Minor change to reviewing process

[Team Deejay]

Lately, we have had a rash of caches published which really should not have been for a number of reasons. First, there have been numerous guidelines violations related to caches being buried, attached permanently to buildings and trees, defacement, etc., which makes us look bad to the land managers we work with. In some cases, this is being done by new hiders who don’t know the rules. In other cases, it is being done by experienced hiders who are flaunting the fact that we don’t have the ability to physically visit each hide. Second, there has been a significant increase in caches being published which are nowhere near the coordinates that were reported. This is caused by smartphone cachers not taking enough time, people not understanding the difference between decimal degrees and decimal minutes, and just plain old typos.

The point is that we need to do a better job of screening the incoming caches somehow. We are considering trying something that is currently done in some other review areas, where hiders are expected to use a reviewer note to provide us with information about what the hide is and where it is hidden. For example, you could simply add a sentence saying “The cache is a pill bottle in a pine tree in Jones Park, and Jonesville Parks have no geocaching policy.” or “I hid a film can in a lamp post in the walmart parking lot and have permission from the store manager.” We are not looking for a novel here; just a note telling us what we need to know. This will especially help when the “parking lot cache” show up on the map at a local park, 2 miles away. Of course, if you choose to include this information in the cache description, the review note would not be necessary.

We are considering starting this requirements next Monday. Please understand that you can add this information on the cache submission form in the area marked “note for reviewer”. And, if you receive a form letter requesting said information, it is not a reflection on you personally. We will be requesting the info from virtually everyone.

Thanks,

Dave

[labrat_wr]

thanks for the update Dave.

Disclaimer : Always answering to a higher power.

[Mister Greenthumb]

Great addition and much needed. Last weekend we found a hide in a large urban cemetery. It consisted of three trees that had large eyescrews attached to them and a cache hanging by a rope. What bothered me the most though was how many gave it favorites and praised the creativity.

[JimandLinda]

Thanks for all the work you do! I notice a new hider put a hide description in the text on the cache page, stating where their first hide was. When I checked GoogleEarth map, it looked to be about 100 feet off. It’s getting easier to spot Smartphone hides!

[BeccaDay]

Thank you Dave and Becky for all the work you put into reviewing! And thanks for the update Dave, I hope that this will help with the process.

I really wish that Groundspeak would advise people not to hide with their smartphones. I think I have noticed this once or twice in the weekly emails that they send out in the 3 1/2 years that I’ve been caching. If you happen to start caching after those weekly bulletins came out then you may not see this advise for a long time and have placed in the meantime. I know that I was guilty of hiding with the smartphone and then having bad coordinates on my first hide. I just didn’t know any better.

Not all who wander are lost. -J.R.R. Tolkien

[CodeJunkie]

I know I’ve had much better luck using Google / Bing map for coords than my smartphone. Besides this makes it easier for some cachers to locate it.

On a more serious note – I agree 100% with the reviewer note requirement. This should help with some of the questionable placements I’ve seen recently also.

[kc9gbo]

Good to hear! Now if you can persuade one time Charlies to not hide caches we probably would celebrate.
One question, what is permently attached to trees meant as.? Seems kind of grey to me and since I’ve seen birdhouse structures all over attached to trees I have to wonder what the line is so I don’t cross it if I were to hide one.
Thanks!

[BeccaDay]

@kc9gbo wrote:

Good to hear! Now if you can persuade one time Charlies to not hide caches we probably would celebrate.
One question, what is permently attached to trees meant as.? Seems kind of grey to me and since I’ve seen birdhouse structures all over attached to trees I have to wonder what the line is so I don’t cross it if I were to hide one.
Thanks!

Yea, I’m confused by that too. I’ve seen many things permanently attached. I didn’t realize this was a rule! But I can understand how an international company would make a rule like this. In Wisconsin our trees are hearty and plentiful but in other parts of the US, and I assume the world, this isn’t the case. My parents will often comment about how some of the stuff they see here in WI wouldn’t fly in CO because of the dry environment and lack of trees.

Not all who wander are lost. -J.R.R. Tolkien

[gotta run]

Permanently attached = Drilled into the tree beyond the very outer layer of bark.

Therefore, a fire tack or other push pin is ok.

A nail or screw not.

On the Left Side of the Road...

[Team Deejay]

@gotta run wrote:

Permanently attached = Drilled into the tree beyond the very outer layer of bark.

Therefore, a fire tack or other push pin is ok.

A nail or screw not.

Wow! That is actually a very good answer. Another way of looking at it is, if I am standing there with a ranger who is demanding that the cache be removed, and I remove it, there should be no signs that it was ever there. The tiny hole made with a tack will heal almost instantly. I think we have all seen cases where people have drilled out trees, used screws and bolts to attach caches to trees, etc. This is considered defacement. A little while ago, someone drilled a 2″ diameter hole into the support beam of a sign for a business. Unfortuntately, the FTF of the cache was owner of the business, who was not amused. That one almost ended up in court.

[kc9gbo]

Ok, got you. That’s what my thought was also but wanted to verify I was right.
In the last week I’ve found caches that left me shaking my head at what people have done to make a hide and now with this in place this won’t happen.

[Hardinfam]

I know when we first started, we got complaints about the coords on our hides. We did use google maps to pin point the location. New hiders have to be smart if they use smart phones to obtain coords. They have to remember the rule of 32 and so do finders.

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