Come earn the 2016 CITO souvenir for your Geocaching profile by celebrating with us in Ithaca as we complete our 7th Adopt-a-Highway Clean-up Event!
CITO stands for Cache In Trash Out: it is the geocacher’s approach to keeping our game board (i.e. the entire planet) in great shape. This year, Geocaching's 14th Annual Cache In Trash Out weeks are scheduled for April 16 – 24 and September 17 – 25, 2016. During these weeks, geocachers around the globe will gather together, pick up trash, remove invasive species, repair trails, and more—plus earn a new 2016 electronic CITO souvenir.
WHEN: 9am to approximately 10:30 on Sunday, April 17, 2016 (purposefully scheduled for a time of low vehicle traffic)
WHO: All Geocachers age 10 and above (roadside conditions are neither pet- nor kid-friendly)
WHERE: Meet in the parking lot of the Embassy Inn at the posted coords. We will divide into two groups to clear our 2-mile stretch of Turkey Hill Road between Route 366 and Ellis Hollow Road
WHAT: At check-in there will be a log book to sign, IthacaDoodle's ever-growing collection of CITO geocoins to discover, and a group photo. We will also distribute those nifty orange vests, helmets, and bags. Because our event is officially recognized by the Tompkins County Highway Department under the Adopt-a-Highway program, there will be a short safety briefing and a waiver to sign. *If you attended a previous EH CITO event, your waiver is already on file and does not need to be re-signed.
We will divide into two groups: Short walkers (approx .8 mile) will be shuttled to Ellis Hollow Rd. Long walkers (approx 1.2 mile) will start from the posted coords. Both groups will walk towards each other downhill and meet in the middle where trash will be gathered. New trackable prizes will be awarded for 1) most trash collected and 2) most unusual object found, before we shuttle back to parking.
WHAT TO BRING: Yourself in protective outdoor clothing, a pair of gloves (recommended), a trash-poking stick or grabber (optional). We will have everything else available at the registration - bags, helmets, reflective vests, and clean up supplies. We will need a few volunteer shuttle drivers to bring cachers back to the starting point after the event.
OUR TALLY
Geocachers have been keeping this stretch of road clean since 2008.
To date, 87 event attendees (plus IthacaDoodle) have picked up an impressive 53 large highway bags of trash plus recyclables, TVs, coconuts, Swedish passports, and various other memorable items. Come join the fun at our next event!
- 1st CITO October 2008: 14 Attended. 8 large highway bags of garbage plus 80 cents of recyclables, a TV, microwave, and shopping cart
- 2nd CITO May 2010: 32 Attended. 12 large highway bags of garbage and 3 bags of recyclables plus TV (with remote), 4 hubcaps, muffler, 2 tires, and assorted boards
- October 2011 - IthacaDoodle: 2 large highway bags of trash
- November 2011 - IthacaDoodle: 1 large highway bag of trash
- March 2012 – IthacaDoodle: 1 large highway bag of trash
- April 2012 – IthacaDoodle: 2 large highway bags of trash
- August 2012 – IthacaDoodle: 2 large highway bags of trash
- 3rd CITO December 2012: 21 Attended. 6 large highway bags of trash plus an overflowing bin of recyclables
- 4th CITO April 2013: 7 Attended. 5 large highway bags of trash plus 2 bins of recyclables
- 5th CITO October 2013: 6 Attended. 3 large highway bags of trash plus 1 bag of recyclables
- December 2013 – IthacaDoodle: 2 large highway bags of trash
- 6th CITO April 2104: 14 Attended. 7 large highway bags of trash plus two overflowing bins of recyclables
- October 2015 – IthacaDoodle: 2 large highway bags of trash