This article just appeared in Rome News Tribune.

The article sure mentions "treasure" a lot. We're not sure if this is a good thing or not. It seems a lot of people expecting treasure might look at that ammo can and see "treasure" for the taking.

Well ain't that something! Got the CVC website wrong but what the heck.

We just received word from Gridlox that Magichat's "Wetlands Trading Post" was trashed today -- the ammo can was just tossed in the water, the geocoin was missing, and the deck boards had been pried up. Oddly enough, Andi stopped by there yesterday and the cache was well stocked and in great shape.

Coincidence, or have our worst fears materialized that rapidly? We are considering switching all our non-puzzle caches to "premium only".

Very too bad! I guess if someone sees something through the cracks, they gotta get it no matter what. I really enjoyed this one. Maybe a micro or small is more suited for this spot?

Oh that is terrible. I hope that the extra news coverage did not have anything to do with the cache destruction.

This morning we helped Magichat repair the damage to the boardwalk. It appears as though someone zeroed out right over the cache and pulled the boards loose to get to the ammo can. We nailed the boards back down.

If this type of vandalism is associated with geocachers, it will not take the Rome-Floyd County Recreation Department very long to ban geocaches in area parks. Of course this could be coincidence and there will never be proof that the "treasure hunt" article precipitated this destruction. But the misinformation and omission of the true nature of geocaching certainly does not help further our hobby. We considered writing a letter to the editor in order to clarify and correct some of the statements by the new cacher and erroneous assumptions by the writer. In the end, we decided to not further fan the flames and hope it just fades away.

It is our belief that geocaching does not need this type of publicity. We are now very careful who we discuss geocaching with. Too many times we have heard non-cachers say things like:

"Do you get to keep it?"
"I've seen those coins on eBay,"
"You can get $10 a piece for those ammo cans!"

I was sick to see how all of this unfolded. Hopefully it was not the article that prompted the cache raid, but I do not know enough of that area or the cache that was vandalized to have an opinion of what caused the issue.

That said, I wanted to note that the recent Fox 46 news article, though revealed the hidey spot (sort of), did not reveal any more than the hint did. (None-the-less, I am the new owner of the featured cache, so will deal with any backlash, as- and if-needed). The article was extremely accurate and everyone involved was very careful to give Lesley Tanner the most information we could so she could therefore give accurate information. I think she did a nice job.

As spokesmen for our sport, I think we all need to be aware of representing geocaching accurately in public venues and to stay focused on the topic.

We watched the CBS 46 piece featuring geomuse. We thought is was accurate, well done, and stressed the points which present geocaching in the proper light. It did a really good job of informing the public about what geocaching really is--the adventure of the hunt and signing your name to the log.

Unfortunately, we don't feel that was the case with our local paper's piece. [Insert beating dead horse sound here] It was the word "treasure" mentioned over and over that dismayed us. Some of the best treasures we have found were phat.bak's voodoo doll when we first started out, Dooley the Clown's red nose and Smiling in Acworth's smiley man (ever wonder just how many there are out there?) We've got a box full of mostly worthless stuff we treasure, but that's not why we cache.

Here's a recent article that is pretty accurate. By coincidence it mentions someone with the same name as mine. That's not why I posted it, I just thought it neat to show how similar our sport is on the island of Hawaii.

Mahalo,
~erik~

quote:

Originally posted by The Waysiders:
This article just appeared in Rome News Tribune.

The article sure mentions "treasure" a lot. We're not sure if this is a good thing or not. It seems a lot of people expecting treasure might look at that ammo can and see "treasure" for the taking.

I agree - the "treasure" reference may not attract the folks we really want in our hobby/sport/activity/whatever-you-call-it. Have you ever noticed that the caches that require the most "work" to find are the ones that survive and always have lots of goodies in them?

quote:

Originally posted by CharlieP:
I agree - the "treasure" reference may not attract the folks we really want in our hobby/sport/activity/whatever-you-call-it. Have you ever noticed that the caches that require the most "work" to find are the ones that survive and always have lots of goodies in them?

Yes! And those are the ones we fondly remember.

After a healthy exchange of emails, tennisgirl42 and we have come to see each others' points of view on this subject. Both of us thought it would be a good idea to post our emails here:

7/3/09 - tennisgirl42 contacting The Waysiders from Geocaching.com

Hey - I was just reading on the GGA forums and saw that y'all were displeased with the article in the Rome News Tribune a couple of weeks ago. To quote: "But the misinformation and omission of the true nature of geocaching certainly does not help further our hobby. We considered writing a letter to the editor in order to clarify and correct some of the statements by the new cacher and erroneous assumptions by the writer. In the end, we decided to not further fan the flames and hope it just fades away."

First of all, I wanted to apologize for sharing my enthusiasm for this hobby and encouraging others to join. As a new cacher I'm sure I did not "stress the points which present geocaching in the proper light."

Second of all, the "treasure" references were not of my doing. The writer of the article took much of what I told him and turned it in to his own words. (One mistake was that I had put out caches representing each of my children. I have not done this) And I did not describe it as hunting for treasure. I said it's "like" a treasure hunt, but if I said hunting, I said hunting for a cache. Those mentions of treasure were his interpretation of my statements.

Severo is a friend I know from playing tennis, and when he saw on my facebook page that I geocache, he asked if he could interview me for an article for the paper to tell people about it.

I thought it would be a nice thing to introduce more people to an interesting hobby, personally. I am not about exclusivity. I also promote tennis and cycling to people I know, the other hobbies I enjoy greatly. And yes, I'm sure that when promoting those two hobbies I get some things wrong sometimes.

I do not know if magichat's cache was vandalized due to the article, which I think would be a stretch. Apparently, muggled caches are quite common, unfortunately, from what I read on the geocaching.com forums. I do know a travel bug I sent out over a month ago was stolen from the cache on Fouche, and is now missing, and this was not related to the article. Also, a cache I put out was muggled, also unrelated, and done before that article.

I suppose it hurts my feelings to see myself chastised in a public forum and have no one mention this to me personally. (Especially having met some of the local cachers in person).

Just to let you know, I gave Severo materials I had printed from the geocaching.com site, as well as directed him to the site for any questions he might have. I did not intend to mislead or give out misinformation nor "attract the folks we [don't] really want in our hobby/sport/activity/whatever-you-call-it" (to quote another forum member)

I did not realize this was an exclusive hobby that seeks to keep the undesirables out. Yes, I realize not everyone will be as careful nor take it as seriously, but I am a believer that to exclude anyone from any activity that is supposed to be family-based is not right.

Once again, I would have appreciated being contacted personally instead of having to read this on a public forum.

I enjoy doing your caches, and will continue to do so. I do hope that me doing the interview with Severo has not completely damaged your opinion of me and that you won't hold it against me. I enjoy this hobby and enjoyed meeting everyone at the Eat and Greet and would like to be a welcome member of the CVC group. But honestly, at this time, don't feel I would be.

I debated posting on the GGA forum regarding this, but decided it would be better addressed in a private email.

Sincerely, tennisgirl42


[7/3/09 - re: tennisgirl42 contacting The Waysiders from Geocaching.com

Dear tennisgirl42,

Andi and I both enjoyed meeting you and (your husband) at the Coosa Valley Cachers event in Summerville. We look forward to seeing you at the next one. Please know that you are most welcome, by us and all the local geocachers.

I ask that you please re-read the entire thread on the Georgia Geocachers forum. I will try to explain some of my reasons for starting that discussion. I did not see the newspaper article until another cacher emailed us and said our lake cache was mentioned. We both then read it and thought exactly what you say happened -- as the Rome News typically does, they morphed the story into something that does not accurately represent the original subject.

Yes, I was displeased with the paper's characterization of geocaching as a treasure hunt. That is precisely most non-cachers' perception. More importantly, that perception is the cause of many troubles in the geocaching world. Until recently, all state parks in Georgia banned geocaches because they did not want people scouring the woods looking for "treasure". Unfortunately, the word that often comes before "treasure is "buried". It has taken years for the GGA steering committee to correct this misconception. It remains an ongoing effort, as geocaches are still banned in most state parks here even though we don't dig up anything and we end up hauling out tons of trash left behind by non-cachers. This topic is discussed at almost every GGA event, as the majority of geocachers would like to see our parks open to geocaching.

I do believe that geocaching does not need this type of publicity. I assure you it is not due to a belief that geocaching is an exclusive sport/hobby. We have never placed a "members only/premium" cache because we feel exactly the opposite -- geocaching is a great family adventure that should be available to all. All it requires is a GPSr, a little gas money, and some time. However, one of the reasons for associations such as the Coosa Valley Cachers and the Georgia Geocachers Association is to provide education to new geocachers. Not knowing the guidelines and some of the subtleties can lead to buried caches, caches placed on private property, and caches near electrical boxes and other highly unsafe places. Not knowing can also lead to unsafe and detrimental search practices. The new cacher needs to be aware that there is no need to poke around in the nearby electrical box, start digging up ground zero, and to obey that no trespassing sign. Then, there is the issue of "homeland security", where innocent actions can be perceived as malicious. No matter how careful and stealthy we think are, I often wonder what onlookers must be thinking. It is somehow disturbing to some people when they become aware that things are hidden all around them.

An undesirable element does exist, however. Imagine someone vandalizing a tennis court to the point of it being unusable or shouting obscenities while you tried to enjoy playing with your family. It would certainly ruin your fun. Luckily, tennis facilities usually have some governing authority that polices instances of abuse and disturbances, and has established rules of conduct. The nature of geocaching makes this somewhat impractical. Some people are not interested in the adventure of the hunt and visiting an interesting place they might not have were it not for geocaching. Their attitude seems to be "you left it ... finders keepers, I'm taking it. eBay and yard sale, here we come!" I would hope that people like that do not become aware that there are $10 ammo cans and lock-n-lock boxes with "treasure" hidden all around and all you have to do is look up the exact coordinates on some website. My hunch is that much of what they find is worthless to them and they just vandalize the hide and move on to the next. Admittedly, this problem manifested itself the day geocaching.com came online. Widespread publicity that does not accurately communicate what geocaching is about only makes matters worse.

In one of my comments on the GGA forum, I said that the vandalism of "Wetlands Trading Post" and, more importantly, the boardwalk where it was hidden could have been coincidental to the newspaper article. Had Parks and Recreation personnel found the pried-up boards with the container and worthless contents tossed in the wetlands, they might have concluded that we are a destructive bunch of treasure hunters and lump us into the same category as shovel-wielding and metal-detector-toting scavengers which are banned from most public use areas. Again, we will never know if there is a direct connection, but I firmly believe that publicity of this type hurts more than it enhances geocaching.

Currently, we have less than 600 finds and have been attending GGA and CVC events for less than a year. I believe we do not have enough experience or knowledge to be unofficial spokespersons for geocaching. I do know several geocachers to whom I would refer a newspaper. All of the respondents in the thread in question would be on my list. Even then, I would doubt the media's ability to get the story right and avoid the sensationalism of "treasure hunting". Perhaps some of my concerns detailed above might get addressed. My wish would remain that it all just blow over.

I regret that I upset you by initiating the topic in the GGA forum. Thank you for contacting me and letting me know. My desire was not to chastise or criticize you personally, but to start a dialogue about the pros and cons of publicity. I truly wanted to know what others thought and to find out if my instincts were out of balance. Judging by some of the replies, I'd say I'm the more cautious one. Regardless of my intentions, I have made you feel unwelcome and for that I am very sorry. I very much hope that this helps dispel that, and that you and your family continue to attend our local events and join us at the GGA state-wide events. We have made many friends there and learn something new every time we attend.

Lastly, only with your permission, I would like to post these emails to the GGA forum. I think it might help set matters right.

Sincerely,
Jim

[7/3/09 - re: tennisgirl42 contacting The Waysiders from Geocaching.com

Jim,

Thanks for your reply. I would be fine with you posting these emails on the forum. As I said before, I am sorry if this has brought the wrong sort of publicity to geocaching. I don't deign to imply that I have the experience or knowledge to be a spokesman for geocaching. I'm just an enthusiastic participant who likes to share her passions. I always point people to the website and tell them to read the forums for information. I also have on hand at all times printed brochures about geocaching. Had I known it would cause a problem, I would have told Severo "no" to being interviewed. I just saw it as I would if he had asked to interview me about road cycling or tennis. I'm not a pro, and not even been doing either long, but I love them and like to encourage others to find ways to get out from in front of the TV or computer! :-)

I do understand your tennis court analogy, unfortunately, it is the same situation there - certain people like to use public courts as soccer or basketball playing places, thus destroying the nets and fences (the one by Garden Lakes Ele. was a mess until they repaired it a few years ago), or just to goof off with rackets and balls that a "real" player would sneer at, but I don't want to not tell people about tennis, or lock all the courts to keep them out.

Anyway, I don't want to continue along these lines and fan a fire of discord. I feel that an educated public is much better than a non-educated one. And, although I've been told by many of my friends that I'm foolish, I do tend to look for the best in people and should be more suspicious. Ah, well, maybe so. But I do believe "good" people outnumber the "bad" overall. :-)

We will definitely be coming to more events and meet-ups. I enjoyed all the people I met. It was nice to be around people who understand the fun of geocaching, and who get as excited as me over a great find, a cool geocoin, or the neat ways to use technology to hunt. I recently subscribed to the Podcacher podcast and am enjoying those (although Trent has asked me not to subject him to listening! lol!) and I scour the forums regularly to learn more about hiding and seeking.

Once again, I really enjoy your and Andi's caches - the July one was absolutely wonderful! To be able to draw in my daughter and her friend's attention was amazing, to say the least. Usually when I've dragged (her) along, she goes with a look of total boredom.

On another subject, do you know why the geocaching site is down? I'm having withdrawls. ;-) And also, do you have chaucerbosser's email address? I'd like to email her about the Spring Bank cache, but with the site down, I can't through there.

Thanks again and hope to see you all soon,

tennisgirl42