Geocaching And Fragile Areas

[team crayfish]

I was recently reading an article in a National Geograhic magazine about the Badlands in South Dakota. There was mention of geocachers setting up a virtual cache and others coming in and removing archeological finds from the area. While this is only a minority, we should take great care in setting up caches, adding cautions to our listings, and perhaps even avoiding certain areas that could be irreversably damaged.

While these actions are certainly from a minority, stealing artifacts, damaging the environment, etc. will give this great sport a bad image and promote banning the sport from many areas. We as stewards of our lands need to consider all of the aspects of a cache and the possibilities it may inspire in the long run.

[+Enspyer]

This topic has come up before- Markwell

[+JMBella]

self modded

 

Actually the topic of that article was the subject of 5 or 6 threads in this forum. Do a search for National Geographic. Also the debate on whether geocaching causes damage has come up countless times as well.

Edited April 15, 2004 by JMBella

[+briansnat]

And here

and here

and here

and here

and here.

 

I think the consensus was that the ranger quoted had no clue as to what he was takling about. The one cache in the area is a virtual along a trail called the Fossil Trail, which is a featured attraction in the park's own literature.

Edited April 15, 2004 by briansnat

[+Lazyboy & Mitey Mite]

Congratulations on your abilities to conduct searches guys

 

The ranger was a short guy with a complex.

[Ferreter5]

There was mention of geocachers setting up a virtual cache and others coming in and removing archeological finds from the area.

And there is proof of geocachers causing this damage?

[+Torry]

There was mention of geocachers setting up a virtual cache and others coming in and removing archeological finds from the area.

And there is proof of geocachers causing this damage?

Oh yeah! We tend to stomp around some rather sensitive areas in search of tupperware buried in leaves. I had a specific situation occur A Poet's Garden

 

A Poet's Garden

 

The cachers initially placed the cache in a highly sensitive part of the area that was the centerpiece of a quiet little grove. In placing the cache they trampled two distinct paths through about 6 feet of ferny undergrowth.

 

BE honest guys. How many times did you follow the "geo-trail" to the cache. I did my first ten caches without a GPSr and often it was the trail that led me to it.

[+bons]

I rarely follow the "geo-trail". What I OFTEN follow are deer trails. And since the people placing the cache don't want to fight through the brush, I suspect they followed the deer trails as well.

 

When I was a kid, the trails I ran through the woods were trails maintained by deer. I now live half a continent away and the nearest cache to my house is still placed along a deer trail.

[+yumitori]

I rarely follow the "geo-trail". What I OFTEN follow are deer trails. And since the people placing the cache don't want to fight through the brush, I suspect they followed the deer trails as well.

 

When I was a kid, the trails I ran through the woods were trails maintained by deer. I now live half a continent away and the nearest cache to my house is still placed along a deer trail.

As bons says...

 

My wife hid a cache which had a number of folks complaining that a social trail was already forming. Problem was, it was a deer trail and there before she hid the cache. A lot of times folks don't recognize what they are looking at.

[+briansnat]

My wife hid a cache which had a number of folks complaining that a social trail was already forming. Problem was, it was a deer trail and there before she hid the cache. A lot of times folks don't recognize what they are looking at.

 

I agree that many of these so called social trails to caches are actually game trails that preceeded the cache.

 

I have one along a very distinct trail....this one is a social trail as it leads to an overlook. I made sure I mentioned that that path was already there in my cache description so people didn't think it was caused by the cache.

[+Vader]

WHY DON'T WE ALL JUST STAY HOME AND LOCK OURSELFS IN A DARK ROOM !!!!!

 

No matter what you do, it is going to cause some kind of damage and ruffle somebody’s feathers...

 

What’s wrong with a few trails? It means people are getting off their butts.....

[+Torry]

WHY DON'T WE ALL JUST STAY HOME AND LOCK OURSELFS IN A DARK ROOM !!!!!

 

No matter what you do, it is going to cause some kind of damage and ruffle somebody’s feathers...

 

What’s wrong with a few trails? It means people are getting off their butts.....

My specific issue is more with localized damage to possibly sensitive fauna. The area around a deviously hidden cache can get pretty well trampled in some areas. While I have no idea of the story that started this thread i have observed the damage that cachers are capable of.

[+briansnat]

My specific issue is more with localized damage to possibly sensitive fauna. The area around a deviously hidden cache can get pretty well trampled in some areas.

 

If it got to the point where the soil was compacted and barren, that's one thing, but some trampled grass and broken sticks are not environmental damage.

[Colonel Mustard]

I find it hard to believe that the geocaching community has become so large that they've decended on this virtual cache by the hundreds or thousands and caused huge amounts of damage. More likely it is the Griswold types of vacationers whom the park is open to anyway. What I'd like to see is that when people have a gripe about cache placement in a sensitive area, that they post a detailed description of the area and some pictures to back it up. Then the caching community could make a reasonable judgement. Certainly there will never be one percent consensus, but at least we would be rightly informed with facts rather than the opinion of someone who may be biased for one reason or another. If there is a cache that is causing harm, then show it to us. Prove your point in the best way. As was said, bent grass and disturbed leaves are not an ecological disaster. Devastating a bed of protected wildflowers is. Show us.......... and offer proof that the cache is the cause.

[+Lazyboy & Mitey Mite]

I say we protect the fauna. Those darn deer and elk are destroying our fauna. Let's eat them

[+RichardMoore]

I say we protect the fauna. Those darn deer and elk are destroying our fauna. Let's eat them

Uh, don't you mean flora?

Fauna are animals. Flora are plants. Deer are generally considered to be non-carnivorous. That means they don't eat meat.

[+Torry]

My specific issue is more with localized damage to possibly sensitive fauna. The area around a deviously hidden cache can get pretty well trampled in some areas.

 

If it got to the point where the soil was compacted and barren, that's one thing, but some trampled grass and broken sticks are not environmental damage.

But the purty stuff there is for everyone to enjoy. Even the loss of a couple of ferns can be devastating and unpleasant to look at.

 

OH POOEY! Y'all caught me on the "Fauna/Flora" thing. sorry.

[team crayfish]

My intent in this post, as I noted, is there are a few people who would do damage to fragile areas. 99.99% of the geocachers I have met or talked with are very conscious of the environment and cache placements. The post was more intented for those who don't care.

I am one of those who believe that just because an area has some special uniqueness does not necessarily mean it should be publized or advertised. As the NatGeo article indicated, there are Park rangers who watch and monitor that area. In their case, it just may give our sport some negative press. There are other areas that are not closely monitored. These are the spots to be wary of. It is understood that damage will undoubtedly occur without our caches, but at least we know we had no influence in it. I think the governmental regulations that have been posted in this forum speak to this need succinctly.

Again, I speak primarily to that .01% of people. As we all know, it takes only one to ruin something!