365 DAYS OF CITO - DAY 16
A “Cache In, Trash Out” Event
This event is part of the 365 Days of CITO series, which fellow geocacher, CaneMaster designed to encourage and assist Mississippi Geocachers in giving back to the communities in which we geocache. To that purpose, this series provides Mississippi Geocachers with two things:
1. The Challenge to “Cache In, Trash Out” more often
2. The Opportunities to “Cache In, Trash Out” more often
THE CHALLENGE:
We challenge you to practice CITO every time you go geocaching, by not throwing your own trash on the ground and by picking up all of the trash you see in the area and hauling it off.
We challenge you to participate in as many 365 DAYS OF CITO events as you can.
We challenge you to contact CaneMaster about coordinating a date for you to host one of the 365 DAYS OF CITO events in central Mississippi.
For a list of upcoming opportunities to participate in this series of events, as well as information about the awards and incentives we have created for participation in this series of events, please visit: http://msgeo.org/365days.html
DETAILS ABOUT THIS SPECIFIC EVENT:
WHO:
Anyone who will join me. You?
WHAT:
One hours of picking up trash in a community that sponsors geocaching.
WHEN:
Start: 10:00 am
End: 11:00 am
WHERE:
Meet me at the above coordinates. For the sixteenth day of 365 Days of CITO, we will be working the public right-of-way near a popular fishing spot.
WHY:
Because it is better to give back than to receive.
WHAT TO BRING:
- Personal Drinking Water
- Gloves
- A Change of Shoes (bring a pair of boots or shoes to put on which you don’t mind getting dirty, wet, or muddy.)
OPTIONAL ITEMS TO BRING IF YOU HAVE THEM:
- Brightly Colored Safety Vest
- Trash Pick Up Tool: A Grabber, or a stick with a pointy tip, to use if you don’t like bending over to pick up things off the ground.
- FRS/GMRS Radios to keep in touch with each other, if we spread out in low cell phone reception areas. (Amateur Radio Operators are encouraged to bring their HTs)
- Bug Spray
- Personal First Aid Kit
- Anti-Bacterial Gel or Hand Soap
- Mosquito Repellent
THE CACHE OWNER WILL PROVIDE:
- Trash Bags
BUT WHY 365 DAYS? (FROM CANEMASTER’S RATIONALE):
During my early days of geocaching, I avoided CITOs like the plague. I did so for the same reason many geocachers avoid multi-caches, because I saw them as being too much work for just one smiley.
Now that I have matured as a Geocacher, I have repented of that attitude!
It is important for us to give back to those who enable us to enjoy our favorite hobby. That includes:
1. The Cache Owners who hide geocaches for us to find.
2. The Reviewers who check our hides to make sure they meet HQ’s guidelines.
and
3. The Communities which allow hides to be placed in them.
These three should each be acknowledged and thanked on a regular basis.
The third one is best thanked by how we take care of their community:
- By treading softly on their land.
- By not leaving trash in their area.
- By picking up any trash we happen to see while caching in their area.
- By periodically holding “Cache In, Trash Out” Events to clean up and restore their area.
And so, I have been attempting lately to give back by showing my appreciation to these three groups of people.
In my “repentance” (the word literally means making a 180 degree turn around and walking in the opposite direction) I have decided to challenge myself to “give back, more than I take” by doing more days of CITO than I do days of regular geocaching.
It is common for geocachers to challenge themselves to do 365 calendar days of geocaching. There are many Challenge Caches out there for people working toward this goal. HQ endorses this and even sells a special geocoin to award to those who accomplish this amazing feat. Rarely does anyone accomplish it in one calendar year, but instead cumulatively over the course of many years.
So, I decided to challenge myself to do 365 Days of CITO. And I am challenging YOU to join me.
It is a BIG challenge to tackle, because very few people host CITOs. And when they do they are few and far between.
So to make this worthy project a reality, I have undertaken an enormous amount of advanced planning. I have been, and still am, working with various communities, parks and recreation departments, and government officials to find out where the needs are and to obtain permission for us to CITO.
On the weekends we will primarily be working in parks, at ball fields, and along walking trails. During the weekdays we will primarily be picking up trash along roads where geocaches have been hidden. Occasionally we will do other environmental work, such as removing invasive species, planting trees and other native vegetation, and building trails.
It will take me longer than one year to complete this series of 365 Days of CITO events, primarily because Geocaching HQ does not allow one person to host more than one consecutive/series type of event per week. So, I am soliciting help on this project from my family members and from other geocachers in central Mississippi. If you would like to host a 365 Days of CITO Event, please contact me via my geocaching.com profile email and we will coordinate our event dates.
Join me, and you too may realize that it truly is better to give than to receive. - CaneMaster