Geocaching Vs Environment

[+Corp Of Discovery]

When hunting a cache last fall, I rounded a bend in the trail and happened upon a squirrel who was busy playing with his nuts.  I am not sure who was more surprised! 

 

In retrospect, perhaps I should've noted the encounter in my log.

Wow. You got close enough to tell it was a him? I'm impressed.

[+Kite and Hawkeye]

If the cache is really 20 feet from the tree, that's well within the normal margin of error, and since hollow trees are not uncommon hiding spots I can see why people would look in the hole or reach into it (someone else also mentions throwing sticks in, in an earlier log). It'd probably be nice for both the vultures and the humans if the owner would put a comment in the cache description saying that the hollow tree full of vomiting vultures was a spot to avoid.

[+Navdog]

No need to archive or move the cache. The owner only needs to disable the cache for a month or two when they are nesting if there is a real concern.

 

Here in Oregon is a good example of geocachers and a government agency communicating and cooperating when it comes to nesting season concerns.

 

http://www.oregongeocaching.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=89

 

http://www.oregongeocaching.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=207

[+Jeep_Dog]

When hunting a cache last fall, I rounded a bend in the trail and happened upon a squirrel who was busy playing with his nuts. I am not sure who was more surprised!

 

Indeed, that is definately a horrifying intrusion on nature.

 

Still, what you encountered is perhaps less intrusive to nature than rounding the bend in the trail and finding a bear playing with the squirrel's nuts.

[+The Leprechauns]

When hunting a cache last fall, I rounded a bend in the trail and happened upon a squirrel who was busy playing with his nuts.  I am not sure who was more surprised! 

 

Indeed, that is definately a horrifying intrusion on nature.

 

Still, what you encountered is perhaps less intrusive to nature than rounding the bend in the trail and finding a bear playing with the squirrel's nuts.

I've learned to steer clear of "those" kind of parks.

[Trinity's Crew]

No need to archive or move the cache. The owner only needs to disable the cache for a month or two when they are nesting if there is a real concern.

Assuming that there is a problem with this cache being too close to a turkey vultures nest, and that seems to be in question given previous posts which indicate that it takes a LOT to disturb them, this seems like an excellent solution.

[Tahosa and Sons]

Most of those caches of mine that are not Virtuals are place in some real wild and pretty country. They have been placed far enough in and up so a rampage of weed stompers will not have any impact on the country. I'll spend the next 5 months at least 6 times a month as a USFS volunteer in the backcountry doing my best to preserve the environment so the lands are available to all, cachers included.

[+1NatureMom]

Birds?! When I saw the thread, I thought ya'll were conserned about me, Nature, as in NatureMom...ok, ok, very corny! [)]

 

Thank you for another educational thread on Nature & teaching us something new. I feel positive that 99.9% of cachers are conserned about our environment & natural surroundings. Their photos are proof. This is why I have my signature as:

"In the end we will conserve only what we love,

We will love only what we understand,

We will understand only what we are taught."

-- Baba Divum

 

 

Everything has a place in our circle of life; except cockroaches Auntie Weasel~they're just a creepy freak of nature. lol

[+The Leprechauns]

"In the end we will conserve only what we love,

We will love only what we understand,

We will understand only what we are taught.

 

I don't understand the concept of having a large ugly bird vomit all over me.

Perhaps Baba Divum could teach me about that.

Or, I still have some photos of my ex-wife lying about somewhere. That might could work, too.

[+vree]

tiwica disabled the cache in question until june 1 and posted a note explaining why. thanks, tiwica. you've always been a very responsible cache owner and erring on the side of caution seems like maybe a good way to go on this one.

[+'Jeep'ers]

Ok, things got a little heated so let me try to explain why I was posting on this forum. I was not trying to attack the owner, not by any means. Nor was I trying to start any kind of fight. I am sorry that things have gotten so personal. This is the point I was trying to make.......

 

As cache owners, it is our responsibility to minimize the effect that geocaching has on the environment. If something decides to nest near our cache, we should move it or archive it until the animals are done nesting, just give them space. Some examples of this are......In Acadia National Park, when the Falcons start nesting, the Park Service closes some of the trails until the Falcons leave the nest.......An individual wrote me an email in regards to certain areas becoming off limits in Colorado during raptor nesting periods.......I have noticed that some owners have shut down their cache because ducks were nesting nearby.......

 

I was hoping that this discussion would lead to some interesting discussion on animals and nesting habits....which some people have brought into this forum. I was not trying to debate rules of geocaching. And I was hoping that this would serve as a reminder to respect the animals and give them space when they are nesting.

Edited May 4, 2005 by 'Jeep'ers

[+briansnat]

I was hoping that this discussion would lead to some interesting discussion on animals and nesting habits....which some people have brought into this forum. I was not trying to debate rules of geocaching. And I was hoping that this would serve as a reminder to respect the animals and give them space when they are nesting.

 

Judging from the way you mis-stated the truth ("I noticed this is happens everytime that someone goes to this cache. One time, that is something that happens. But this happens all the time"), it seemed to some of us that you had a broader agenda.

 

Even your title was inflammatory - "Geocaching Vs the Environment". As if its a given that geocaching is by its very nature in conflict with the environment.

 

As I said earlier, I've encountered fewuser groups who have more respect for the environment than geocachers and to suggest otherwise is nonsense.

Edited May 4, 2005 by briansnat

[+The Leprechauns]

As cache owners, it is our responsibility to minimize the effect that geocaching has on the environment. If something decides to nest near our cache, we should move it or archive it until the animals are done nesting, just give them space. Some examples of this are......In Acadia National Park, when the Falcons start nesting, the Park Service closes some of the trails until the Falcons leave the nest.......An individual wrote me an email in regards to certain areas becoming off limits in Colorado during raptor nesting periods.......I have noticed that some owners have shut down their cache because ducks were nesting nearby.......

Had this been the opening post of your thread, I think we would have had a much briefer, boring discussion where five people said they agreed with you, and gave examples. The community would also have been spared from several of my bad jokes. But the thread would've gotten about 10% as many pageviews.

 

Thanks to the cache owner for temporarily disabling the cache.

[magellan315]

Good to see that Lep and Brian beat me to the response. The jeepers most recent post would have created a dialouge as opposed to diatribe. As well as the iamge of vomiting vultures that I have to deal with, oh wait a minute I'm thinking of my coworkers.