Comments on: Geocaching in Gatineau Park http://guidegatineau.ca/news/2010/03/08/geocaching-in-gatineau-park/ News of the Gatineau Park Sun, 19 Dec 2010 02:01:43 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 By: Geocachers Take Responsibility « Gatineau Park News http://guidegatineau.ca/news/2010/03/08/geocaching-in-gatineau-park/comment-page-1/#comment-113 Geocachers Take Responsibility « Gatineau Park News Mon, 08 Mar 2010 18:32:19 +0000 http://guidegatineau.ca/news/?p=605#comment-113 [...] by my linking to a post about geocaching activity that included Gatineau Park last weekend I heard from local geocachers who strongly take responsibility for keeping their sport clean. They point to guidelines for [...] [...] by my linking to a post about geocaching activity that included Gatineau Park last weekend I heard from local geocachers who strongly take responsibility for keeping their sport clean. They point to guidelines for [...]

]]> By: Trouble in the air? « geonarcissa http://guidegatineau.ca/news/2010/03/08/geocaching-in-gatineau-park/comment-page-1/#comment-112 Trouble in the air? « geonarcissa Mon, 08 Mar 2010 17:27:18 +0000 http://guidegatineau.ca/news/?p=605#comment-112 [...] in the air? I got a pingback on one of my recent posts because of this blog entry hinting that the NCC is looking at the impact of geocaching on its lands. As far as I know, the geocaching community in Ottawa-Gatineau has not been contacted about this. I [...] [...] in the air? I got a pingback on one of my recent posts because of this blog entry hinting that the NCC is looking at the impact of geocaching on its lands. As far as I know, the geocaching community in Ottawa-Gatineau has not been contacted about this. I [...]

]]> By: Geonarcissa http://guidegatineau.ca/news/2010/03/08/geocaching-in-gatineau-park/comment-page-1/#comment-111 Geonarcissa Mon, 08 Mar 2010 17:18:02 +0000 http://guidegatineau.ca/news/?p=605#comment-111 If you visit Geocaching.com, you'll see that we have an extensive list of cache placement guidelines and encourage a practice we call "CITO" - "Cache In, Trash Out." Geocaches are maintained by their owners - those geocaches that are found infrequently are likely visited from time to time by their owners. They certainly aren't garbage. When geocaches reach the end of their useful life, the owner of the geocache or another geocacher will remove the container. Our own research has found that distant, off-trail caches are better for the environment than caches placed close to trails. Isolated caches are visited infrequently, and the geocachers who do visit them take different routes, which minimizes their impact. Geocaches close to trails get heavier traffic, which results in greater impact on the immediate area around the cache. Good cache owners are sensitive to this, and will take this into consideration when deciding how long a cache should stay in place. The geocachers in this area greatly appreciate the NCC allowing us to use its various lands for our game. Geocachers are generally respectful, conscientious visitors to these spaces in all seasons. We respect the rules, and we are quick to notify each other when problems arise or conditions change that warrant the removal of a geocache. It would be a shame to alienate an entire community of enthusiastic outdoors people with unnecessarily restrictive rules. I encourage anyone involved in policy decisions with the NCC to visit the geocaching website, www.geocaching.com, as well as the website for the local geocaching club, www.ottawageocaching.com, and to involve geocachers in these discussions. If you visit Geocaching.com, you’ll see that we have an extensive list of cache placement guidelines and encourage a practice we call “CITO” – “Cache In, Trash Out.” Geocaches are maintained by their owners – those geocaches that are found infrequently are likely visited from time to time by their owners. They certainly aren’t garbage. When geocaches reach the end of their useful life, the owner of the geocache or another geocacher will remove the container.

Our own research has found that distant, off-trail caches are better for the environment than caches placed close to trails. Isolated caches are visited infrequently, and the geocachers who do visit them take different routes, which minimizes their impact. Geocaches close to trails get heavier traffic, which results in greater impact on the immediate area around the cache. Good cache owners are sensitive to this, and will take this into consideration when deciding how long a cache should stay in place.

The geocachers in this area greatly appreciate the NCC allowing us to use its various lands for our game. Geocachers are generally respectful, conscientious visitors to these spaces in all seasons. We respect the rules, and we are quick to notify each other when problems arise or conditions change that warrant the removal of a geocache. It would be a shame to alienate an entire community of enthusiastic outdoors people with unnecessarily restrictive rules. I encourage anyone involved in policy decisions with the NCC to visit the geocaching website, http://www.geocaching.com, as well as the website for the local geocaching club, http://www.ottawageocaching.com, and to involve geocachers in these discussions.

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