f Cache

Edited July 16, 2012 by dameetro

[+StarBrand]

Proper preparation and equipment is essential even for a trip to the grocery store. Glad everything turned out ok.

[+dameetro]

Just saw a new interview on Channel 3, the local sheriff said he plans to remove all of the caches there so this doesn't happen again. That sucks. We have CITO trips on that river and the caches are alot of fun. Im glad these kids are ok, but it stinks that A couple if ill-prepared noobs ruin things for the rest of us.

Edited July 16, 2012 by dameetro

[+StarBrand]

Just saw a new interview on Channel 3, the local sheriff said he plans to remove all of the caches there so this doesn't happen again. That sucks. We have CITO trips on that river and the caches are alot of fun. Im glad these kids are ok, but it stinks that A couple if ill-prepared noobs ruin things for the rest of us.

So get involved. Go sit down with a few dozen other cachers and the Sheriff and show how responsible 'most' cachers are. Since we are composed of members of the general public - it should not be surprising that a few of us are irresponsible jerks. Just like any random group of society.

[+dameetro]

So get involved. Go sit down with a few dozen other cachers and the Sheriff and show how responsible 'most' cachers are. Since we are composed of members of the general public - it should not be surprising that a few of us are irresponsible jerks. Just like any random group of society.

There's an event cache that was already scheduled for later this week. I have a feeling this will be a large part of our discussions.

 

Every summer some idiot drowns while water skiing or fishing without a life vest. You don't see them close the lakes for that. Should they ban hunting too? I remember a deer hunter getting lost near here last year for several days. With every segment of the population, there are good ones and bad ones. I hope they don't judge us by the ones who don't know what they're doing.

Edited July 16, 2012 by dameetro

[+dprovan]

Just saw a new interview on Channel 3, the local sheriff said he plans to remove all of the caches there so this doesn't happen again.

And if someone gets lost hiking, will he remove all the trails so that doesn't happen again?

[hoosier guy]

Just saw a new interview on Channel 3, the local sheriff said he plans to remove all of the caches there so this doesn't happen again. That sucks. We have CITO trips on that river and the caches are alot of fun. Im glad these kids are ok, but it stinks that A couple if ill-prepared noobs ruin things for the rest of us.

 

If the caches were placed with permission what authority is he using to remove them?

[+dameetro]

Another local news station interview with the sheriff.

 

http://www.wmctv.com/story/19031634/the-search-continues-for-two-missing-men-in-fayette-county

 

I do wish the reporters would point out that this was a cache you KAYAK to. But at least they stopped calling it "geo chasing" and "geo catching".

 

It also ironic that the cache's description is all about safety and preparedness. I guess these guys forgot to read the description.

Edited July 16, 2012 by dameetro

[+niraD]

As soon as you make something idiot-proof, someone will build a better idiot...

 

I hope there's a local geocaching group that can reason with the sheriff.

[+T.D.M.22]

Just saw a new interview on Channel 3, the local sheriff said he plans to remove all of the caches there so this doesn't happen again. That sucks. We have CITO trips on that river and the caches are alot of fun. Im glad these kids are ok, but it stinks that A couple if ill-prepared noobs ruin things for the rest of us.

He won't. It's not the caches, but the alcohol. And I'm thinking he can't legally do that until they permission from property management. Since it all has to be official it's too much red tape, unless they plan to ban it outright icluding on private property. But by that logic he should remove ALL vehicles from the roads after one DUI.

[+TL&MinBHIL]

Im glad these kids are ok, but it stinks that A couple if ill-prepared noobs ruin things for the rest of us.

I hope they don't judge us by the ones who don't know what they're doing.

 

Why shouldn't they judge us? You've already judged these cachers as "noobs" and "ones who don't know what they're doing." Is there any evidence that they are new to Geocaching, or do you just assume that because they don't appear to be as skilled as you? And if they are new, at least that could explain why they weren't better prepared for a cache that recommends accessing it by kayak. Do you know they didn't know what they were doing? If they were in fact drinking/drunk, then obviously their judgement, senses, and probably their motor skills were impaired.

 

FYI: Caches can be saved to the iPhone/Geocaching app to be accessed offline, without cell signal, even in rural or remote areas. It can also be used to mark additional waypoints. My family & I just vacationed in the Smoky Mountains where we found a few caches on mountains where there was zero cell coverage. One shouldn't assume caching with a smartphone puts a cacher at an immediate disadvantage.

[+dameetro]

 

Why shouldn't they judge us? You've already judged these cachers as "noobs" and "ones who don't know what they're doing." Is there any evidence that they are new to Geocaching, or do you just assume that because they don't appear to be as skilled as you? And if they are new, at least that could explain why they weren't better prepared for a cache that recommends accessing it by kayak. Do you know they didn't know what they were doing? If they were in fact drinking/drunk, then obviously their judgement, senses, and probably their motor skills were impaired.

 

FYI: Caches can be saved to the iPhone/Geocaching app to be accessed offline, without cell signal, even in rural or remote areas. It can also be used to mark additional waypoints. My family & I just vacationed in the Smoky Mountains where we found a few caches on mountains where there was zero cell coverage. One shouldn't assume caching with a smartphone puts a cacher at an immediate disadvantage.

Never said I was more skilled. But I sure wouldn't go after a kayak-cache on foot with no gps in the dark in a swamp. Sorry but I think most reasonable people would consider that a poor decision.

 

Not preparing for a level 4.5 cache, no supplies, no backup gps, improper attire, obviously not reading the cache description (it clearly states that it's for kayakers), starting out after dark..... Sounds kinda noobish to me.

 

Again, I'm glad they are ok. Several of us who have found these river caches were about to head up there to help out as soon as the news broke on our local stations. But happily they found them about 2 hours later. I just hate that other, more prepared cachers, may not get the chance to experience these great caches in a really unique area.

 

Oh, and I cache with an iPhone too. The app is a great tool, but in some cases it is not a substitute for a real gpsr. Just the other day, my iPhone took me to a Walgreens, and it made the light pole super easy to locate. But out in the swamp boonies....yeah you can bet I have my real gpsr and lots of batteries. And whoever I'm caching with would also have one.

 

Geocaching is a fun game, and folks can play it however they want with whatever tools they want to use. If you have to be rescued by helicopter, while wading waist deep in a swamp....you might be playing it wrong.

Edited July 17, 2012 by dameetro

[+Ike 13]

Doesn't matter if they marked waypoints the phone was dropped in the water. If I was local I'd invite the sheriff (and maybe the news) to the event, and show them what geocaching is really about. Show them that we are responsible as a community (even if there are a few people who do dumb things). Show them the cache page which obviously points out this is a kayak cache. Plus it's a CITO so they get to see us giving back.

 

As others have said you don't see them closing down trails when a hiker gets lost/hurt.

 

As for the two who went after it, I'm betting they'll look a little closer at D/T and descriptions instead of just going to the nearest cache.

[Mr.Yuck]

Doesn't matter if they marked waypoints the phone was dropped in the water. If I was local I'd invite the sheriff (and maybe the news) to the event, and show them what geocaching is really about. Show them that we are responsible as a community (even if there are a few people who do dumb things). Show them the cache page which obviously points out this is a kayak cache. Plus it's a CITO so they get to see us giving back.

 

As others have said you don't see them closing down trails when a hiker gets lost/hurt.

 

As for the two who went after it, I'm betting they'll look a little closer at D/T and descriptions instead of just going to the nearest cache.

 

Yes they did drop it on the water, and yes they probably don't know how to store caches in the Iphone for when there's no cell service. Those of us here in the forums know that though.

 

Are these things on public property? I'm not seeing how a County Sherrif is going to get them removed. Never gonna happen.

[+dameetro]

 

Are these things on public property? I'm not seeing how a County Sherrif is going to get them removed. Never gonna happen.

They are placed on part of the Wolf River Conservancy and the Ghost River State Natural Area.

http://www.wolfriver.org/paddlingthewolfriver

 

http://www.tn.gov/environment/na/natareas/ghostriver/

Edited July 17, 2012 by dameetro

[knowschad]

 

Inspector Ray Garcia with the Fayette County Sheriff’s Department says people get lost in the woods about 2-3 times a year, “We have experienced hunters who come out here in the woods, they’ve lived out here their entire life and they get turned around and get lost for hours at a time themselves.”

 

Garcia said Monday his department is considering removing the geocaching sites along the Wolf River because of the dangerous terrain, “You’ve got poisonous snakes that are out there and the fact that there phones wouldn’t pick up in certain areas. You can’t get a GPS signal and the tree coverage is so thick out helicopters were having trouble spotting them.”

 

 

I guess they're going to have to remove all wild animals from there, too, so hunters won'd get lost "2-3 times a year".

 

I suspect that "Inspector Ray Garcia" was merely playing to the cameras. He hasn't got the authority to remove geocaches just because somebody got lost trying to find one. Besides, all he really sais is that they were "considering" it.

 

I enjoyed the little tidbits about the two "boys" (the article calls them "boys", even though one was 29 years old!) at the end of the first article:

Willingham is an on-air radio personality for WKNO.

Hanford is a well-known actor who has appeared on Broadway as well in movies like “Walk The Line” and “Hounddog.”

 

 

[MisterEFQ]

Im glad these kids are ok, but it stinks that A couple if ill-prepared noobs ruin things for the rest of us.

I hope they don't judge us by the ones who don't know what they're doing.

 

Why shouldn't they judge us? You've already judged these cachers as "noobs" and "ones who don't know what they're doing." Is there any evidence that they are new to Geocaching, or do you just assume that because they don't appear to be as skilled as you? And if they are new, at least that could explain why they weren't better prepared for a cache that recommends accessing it by kayak. Do you know they didn't know what they were doing? If they were in fact drinking/drunk, then obviously their judgement, senses, and probably their motor skills were impaired.

 

FYI: Caches can be saved to the iPhone/Geocaching app to be accessed offline, without cell signal, even in rural or remote areas. It can also be used to mark additional waypoints. My family & I just vacationed in the Smoky Mountains where we found a few caches on mountains where there was zero cell coverage. One shouldn't assume caching with a smartphone puts a cacher at an immediate disadvantage.

 

I consider a cacher who cannot read the cache description a noob. They tried to hike to a kayak cache. At night, in a swamp full of poisonous snake, with out proper supplies and a back up GPS. If that doesn't say novice I don't know what does.

[+briansnat]

Im glad these kids are ok, but it stinks that A couple if ill-prepared noobs ruin things for the rest of us.

I hope they don't judge us by the ones who don't know what they're doing.

 

Why shouldn't they judge us? You've already judged these cachers as "noobs" and "ones who don't know what they're doing." Is there any evidence that they are new to Geocaching, or do you just assume that because they don't appear to be as skilled as you? And if they are new, at least that could explain why they weren't better prepared for a cache that recommends accessing it by kayak. Do you know they didn't know what they were doing? If they were in fact drinking/drunk, then obviously their judgement, senses, and probably their motor skills were impaired.

 

FYI: Caches can be saved to the iPhone/Geocaching app to be accessed offline, without cell signal, even in rural or remote areas. It can also be used to mark additional waypoints. My family & I just vacationed in the Smoky Mountains where we found a few caches on mountains where there was zero cell coverage. One shouldn't assume caching with a smartphone puts a cacher at an immediate disadvantage.

 

I consider a cacher who cannot read the cache description a noob. They tried to hike to a kayak cache. At night, in a swamp full of poisonous snake, with out proper supplies and a back up GPS. If that doesn't say novice I don't know what does.

 

It doesn't say novice, it says foolish.

[+Don_J]

Just saw a new interview on Channel 3, the local sheriff said he plans to remove all of the caches there so this doesn't happen again.

And if someone gets lost hiking, will he remove all the trails so that doesn't happen again?

 

We have a local LA City park that has a developed area and a trail that leads through an undeveloped area of the park and then into a very rugged canyon. One day a "TRAIL CLOSED" sign appeared at the trailhead. I and a few others called the park rangers and they said that the city decided to put up the sign because some guy had gotten a bad case of poison oak rash and was suing the city for allowing people to use a dangerous trail. We were advised by the rangers to ignore the signs and hike at our own risk. I thought that I had been doing that all along.

Edited July 17, 2012 by Don_J

[+Don_J]

Im glad these kids are ok, but it stinks that A couple if ill-prepared noobs ruin things for the rest of us.

I hope they don't judge us by the ones who don't know what they're doing.

 

Why shouldn't they judge us? You've already judged these cachers as "noobs" and "ones who don't know what they're doing." Is there any evidence that they are new to Geocaching, or do you just assume that because they don't appear to be as skilled as you? And if they are new, at least that could explain why they weren't better prepared for a cache that recommends accessing it by kayak. Do you know they didn't know what they were doing? If they were in fact drinking/drunk, then obviously their judgement, senses, and probably their motor skills were impaired.

 

FYI: Caches can be saved to the iPhone/Geocaching app to be accessed offline, without cell signal, even in rural or remote areas. It can also be used to mark additional waypoints. My family & I just vacationed in the Smoky Mountains where we found a few caches on mountains where there was zero cell coverage. One shouldn't assume caching with a smartphone puts a cacher at an immediate disadvantage.

 

Are you for real? How skilled to have to be to realize that you don't start looking for a 4.5T kayak cache at 10:30 in the evening, without a kayak. They stink of noob.

 

And they were at a disadvantage. If they don't have the sense to read the cache description, why should we believe that they even know how to save a waypoint for offline use? Plus, they dropped the phone in the river and it stopped working. Drop any handheld GPS unit in the river and it will continue to work. IPhones, Nuvis, Tom Toms simply are not rugged enough to do what these noobs intended to do.

[+Chrysalides]

Just saw a new interview on Channel 3, the local sheriff said he plans to remove all of the caches there so this doesn't happen again.

And if someone gets lost hiking, will he remove all the trails so that doesn't happen again?

Don't know about that, but someone got killed in a traffic accident. I think he should go close down all freeways and ban automobiles.

[+Don_J]

Are these people even Geocachers? I'm surprised that no one has tracked down their profiles. I guess if I said that I wanted to be a race car driver and then drove down the freeway at 110 MPH, the news would classify me as a race car driver when they reported on the big accident that I caused?

[+dameetro]

They haven't logged a DNF yet. I'm curious to read it if they ever do.

[Sandy]

Groundspeak just spoke to the Fayette County Sheriff's Department. They do not have any intention to remove all caches in the area. They had been contacted by the land management organization on whose land the cache, and others, are placed. The organization indicated that there may need to address permission for caches in the area.

 

Groundspeak will reach out to the land managers, but to be clear the Sheriff's Department is not going to be taking any action regarding the removal of caches.

[knowschad]

Groundspeak just spoke to the Fayette County Sheriff's Department. They do not have any intention to remove all caches in the area.

Very interesting development. Did they say that they were misquoted in those two news stories, that they changed their minds, or that they realized that the investigator that was quoted had misspoken?

[+bitbrain]

One of the local cachers got this response from Sheriff Garcia when he e-mailed in reference to the news reports.

 

I completely understand. The Fayette County Sheriff's Office did not make that suggestion nor will we be removing any of the geocaches. This mention of removal was from members of the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency and I believe that they were referring to geocaches that were placed on the Wildlife Management Area that they are responsible for overseeing. I merely relayed that to the media and I believe it was misconstrued that the FCSO was suggesting/doing that.

 

Unfortunately television media editing can pull a single sentence from an entire statement that can make a misleading appearance. On average we perform 2-3 search and recovery operations annually in that area. A couple of them were lifelong residents who had hunted the area regularly but managed to get turned around. The context of that statement was telling reporters that individuals should not enter into a wilderness area like the Wolf River WMA without proper preparation and certainly not at 11pm.

 

Please help me to get the word out to all of the geocaching community that our Sheriff's Office DID NOT make that suggestion. I have been getting flooded with angry emails!! If I can be of further assistance please do not hesitate to contact me.

 

Ray Garcia

[+bitbrain]

I have worked with land managers from the TWRA in the past. They have been very receptive to geocaching overall. I feel certain that a good group of level-headed cachers can work with them to represent the broader community and the good works that we do, even CITOing the section of the river immediately downstream from where the guys got lost.

[+Glenn]

Just saw a new interview on Channel 3, the local sheriff said he plans to remove all of the caches there so this doesn't happen again. That sucks. We have CITO trips on that river and the caches are alot of fun. Im glad these kids are ok, but it stinks that A couple if ill-prepared noobs ruin things for the rest of us.

 

Why doesn't he just have the swamp drained? I think that would be a far better solution. No more swamp means that no one can ever get lost in it again.

[+BCandMsKitty]

Just saw a new interview on Channel 3, the local sheriff said he plans to remove all of the caches there so this doesn't happen again. That sucks. We have CITO trips on that river and the caches are alot of fun. Im glad these kids are ok, but it stinks that A couple if ill-prepared noobs ruin things for the rest of us.

 

Why doesn't he just have the swamp drained? I think that would be a far better solution. No more swamp means that no one can ever get lost in it again.

 

Read the post two above yours.

You might rethink yours.

[+Glenn]

Just saw a new interview on Channel 3, the local sheriff said he plans to remove all of the caches there so this doesn't happen again. That sucks. We have CITO trips on that river and the caches are alot of fun. Im glad these kids are ok, but it stinks that A couple if ill-prepared noobs ruin things for the rest of us.

 

Why doesn't he just have the swamp drained? I think that would be a far better solution. No more swamp means that no one can ever get lost in it again.

 

Read the post two above yours.

You might rethink yours.

 

Good to know. Then whats up with the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency. Why deny access? Is there spotted owl they're trying to protect?

[knowschad]

Just saw a new interview on Channel 3, the local sheriff said he plans to remove all of the caches there so this doesn't happen again. That sucks. We have CITO trips on that river and the caches are alot of fun. Im glad these kids are ok, but it stinks that A couple if ill-prepared noobs ruin things for the rest of us.

 

Why doesn't he just have the swamp drained? I think that would be a far better solution. No more swamp means that no one can ever get lost in it again.

 

Read the post two above yours.

You might rethink yours.

 

Good to know. Then whats up with the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency. Why deny access? Is there spotted owl they're trying to protect?

 

Read post #28 above. You might rethink yours.

[+Glenn]

 

Read post #28 above. You might rethink yours.

 

And all is right in the geoworld. YEAH!

Edited July 18, 2012 by Glenn

[+cantuland]

I have sort of good news from the TWMA.

 

It started with the news clip from Channel 3 where Ray Garcia announced something that someone else told him, but that last part didn't make it in the news and he started getting angry emails.

http://wreg.com/2012/07/16/missing-men-found-alive-in-fayette-county/

 

Then the link was on Jeremy Irish's facebook page and the news spread like wildfire. I got involved then. I was one of the flood that also sent more angry emails to Ray Garcia. As some of the posts have indicated, Ray Garcia was trying to tell the caching community that the statement didn't come from his office. I wanted to know more. I sent more emails inquiring about it.

 

Ray Garcia asked me to talk to Lindsey Brown about the issue to help get the flood of emails rerouted. Then came the news from Channel 5. We cachers know that it is not geocachERS.com and I am not THE spokesman, nor am I THE geocacher. I'm just the guy who kept bugging people.

http://www.wmctv.com/story/19049662/sheriffs-office-versus-geocaching#.UAaWkez218c.facebook

 

I called the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency. We spoke and exchanged emails about the matter. This is their official statement...

 

I am the West Tennessee (Region 1) Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA) supervisor over the wildlife programs, including Wildlife Management Areas (WMAs). TWRA does not specifically prohibit geocaching on our WMAs, however there are certain times of the year when only permitted hunters are allowed on the WMA, such as quota deer and turkey hunts. It would be a good idea if those putting out geocaches would give the WMA manager a courtesy call, so the manager will be able to advise the geocacher of certain restrictions.

 

Our TWRA WMA rules state: Rule 1660-01-14-.13

 

(K) The following shall apply to abandoned and unattended property:

 

1. Abandonment of any vehicle or other personal property is prohibited and such property may be impounded by the Area Manager or an authorized person.

 

2. Leaving any vehicle or other personal property unattended for longer than 24 hours, without prior permission of the Area manager or other authorized person, is prohibited and any property so left may be impounded by the Area Manager or an authorized person, and may be disposed of according to state procedures. In the event unattended property interferes with a safe and orderly management of the area, it may be impounded at any time.

 

The TWRA hunting seasons and dates, as well as WMA Managers phone numbers and WMA Special Regulations, can be found at www.tnwildlife.org .

 

If I can be of further assistance, please give me a call.

Thanks, Jim

 

Jim Hamlington

TWRA Region I

Wildlife Program Manager

200 Lowell Thomas Drive

Jackson, Tn. 38301

Office 731-423-5730

Cell 731-293-9571

Fax 731-423-6483

[+Glenn]

Ray Garcia asked me to talk to Lindsey Brown about the issue to help get the flood of emails rerouted. Then came the news from Channel 5. We cachers know that it is not geocachERS.com and I am not THE spokesman, nor am I THE geocacher. I'm just the guy who kept bugging people.

http://www.wmctv.com/story/19049662/sheriffs-office-versus-geocaching#.UAaWkez218c.facebook

 

The media in your part of the country seems to have issues with getting their facts straight.

 

Apparently she never took the 3 seconds it takes to put the URL in a web browser or she would have seen that geocachers.com is a placeholder URL with nothing there but advertizements. It is interesting tho that the most popular searches for that page are State Government and State Law. It would have taken another 3 seconds to discover the correct URL because if you put the term geocachers in to either Google or Bing the very first result is geocaching.com.

 

"In the woods, discretely attached to light poles or storm drains, geocaches are everywhere around us just waiting to be discovered...". Now this even defies logic. I can only imagine that the reporter has never seen the woods or if she has then she has never ventured past the first couple of trees. Light poles and storm drains are very rare in the woods. If she would have spent even a little time on the correct webpage, geocaching.com, she could have used this from Geocaching 101. "They may be at your local park, at the end of a long hike, underwater or on the side of a city street."

 

Less than a minute of online research and her article could have been a quality product.

 

Other than that is an informative article and thank for linking to it. I hope that the word gets out so that Inspector Garcia doesn't have to field any more calls about this misunderstanding.

 

I wonder and am a little concerned why the reporter was unable to reach the Tennessee Wildlife Resource Agency. It would be nice to hear from them as they are the land managers and it is their opinion on all this that is the most important. Hopefully we have someone that they can contact so that they have the facts about geocaching and aren't working on misinformation and assumptions.

Edited July 19, 2012 by Glenn

[+BBWolf+3Pigs]

"In the woods, discretely attached to light poles or storm drains, geocaches are everywhere around us just waiting to be discovered...". Now this even defies logic. I can only imagine that the reporter has never seen the woods or if she has then she has never ventured past the first couple of trees. Light poles and storm drains are very rare in the woods.

 

I think she meant "In the woods, or discretely attached to light poles...". I doubt she meant that there are storm drains or light poles in the woods. I know I didn't take her statement to mean that.

[knowschad]

"In the woods, discretely attached to light poles or storm drains, geocaches are everywhere around us just waiting to be discovered...". Now this even defies logic. I can only imagine that the reporter has never seen the woods or if she has then she has never ventured past the first couple of trees. Light poles and storm drains are very rare in the woods.efully we have someone that they can contact so that they have the facts about geocaching and aren't working on misinformation and assumptions.

I think you missed the "Oxford comma". The reporter is listing three areas, not two. 1) The woods, 2) the light poles, and 3) the storm drains.

 

Nevertheless, I agree with your overall assessment of the reporting quality.

[+Glenn]

"In the woods, discretely attached to light poles or storm drains, geocaches are everywhere around us just waiting to be discovered...". Now this even defies logic. I can only imagine that the reporter has never seen the woods or if she has then she has never ventured past the first couple of trees. Light poles and storm drains are very rare in the woods.efully we have someone that they can contact so that they have the facts about geocaching and aren't working on misinformation and assumptions.

I think you missed the "Oxford comma". The reporter is listing three areas, not two. 1) The woods, 2) the light poles, and 3) the storm drains.

 

Nevertheless, I agree with your overall assessment of the reporting quality.

 

That sentence is confusing and this is why. If you remove the text between the commas you still have a complete and logical sentence. In the woods geocaches are everywhere around us. The phrase discretely attached to light poles or storm drains can be removed in this instance because it is being used to describe geocaches and in particular those that are in the woods.

 

Now if the second comma was a period it becomes this. In the woods, discretely attached to light poles or storm drains. But there is no subject making it an incomplete sentence.

 

Using the Oxford comma method the sentence changes it to this. In the woods, discretely attached to light poles, or storm drains, geocaches are everywhere around us. I think this would have been a better choice as it would remove grouping confusion. I suppose this is why the Oxford comma method is considered the standard method in writing.

[+CanadianRockies]

Using the Oxford comma method the sentence changes it to this. In the woods, discretely attached to light poles, or [beneath] storm drains, geocaches are everywhere around us. I think this would have been a better choice as it would remove grouping confusion.

Without something like the inserted "[beneath]," the sentence still is poorly written.

[+Don_J]

"In the woods, discretely attached to light poles or storm drains, geocaches are everywhere around us just waiting to be discovered...". Now this even defies logic. I can only imagine that the reporter has never seen the woods or if she has then she has never ventured past the first couple of trees. Light poles and storm drains are very rare in the woods.

 

I think she meant "In the woods, or discretely attached to light poles...". I doubt she meant that there are storm drains or light poles in the woods. I know I didn't take her statement to mean that.

 

Yeah, but when you write something, you should read it back to yourself to see if it makes sense. especially if you are a professional journalist and are publishing material to the public.

 

The first time I read that, my first though was why didn't they follow the street lights to safety...

[+cantuland]

We cachers know that it is not geocachERS.com.

 

The media in your part of the country seems to have issues with getting their facts straight.

 

Apparently she never took the 3 seconds it takes to put the URL in a web browser or she would have seen that geocachers.com is a placeholder URL with nothing there but advertizements.

It was a recorded interview and I said, "Be sure that you spell it right. G-E-O (pause) C-A-C-H (pause) I-N-G dot com," and it still didn't come out right. *shake my head*