Adopting a hide when the CO is uncontactable

[+owlcatmoon]

There's a 2004 hide that's in bad condition near my house. The CO hasn't logged in since 2017 and I did try to contact him without success. I would like to protect this GC and keep it alive for others to enjoy. Is there a way of requesting I adopt it unilaterally? OCM :-)

[Keystone]

In nearly all cases, adoptions must be consensual, not forced.  If you cannot arrange a consensual adoption through the website's adoption utility, you have two choices.  First, you can allow the cache to continue deteriorating until it needs to be archived by a Reviewer for lack of maintenance, and then you can place your own cache - for which you'd have complete control over the cache page, etc.  Second, you can perform "community maintenance" by fixing up the container on your own, so that the cache doesn't need to receive Reviewer attention.

[+TheLimeCat]

If you sent a message through the built-in geocaching message center, you could try sending an email instead. If the CO hasn't logged in for awhile, an email could be more likely to reach them than a typical geocaching message.

[+Smitherington]

When someone sends me a message through the Geocaching Message Center I get an email alerting me that I have a message.

 

I assume that if you send an email it would be the same address that Geocaching uses to alert a user about a message so it shouldn't matter which you use..

[+TheLimeCat]

6 minutes ago, Smitherington said:

When someone sends me a message through the Geocaching Message Center I get an email alerting me that I have a message.

 

I assume that if you send an email it would be the same address that Geocaching uses to alert a user about a message so it shouldn't matter which you use..

Email notifications from the in-app message center can be disabled by the user, whereas a direct email will always be sent to the user's inbox. Whether it's an inbox they still monitor or have access to is a different question. 

[+Mockingbird559]

Would posting a Write Note to the cache page saying that you have tried other means to contact the CO and would like to talk with the CO about adopting the cache?

 

Just spitballing here...

 

[+werla]

How about contacting the CO through other means, such as finding some (geo)friends of his? Reading old log entries of the CO might help finding such players. 

[+owlcatmoon]

These are all great suggestions.  Thanks everyone.  I performed some maintenance on it today. It was in a terrible way but now it's all fresh. Even 2018 logs mentioned how bad the condition was. I'll do some detective work to see if anyone is friends with the CO. He/she is Jjntoo and only ever found 54 so I doubt I'll find much...

[+MarathonSIX]

On 8/8/2023 at 3:51 PM, owlcatmoon said:

There's a 2004 hide that's in bad condition near my house. The CO hasn't logged in since 2017 and I did try to contact him without success. I would like to protect this GC and keep it alive for others to enjoy. Is there a way of requesting I adopt it unilaterally? OCM :-)

We have several very challenging caches in my town, all hidden by a cacher who hasnt logged in since 2009.  As the hides go DNF too much and dissappear you can request the reviewer check it out, and possibly archive thru the process they use.   A cache must be adopted over, and it cannot be done without permission.  When that site opens up its good to jump on it and create one of your own similar to what was there or something entirely new.   

[+owlcatmoon]

I tracked him down and adopted it ❤️

[+vw_k]

On 8/24/2023 at 9:50 PM, owlcatmoon said:

I tracked him down and adopted it ❤️

Great news!