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Another Anti-geocaching Article


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From here (www.counterpunch.org/donnelly02142005.html):

 

February 14, 2005

 

The Geochaching Fad

Sacred Nature: Just Another Commodity?

By MICHAEL DONNELLY

 

I held back and let the first-timers approach first, as we always do.

 

"What the hell is this?" rang out.

 

Loss of the Sacred

 

In early October, a group of us went to a sacred site in a nearby designated Wilderness Area. The site is on the government's list of protected Cultural Sites. No one is allowed to disturb or take anything from this site. It has been used for spiritual ceremonial purposes for millennia and continued to be used until recently by members of the nearby Nation that once controlled the land.

 

Yes. I am being deliberately vague about what and where this place is. Here's why:

 

My first trip to this place with tribal spiritual leaders was in 1983. Since then I have joined a group that varies from six to a dozen and participated in the annual ceremony there whenever I could. With heavy hearts, the group has chosen to end the annual ceremony ­ breaking a centuries-long streak.

 

The end came two years ago as, after the group arrived and set up for the ceremony, another twenty-seven people and seven dogs arrived ­ all of them toting a guidebook with the site prominently featured with a spectacular photo that draws in the crowds. Until this guidebook came, there wasn't even a trail to this place. In fact, one had to climb a dangerous cliff to get there. Now, fifteen years later, there are a series of trails trashing their way through the forest. Erosion and compaction just from human traffic has altered the ecology of the area. A fragile swath of flowering plant life has disappeared beneath the hiking boots of the many visitors.

 

I spoke to the guidebook author about it once and he was insufferable in his contempt for our concerns.

 

So, given we could not turn off the crowds, we shut it all down. Perhaps not a moment too soon, as this October's visit gave us one more major reason why this site is no longer appropriate for ceremonial use.

 

A New Scourge

 

That day, we uncovered a Geocaching Box. Geocaching is a game played by GPS aficionados. A box of some sort with log book and trinkets is placed in a special spot and then the GPS coordinates are published on a website. The goal is to find the box/site using one's GPS device and then check in with the website to claim success -- a high-tech version of those Audubon Life Lists of Birds.

 

How am I offended? Let me count the ways:

 

1) It's a Sacred Site used for ceremonial purposes for millennia;

 

2) It's designated Wilderness where such technology is off-limits;

 

3) It and 9000 acres were added to the Wilderness due to the dogged efforts of one of my dear friends (and her allies) who died in a tragic accident before she could see it so designated.

 

This is not an isolated incident. The four-year-old "sport" is growing in popularity. And government land management agencies are being forced to ban the destructive activity from more and more places.

 

"There are well over 100,000 people playing the game worldwide," said Bryan

Roth, who handles business development at Groundspeak, a Seattle company that runs the game.

 

As of today, there are 12,7633 active caches in 212 countries. California leads the nation in caches with over 4000.

 

Here's how to play according to their website:

 

 

What are the rules in Geocaching?

 

Geocaching is a relatively new phenomenon. Therefore, the rules are very simple:

 

1. Take something from the cache

 

2. Leave something in the cache

 

3. Write about it in the logbook

 

Where you place a cache is up to you.

 

It's that final rule that galls me. NO it is NOT up to you. Hundreds of miles of sloppy, illegal trails have been carved to geocaching sites. And it's not like these GPS users don't have a lot of other tech fetishes that they also bring along. Off Road Vehicle (ORV) trails have been gouged in to some sites, as well. ORV use on Public Lands has risen from 5 million users in 1972 to over 40 million today.

 

 

Who's Behind It

 

Like most "sports" these days, there are corporate sponsors. A quick check of the Geocaching website lists Jeep as a major sponsor. REI, Inc, the sham co-op that won't be oversold when it comes to recreational goods is a main sponsor, as well ­ gotta move those Magellans (GPS devices). Added to the insult is the monthly publishing of GPS coordinates to the nation's very best hidden Wilderness sites in Backpacker magazine -- sponsored, of course, by a GPS manufacturer.

 

Each month Backpacker Magazine highlights an unknown, unexplored, "secret" place on public lands. They publish maps complete with all the various GPS waypoints one needs to navigate directly to that special secret spot. Pretty much any place they target will be destroyed.

 

Behind these corporations and their glossy magazines is the American Recreation Coalition. This trade group does all it can to promote technological recreation, or "industrial wreckreation" as Scott Silver of Wild Wilderness puts it. Silver has experience with the "sport" and notes, "Geocaching is a part of a larger problem/agenda -- that being the intrusion of technology in Wilderness and the loss of wildness that results. Cell phone use in Wilderness is another component. The use of 3-D mapping to preview your "Wilderness Adventure" is another example. My personal opinion is that wildness is being destroyed by the inappropriate use of technology in Wilderness and that while some of this use is being promoted innocently and naively, some is being promoted for the purpose of deliberately destroying the concept of wildness."

 

Of course, no one would bother to accomplish this without a profit motive. Forest Service (USFS) Chief Dale Bosworth had this to say about the recreational use of Wilderness at ARC's annual meeting in early January this year:

 

"Today, outdoor recreation is huge in the United States, and it will probably

just keep on growing. We estimate that the number of national forest visits

is 15 to 20 times greater today than it was in 1945. In 2002, we had more

than 214 million visits, including 12.7 million wilderness visits. There

were also hundreds of millions of visits to the national parks and other

public lands. And recreational uses just keep on diversifying. You heard

presentations on some of the new technologies people are using to enhance

their recreational experiences-things like geocaching, global positioning

systems, and the four-stroke snowmobile.

 

But it's not really the technology that keeps people coming. It's the

memories. Most people will always remember catching their first fish, making

their first climb, or seeing their first bear. People are coming for

memories like these. They come for memories of splendid scenery and natural landscapes, which consistently rank among the highest values in our visitor surveys. Some come for memories of wildlife or outdoor adventure. Some come for memories of wilderness."

 

So, in other words, don't expect the USFS to do anything about geocaching, other than promote it like this. Some people would clearly like that wilderness experience to be wild and free of such technological intrusions. In fact, that's the law! Some would like to continue traditions that began long before there ever was a Forest Service. Sadly, the laws protect ORVs and snowmobiles more than they do spiritual rights.

 

Who are the folks who prefer their experience via geocaching? Well, in the logbook at the site, Meatshield and Captain Chronic (no kidding!) wrote in response to a prior entry by a group of high school girl's soccer players, "Painfully regret missing the soccer chicks. Could've been one hell of an orgy!!!"

 

Just thinking of how we've been forced to abandon this special place because of such knuckleheads rankles. Would they place such a box in a synagogue, cathedral or mosque and then lament their lost orgy?

 

Thanks to an inconsiderate guide book author and this high-tech game it's over for us. I'm sure the same dynamic is playing out all over those 212 countries. I can only hope that the folks behind geocaching wake up and take their own words seriously. "We consider Geocaching a family oriented sport, and are very concerned about the environmental impact of Geocaching in our world's forests. Any cache that is reported to endanger the environment will be removed from the site."

 

Since they all endanger the environment/habitat, not to mention spiritual values, perhaps it's time to close this "sport" down?

 

MICHAEL DONNELLY is a forest activist from Salem, Oregon. He can be reached at: pahtoo@aol.com

 

 

Time to close the sport down? :lol:

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MICHAEL DONNELLY is a forest activist from Salem, Oregon.

 

That's about all I need to know. People like this have a basic philosophy. The forrests are not for you and me. If we go there we immediately ruin and desecrate them. They can go there however, and if one goes with some native american group for spiritual reasons then it is doubly blessed.

 

Kind of like the land manager that is OK with off trail ATV usage, but not caching.

 

this land is my land, this land is not your land, it is not our land, it is my land seems to be the hidden mantra of these 'activists'.

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Note the problem.

 

Secret site, public world. If by secrecy they hope the 300,000,000 Americans are going to just 'stay home' and not visit your special area, you are in denial.

 

If you ban GPS, if you ban guide books, if you ban 4x4's you are still going to have population pressures. It's compounded when archaological sites all tend to be the cool kind of spots that we all like to visit or live at.

 

Is the problem that people want to enjoy the world they live in or others want to keep it set aside for their exclusive use? Is the problem that their secret spot has been discovered, or that they kept it so secret that nobody knows about it and found it anyway (in this case there was a guide book, however in most cases nobody knows not even those who would hold it sacred if they did know).

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This is basically a not particularly well written opinion piece. It reads as having a high degree of ranting and over-reacting. Thus it is unlikely to be taken as seriously. I wouldn't get too worked up about it.

 

Plus, often negative publicity actually turns out OK for the sport. Half the people who read that rant will likely check the site out of curiosity and some might decide they think it is kind of cool. :lol:

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2) It's designated Wilderness where such technology is off-limits;

Wha??? Since when is a GPS not allowed in the woods? What a wacko...

 

Just remember...an evil, forrest destroying contractor is one who wants to build a house out in the woods...a nature activist is one who already has a house out in the woods.

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Just wondering, about the comment about 'such technology being off-limits'. Are there such areas?

I am unaware of any public land that bans GPSrs. Some areas are off limits to caching, but AFAIK that means you can't hide an ammo box there. You can still carry/use a GPSr and hike all over, even do virtual caches and the like.

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2) It's designated Wilderness where such technology is off-limits;

Wha??? Since when is a GPS not allowed in the woods? What a wacko...

 

Just remember...an evil, forrest destroying contractor is one who wants to build a house out in the woods...a nature activist is one who already has a house out in the woods.

Well, he also seems to be against cell phones.

 

I wonder if his Heritage Homes business are houses made of recycled materials with no electricity and not situated in any "natural" areas? Somehow I doubt it.... :lol:

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Just remember...an evil, forrest destroying contractor is one who wants to build a house out in the woods...a nature activist is one who already has a house out in the woods.

And an appropriate quote, considering he is also a General Partner for Heritage Homes, Ltd.

 

Blast. Carleenp beats me to the zinger!

Edited by Jeremy
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Of course those homes are not built in natural areas. It's so much easier to build new homes on prime farm land that has been made into subdivisions. That way you have to chew up half again as much land to get the same farming productivity. :lol: Oh and I forgot, those same farms have long since plowed under all the sacred sites they are built on. The new farms will plow even more sites under since farmers don't need to pay attention to cultural sites. :(

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Hundreds of miles of sloppy, illegal trails have been carved to geocaching sites.

 

Interesting. Has he done a study and actually found hundreds of miles of sloppy, illegal trails caused by geocachers, or is he just pulling numbers out of the air?

 

The "article" is nothing but a misinformed load of hyperbole.

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Per his "article", the real problem does not appear to be Geocaching, but that "Guide Book". Since the trails were there prior to Geccaching, how can he attribute all the damage to Geocachers? I guess since he cannot point a finger a blame "casual visitors using a guide book", he'll place all the blame on the one identifiable group- us.

 

TOOL

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After looking at the website where it was published, this bilge isn't even worth a second of our time.

 

There are two articles today defending Ward Churchill, with one stating "Ward Churchill is right about 9/11."

 

Mr. Churchill is the guy who wrote that the 9/11 victims in the WTC were "little Eichmanns" and deserved their fate and characterized the murderers who flew the planes into the buildings as heroes who should be praised for their "restraint".

 

This is where where this website and the people who write for it are coming from.

 

I wouldn't waste another moment's thought on this arrogant, ignorant idiot. It gives him standing that he doesn't deserve.

 

Ooops, I stand corrected. There are 11 arcticles defending Ward Churchill :lol: .

Edited by briansnat
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Hundreds of miles of sloppy, illegal trails have been carved to geocaching sites.

 

Interesting. Has he done a study and actually found hundreds of miles of sloppy, illegal trails caused by geocachers, or is he just pulling numbers out of the air?

Hmmm.... it wasn't air I was thinking he was pulling his "facts" out of.......

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1) It's a Sacred Site used for ceremonial purposes for millennia;

2) It's designated Wilderness where such technology is off-limits;

3) It and 9000 acres were added to the Wilderness due to the dogged efforts of one of my dear friends (and her allies) who died in a tragic accident before she could see it so designated.

 

This is not an isolated incident.

And its a fact that Jeremy and Co. use this way to continue their subversive plan to promote religion masquerading as science.. :lol:

 

BS/2

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Just drafted an e-mail to the author... We'll see if I get an answer:

 

Hi,

I just finished reading your recent article on Geocaching, and some thoughts came to my mind that I hope you will take the time to consider, and perhaps reply to.

First off, I wanted to point out one particular inaccuracy that came right near the beginning of your article (although perhaps not made absolutely clear by the website). Where you place a Geocache is not entirely up to the hider. It used to be the case I understand many years ago, but currently each cache must go through an approval process to ensure that each of the caches is placed in a suitable location. Of course these caches are approved by volunteers, so sometimes a cache can ‘fall through the cracks’ so to speak. Most caches (and it sounds like you looked through this one pretty carefully) contain what is called in the community as a “Stash Note” which basically describes the game in general. At the bottom of just about every one of these notes, it states something along the lines of “if this cache needs to be removed for any reason we’ll gladly do so”. Did you contact the cache owner and ask them to remove the cache? Did you contact the cache owner at all prior to writing your article? This would seem to me to be a basic courtesy (I'll give you the benefit of the doubt and assume that you did). Most cachers will remove a cache if asked politely to do and given just about any reasonable reason.

I was also wondering about your repeated claims that “2) It's designated Wilderness where such technology is off-limits;”, I am unaware of any legislation governing where GPS technology can allowably be used. If such legislation exists, I (and I imagine so would other cachers) would like to know about it.

Now on to the general premise of your article. It seems to me like your problem isn’t really with Geocaching at all, but rather more the intrusion that civilization is having on so called ‘private places’ on public land. In this day and age, information has a way of flowing. You can’t hope to keep something secret once enough people know about it. It is a shame, but it is hardly geocaching that is to blame. As to what kind of people geocache, it’s a shame that you couldn’t have been more even handed in your approach to your reporting. As with any group, we do have people that perhaps we would rather not have involved, but generally I have found geocachers to be a pretty good group of people. It seems you purposely chose a rather extreme example (assuming you read the whole log, you probably chose the worst comment among them). Seeing as how you lead off your article on your journey to your “sacred place” with a guy yelling back “what the hell is this” it seems like you might have a couple of those kinds in your group as well.

I can only speak for myself, but personally I find geocaching a fun and rewarding experience, and a great way to get some exercise. I am not by nature a very active person, and most weekends would probably have stayed home, or gone to a movie rather than head out geocaching. Geocaching gives me the motivation I need to get out there. It isn’t the technology per se that drives me, to be perfectly honest I don’t quite know what it is that does, but I can tell you that since starting caching I have lost a good deal of weight, and I am more fit now that I have been for most of my life. On top of that, the memorable experiences I have had while caching have not been centered around the technology, rather they have been the people I have met, and the experiences I have had (very much along the same lines as "memories of wildlife or outdoor adventure" that you quote in your article.)

 

I look forward to discussing this further with you.

 

Thank you for your time,

 

Dale Atkin

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I was thinking "sacred", as in a "Druid-ish" sort of fashion. You know, tree worship. Wouldn't his potential constituency be interested in knowing this?

 

So, let's see what other stereotypes we can hypothosize: :lol:

 

He drives a Yugo (or rides a bike to work).

Is a card-carrying member of the Sierra Club.

Doesn't really know what "outdoors" means, except as previously noted: if it's outdoors, it's sacred and all you people should stay in your houses.

He's a vegetarian.

 

Think of any more?

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The thing I find ammusing is he aludes to but never states that it is an Indian sacride place, which many people would be up in arms about defending. But even after reading throught it couple times I am left wondeing what is theis supposed sacride place? I think it was probable some Druidic site or a wica site or some weird fringe group site, sorry if I offend anyone I dont mean to. But I just find it interesting that the allusion to an Indian site is strong. If it had been and Indian site then the Federal goverment would have been all over it. I think they were as much interlopers as any one else in the area. And how about the lighte they brought in to light the candles that is not premeited in a designated wilderness area.

 

cheers

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Who's Behind It

 

Like most "sports" these days, there are corporate sponsors. A quick check of the Geocaching website lists Jeep as a major sponsor. REI, Inc, the sham co-op that won't be oversold when it comes to recreational goods is a main sponsor, as well ­ gotta move those Magellans (GPS devices). Added to the insult is the monthly publishing of GPS coordinates to the nation's very best hidden Wilderness sites in Backpacker magazine -- sponsored, of course, by a GPS manufacturer.

I got a kick out of this. By his logic, then from looking at the webpage this article is posted on, this guy is sponsored by Little Richard and Harry Potter.

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Quote (which I don't have to to figure out why I didn't get a correct quote format-)

 

" It has been used for spiritual ceremonial purposes for millennia and continued to be used until recently by members of the nearby Nation that once controlled the land.

 

He found Stonehenge........

 

Exactly how long is a millennia?

 

E

Edited by Eswau
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Michael Donnely has marginal credentials for even serving in local politics and he is running for a Senate seat on an anti-geocachig platform? If that is the best he can do then anyone who votes for him deserves what they get.

 

And now my shot at MOPAR, a common poster I nearly always disagree with. You wrote, in reference to Michael Donnely, "this guy is sponsored by Little Richard and Harry Potter" Well MOPAR, how dare you insult Little Richard AND Harry Potter in such a fashion? You deserve to... Well..... have something bad happen to you.

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Quote  (which I don't have to to figure out why I didn't get a correct quote format-)

 

" It has been used for spiritual ceremonial purposes for millennia and continued to be used until recently by members of the nearby Nation that once controlled the land.

 

He found Stonehenge........

 

Exactly how long is a millennia?

 

E

A thousand years.

 

The nearby Nation was probably only a tribe back then, and odds are they displaced another tribe to be there and so on and so on as is the pattern with history.

 

My tribe used to own almost all of Europe but it's rather a moot point, because the other tribe I'm decended from also used to own most all of europe after they kicked my tribe, er my other tribe kicked my first tribes...nevermind. It's enough to enjoy my families new country and honor their sacred traditions involving GPS technology. Before caching we spent a lot of time looking for sacred spots. Now it's just tupperware.

Edited by Renegade Knight
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I think it was probable some Druidic site or a wica site or some weird fringe group site, sorry if I offend anyone I dont mean to.

 

As an unofficial representative of the wiccan community, I can reassure you : I am not offended by this comment. Actually, I am happy to see that you consider druids and wiccans as distinct from weird fringe groups. :(

 

The guy from the original "article", I do find offensive though. He seems to believe that a sacred space in the wilderness (and on public land) is owned by him and his friends and that no one else should have access to it. He even seems to think that hikers walking through a forest are destroying it. Maybe if they're throwing garbage everywhere, carving their initials in trees or picking endengered plants, but not if they ae just walking. So they create a trail... he probably never noticed that wild animals also create trails Hikers (including Geocachers) are generally good for the wilderness : they are the people who appreciate it and push for more laws protecting the environment. Sure, they cause temporary damage to the ground and plants on a small area, but if its helping a much larger area to be preserved, I think its all good.

 

How many people have visited Stonehenge (or the Vatican, or Jerusalem, to include other religions)? Does that mean those places are no longer sacred? Should they be limited to a small elite group? That guy seems to think so.

 

I don't know anything about the author outside from what is in this thread, but I can assure you he is not representative of most wiccans or pagans.

 

And, for the record, I'm not a vegetarian :lol:

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