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Thread: Contact details in cache box

  1. #1
    Motley Crew Guest

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    I received the following email this evening reference a cache that has been found (name of area and finders deleted):

    We are a group of volunteers from a community centre in ********. We have
    been doing clearance work in the woods around the shore with the local
    wildlife ranger. We discovered your box whilst clearing a load of trees and
    undergrowth. We have tried on the website to see what we should do with it
    but with no success. Could you please contact and advise us what to do with
    it. Contact the ************* team on this address. Thankyou.
    Sorry if we have messed up your game but we cannot replace it where it was
    as the area is now wide open.
    Now I'm sure this is not one of my caches but have an idea whose it is and I've copied the email to them.

    It's interesting to note that they were unable to find out what to do with it from the GC.COM website. I believe they got my email address from a 'calling card' I left in the cache and were good enough to make the effort to contact someone.

    This perhaps add some weight to the 'single point of contact' argument that the GAGB could provide.

  2. #2

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    It's good to see that they took the trouble to contact someone. It does indeed seem to add weight to the single contact point idea.

    I put the name of the cache on the bottom of the stashnote in my caches, and now also put an email address there too.
    ​​Do not go gentle into that good night.
    Rage, rage against the dying of the light. (Dylan Thomas)​


  3. #3

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    Isn't it gratifying to see that here are those who will go to some lengths to actually assist other people make legitimate use of the countryside ?

    One point which might have been missed here is they said "with the local
    wildlife ranger". An opportunity for the GAGB to make contact within an organisation which has at least managerial power over a piece of publicly accessible land.

    The GAGB could have had the opportunity to build bridges and develop a dialogue. Now, if this Ranger was part of a major land owning body . . .

    They also said that they were cleaning up an area, if they see that we have a "Cache in, Trash out" policy we would have been even more welcome. :lol:
    <span style=\'font-size:10pt;line-height:100%\'><span style=\'color:green\'><span style=\'font-family:Arial\'>totally brassed off </span></span></span>

  4. #4

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    Originally posted by Tim and June@Sep 17 2003, 07:12 AM
    Isn&#39;t it gratifying to see that here are those who will go to some lengths to actually assist other people make legitimate use of the countryside ?

    One point which might have been missed here is they said "with the local
    wildlife ranger". An opportunity for the GAGB to make contact within an organisation which has at least managerial power over a piece of publicly accessible land.

    The GAGB could have had the opportunity to build bridges and develop a dialogue. Now, if this Ranger was part of a major land owning body . . .

    They also said that they were cleaning up an area, if they see that we have a "Cache in, Trash out" policy we would have been even more welcome. :lol:
    One point which might have been missed here is they said "with the local
    wildlife ranger". An opportunity for the GAGB to make contact within an organisation which has at least managerial power over a piece of publicly accessible land.

    The GAGB could have had the opportunity to build bridges and develop a dialogue. Now, if this Ranger was part of a major land owning body . .

    We recently did "The Little Portugal" cache in the car park we met a Ranger and of course we asked him where the Fire place was , he didn&#39;t seem to know anything about Geocaching or had heard anything about it.

    After all the sterling work done with HCC it seems that the info dosn&#39;t get passed on to the sharp end&#33;&#33;&#33;

    We left him a happy and much wiser Ranger
    Geocachers do it by Degrees

  5. #5
    THE BRAMBLERS Guest

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    [QUOTE] (The Gavotteers)
    We recently did "The Little Portugal" cache in the car park we met a Ranger and of course we asked him where the Fire place was , he didn&#39;t seem to know anything about Geocaching or had heard anything about it.

    After all the sterling work done with HCC it seems that the info dosn&#39;t get passed on to the sharp end&#33;&#33;&#33;[QUOTE]

    The Little Portugal cache you mention is in the New Forest. HCC have given permission for geocaching to take place on land owned and managed by HCC Countryside Services.

    See guidelines

    Hampshire County Council Guidelines

    The land on which this cache is placed is managed by Forest Enterprise.

  6. #6

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    [QUOTE]The Little Portugal cache you mention is in the New Forest. HCC have given permission for geocaching to take place on land owned and managed by HCC Countryside Services.

    See guidelines

    Hampshire County Council Guidelines

    The land on which this cache is placed is managed by Forest Enterprise.

    Thanks for the extra info but original point still holds good info not passed down the line
    Geocachers do it by Degrees

  7. #7

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    Originally posted by Gavotteers@Sep 17 2003, 02:29 PM
    Thanks for the extra info but original point still holds good info not passed down the line
    Hi Gavotteers,

    Whilst a lot of work has been done with Forest Enterprise, we are still a long way from home. HCC do not have any input to FE, they remain separate entities. Unless I am misinterpreting your comments, there is no reason why they should have passed any info along (or do you know something we don&#39;t, in which case, go on, be a Devil, spill the beans ).

    It&#39;s a bit like asking why Sainsbury&#39;s don&#39;t pass info on to M&S.

    I have to say though, the Ranger you spoke to was very considerate if he raised no objection, many do and then might insist the cache be removed. All the more power to you because you must have made a good impression on him.
    <span style=\'font-size:10pt;line-height:100%\'><span style=\'color:green\'><span style=\'font-family:Arial\'>totally brassed off </span></span></span>

  8. #8
    Kouros Guest

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    I know this has been discussed somewhat briefly before, but perhaps it should be brought to the fore again.

    Some people - myself included - might feel uneasy about leaving contact details on a a box in the woods.

    Perhaps GAGB could fill the role, and have a local/national representative who is willing to be a contact body for people who accidentally stumble across caches.

    It could be a as simple as a (for arguments sake) cache@gagb.org.uk email address, written on the side of caches - and a member of the committee could immediately let the finder know what it is, and what caching is all about.

  9. #9

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    My Internet Service Provider has very kindly(?) given me 15 e-mail addresses. As I only use 2, the other 13 were just laying there going rusty, in a virtual sort of way. I created a third, specifically for caches and it&#39;s that one that I now write on the side of my caches. So far, no one has used it.
    John
    Age and treachery will always triumph over youth and ability.

  10. #10

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    Tim & June
    [QUOTE] Whilst a lot of work has been done with Forest Enterprise, we are still a long way from home. HCC do not have any input to FE, they remain separate entities. Unless I am misinterpreting your comments, there is no reason why they should have passed any info along (or do you know something we don&#39;t, in which case, go on, be a Devil, spill the beans.

    Must admit engaged typing finger before Brain ,
    Hadn&#39;t realised that It was Forest Enterprise incorrectly took it as HCC

    Sorry
    Geocachers do it by Degrees

  11. #11
    Motley Crew Guest

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    Originally posted by Pharisee@Sep 17 2003, 08:11 PM
    My Internet Service Provider has very kindly(?) given me 15 e-mail addresses. As I only use 2, the other 13 were just laying there going rusty, in a virtual sort of way. I created a third, specifically for caches and it&#39;s that one that I now write on the side of my caches. So far, no one has used it.
    Great idea John but what if the finder doesn&#39;t have access to email? There must still be the odd person out there in the wild who doesn&#39;t .

    I too am not happy leaving my phone numbers in a cache. I think a centralised phone number, with an answer machine for &#39;out of office hours/no one available&#39; as well as an email address would be helpful. The downside, (there&#39;s always a downside isn&#39;t there ) is the cost of providing a phone line. The cost isn&#39;t really justified for the few (hopefully) times its likely to be used so it&#39;s a non starter really.

    Not an easy one to solve but your email idea is a very good starting place. How about a central email address e.g. found.cache@gagb.org.uk or something? Perhaps a card similar to a calling card could be left in the cache with a central email address to send a mail to. The card could ask the (non geocaching) finder to say they&#39;ve found the cache, explain the problem and quote the cache number .......

  12. #12
    Motley Crew Guest

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    Isn&#39;t it gratifying to see that here are those who will go to some lengths to actually assist other people make legitimate use of the countryside ?
    It cetainly is.

    One point which might have been missed here is they said "with the local
    wildlife ranger". An opportunity for the GAGB to make contact within an organisation which has at least managerial power over a piece of publicly accessible land.

    The GAGB could have had the opportunity to build bridges and develop a dialogue. Now, if this Ranger was part of a major land owning body . . .

    They also said that they were cleaning up an area, if they see that we have a "Cache in, Trash out" policy we would have been even more welcome. :lol:
    Perhaps a dialogue could be opened with this group? I would be happy to forward you the complete email.

  13. #13
    Kouros Guest

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    Originally posted by Motley Crew@Sep 17 2003, 09:30 PM
    Perhaps a card similar to a calling card could be left in the cache with a central email address to send a mail to. The card could ask the (non geocaching) finder to say they&#39;ve found the cache, explain the problem and quote the cache number .......
    My only concern would be for those who wouldn&#39;t want to open the cache at all. It seems to me that to the untrained eye, an Ammo box in the woods would seem mighty suspicious.

    Perhaps contact details on the outside would be the way to go?

  14. #14

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    Originally posted by Motley Crew@Sep 17 2003, 09:30 PM
    I think a centralised phone number, with an answer machine for &#39;out of office hours/no one available&#39; as well as an email address would be helpful.
    Thanks for the input.

    Would you believe that the "Secret Seven" alrteady had this in hand ? One of the founder members actually offered a telephone number which was to be made available specifically for that purpose.

    Problem is, he got chased away by all the aggro &#33;

    Now we need to find another. Anybody offering ?
    <span style=\'font-size:10pt;line-height:100%\'><span style=\'color:green\'><span style=\'font-family:Arial\'>totally brassed off </span></span></span>

  15. #15

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    Originally posted by Kouros@Sep 17 2003, 10:17 PM
    My only concern would be for those who wouldn&#39;t want to open the cache at all. It seems to me that to the untrained eye, an Ammo box in the woods would seem mighty suspicious.

    Perhaps contact details on the outside would be the way to go?
    All my ammo cans carry one of the large green/black g.com stickers on the outside. Contact details are written on this in the space provided using a fine tip paint marker. There&#39;s not much room but it is legible.
    John
    Age and treachery will always triumph over youth and ability.

  16. #16
    Omally Guest

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    How about a GAGB ammo-box/cache sticker? or, given that there are no funds available to GAGB to produce these professionally, how about a slight adaptation of the GC.com

    "GEOCACHE SITE - PLEASE READ
    Congratulations, you&#39;ve found it&#33; Intentionally or not&#33;"

    thingy that we could download from this website, which would have perhaps a cache@gagb.org.uk note on it?

  17. #17
    Daisy&amp;me Guest

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    I think a centralised phone number, with an answer machine for &#39;out of office hours/no one available&#39; as well as an email address would be helpful.
    Yac provides a useful free service that might help. They will give you a phone number that:
    • You can divert to any other phone number in the world. The number can be changed at any ime.
    • Can take messages that are then emailed to you as .wav files.
    • Also accepts faxes which are diverted or emailed to you as .jpeg files.


    I&#39;ve been using the service for a few years and there are no catches as far as I can see.

  18. #18

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    Thanks Daisy&me, when we are organised, we will investigate further.

    Also received an email from Team Paradise telling us about http://www.hitoori.com whic seems to be a similar product.


    Thanks for the feedback.
    <span style=\'font-size:10pt;line-height:100%\'><span style=\'color:green\'><span style=\'font-family:Arial\'>totally brassed off </span></span></span>

  19. #19
    Kouros Guest

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    The only cost might be to people that have to phone the number, who are charged at a higher rate. That&#39;s just a guess, of course - I don&#39;t know how true it might or might not be.

  20. #20
    Daisy&amp;me Guest

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    The only cost might be to people that have to phone the number, who are charged at a higher rate. That&#39;s just a guess, of course - I don&#39;t know how true it might or might not be.
    Yes, that&#39;s how it works. They charge 37.5 pence per minute (ppm) at peak times, 25ppm evenings and 12.5 ppm weekends. As users would just leave a message the cost should not be a problem.

  21. #21

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    This is what I use. Just a plain ole address lable, printed with some contact details.

    Lable

    Its cheap to 6 quid for 315 of them..
    Moss The Boss... Sorta

  22. #22
    Zpyder Guest

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    I'm busy trying to find a decent stashnote/details card template on the net that's also free. Am I being blind, or are they not that common? I know I've found quite a few caches that all contain identical stashnotes, but whether these were commercial or free I don't know?

    I'm quite impressed with the two free brochure style leaflets on geocaching for handing out to muggles, but they lack information tailored towards a muggle finding and opening the cache, and what to do in the event. I'm thinking of using one of these with information in the "Contact details" on what to do.

    Would it be beneficial to produce a free template that would fit in most sized cache containers, available from the forums to download?

    Sorry if it's been asked before, but I've not had much luck in finding the answer yet!

  23. #23

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    https://www.geocaching.com/seek/

    Halfway down RHS "Cache Note (English)", various formats

  24. #24
    Zpyder Guest

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    D'oh, I knew I was being blind!

    Hopefully my tendency to overprepare will mean that though I end up making tons of stupid newbie questions now, my first cache placement will be a goodun!

    Of course, murphies law also means I'll spend a week or two preparing it all, find the perfect spot, get it published, only for the woodland management to clear the log and cache away in scrub clearance programs!

  25. #25

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    Quote Originally Posted by Zpyder View Post
    D'oh, I knew I was being blind!

    Hopefully my tendency to overprepare will mean that though I end up making tons of stupid newbie questions now, my first cache placement will be a goodun!

    Of course, murphies law also means I'll spend a week or two preparing it all, find the perfect spot, get it published, only for the woodland management to clear the log and cache away in scrub clearance programs!
    that won't be a problem of course as you'll have permission to place it so they'll know its there!

  26. #26
    Zpyder Guest

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    They do indeed, I got the email today! What prompted the above post was that I was scouting out the area this afternoon and they've got signs up saying that starting today they're continuing their rhododendron clearance of the area in question. The warden who granted permission will get the coordinates as well as pictures of the location and the cache box, but that's not to say that a volunteer or other warden might not discover it and remove it first!

    However, hopefully this isn't of concern, as the place I have in mind is away from the rhododendron. I didn't realise it was quite so hard in finding places that are near paths but are good hiding spots. I'm determined to keep the cache wheelchair accessible, but this is limiting me greatly as several nice spots are a few dozen feet away from the hard packed gravel paths!

  27. #27

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    Quote Originally Posted by Dave Gerrie View Post
    that won't be a problem of course as you'll have permission to place it so they'll know its there!
    Well, I've twice lost a cache that had permission. The first time it was incinerated during gorse clearance, and the second time, in a new spot a hundred yards or so away, it was buried by tree-felling. I decided then that it was time to archive it... h34r:
    ​​Do not go gentle into that good night.
    Rage, rage against the dying of the light. (Dylan Thomas)​


  28. #28
    molfrew-mosstoad Guest

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    Doesnt GAGB already offer a contact number on behalf of cachers ? https://www.gagb.org.uk/contact-us.php

  29. #29

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    Quote Originally Posted by molfrew-mosstoad View Post
    Doesnt GAGB already offer a contact number on behalf of cachers ? https://www.gagb.org.uk/contact-us.php
    We do indeed, yes. Anyone who wants to use that number as a contact number, whether they're a member of GAGB or not, is free to do so, and we'll pass any messages we receive about their cache on to them.
    ​​Do not go gentle into that good night.
    Rage, rage against the dying of the light. (Dylan Thomas)​


  30. #30
    molfrew-mosstoad Guest

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    Cheers Bill thought Id understood it right

  31. #31

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    Red face

    With all the work on my site, the one thing I forgot about was putting the new contact information in the physical caches :wacko:

    Thanks to the OP for the reminder!
    I'm just going outside, and may be some time!

    www.jacobitecaching.co.uk

  32. #32

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    Can a member please point me in the direction of a logsheet download(35mm size)?

    Can't seem to find one on GC.com!

    Ta.
    I'm just going outside, and may be some time!

    www.jacobitecaching.co.uk

  33. #33

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    Quote Originally Posted by jacobite View Post
    Can a member please point me in the direction of a logsheet download(35mm size)?

    Can't seem to find one on GC.com!

    Ta.
    Try Here lower right hand side of the page.
    Last edited by Just Roger; 3rd October 2008 at 07:23 AM. Reason: cos I cant get my html right

  34. #34

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    Thanks Just Roger, that's what I'm after.
    I'm just going outside, and may be some time!

    www.jacobitecaching.co.uk

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