Eoghan: This cache is being removed at the request of the City of Austin, Parks and Recreation Department, Natural Resources Division.<BR>
The request was made because rules prohibit going off-trail or leaving items in the parks.
I understand and will comply.<BR>
I will note however that the cache was located within a foot or two of a popular volunteer trail that led about 10 feet from a main trail and required no bushwhacking to retrieve. I'll also note that based on log entries and lots of experiences with other cachers, that this area of the park will probably look worse after the cache is removed since cachers routinely remove the garbage and beer bottles of the many, many people who use the park for unauthorized (probably under-aged) drinking parties. I could grumble about geocachers being singled out when I regularly see casual visitors tromping obliviously through the area with no one giving them the slightest reprimand (other than me), but I realize that the Parks Dept. has to start somewhere and do what it can to try to enforce it's rules. I'll try to pursue the possibility of an authorized cache with the city to see if I can locate one in a location near here that will meet the Parks Dept.'s concerns and also continue to introduce people to this absolutely wonderful location.
Removing this cache is also a somewhat sad occasion for me since this was the first cache placed in Austin, the 4th in the state, and one of the first 300 or so placed anywhere in the world. C'est la vie.<BR>
Let's hope we can work constructively with Parks officials to keep geocaching alive and well in Austin on terms that everyone can be happy with!