So Flo Cachers

CITO Weekend is coming!!!

Monday, 25 January 2010 10:29 |

Written by Shelah D5 |

April 24 and 25 marks the official CITO weekend according to GC.com.

Cache In, Trash Out events are one of the many ways that we as geocachers can give back to our community and the environment. CITO events allow us to clean up areas that otherwise get neglected or overlooked as well as areas that receive heavy traffic and might need more than what our county or state officials can provide.

Some info from GC.com regarding CITO

CITO on every hunt! Cache In Trash Out doesn't just happen once a year. It can easily happen on every geocache adventure. Bring a trash bag along with you on your walks in the woods and pick up the occasional piece of trash you see on the trail. Even this small act can make a huge difference. CITO as a large one-day or weekend event

You can organize a larger undertaking and accomplish much more with the help of other people. Contact a land manager or local organization and work with them to determine the needs of the community. These can be scheduled any time of the year that works for your location. Always be sure to seek permission before cleaning up any areas that may be on private property.

We encourage you to seek out areas that need some TLC and organize your own CITO event. Its easy to make happen and the GeoCommunity is eager to pitch in and help.

Last Updated (Monday, 25 January 2010 10:50)

Welcome - Again

Thursday, 21 January 2010 09:53 |

Written by Admin |

Welcome to the new site all of our Geo Pals. After an extensive hiatus, we have re-vamped, simplified and hopefully made this place a bit more user friendly. That is our hope anyway. :)

We would love for everyone to take a moment to register as a user here. This will give us an opportunity to email the latest geo news to you as it becomes available. We can assure you that we won't be spamming anyone with unwanted junk e-mail. We WILL be sending out important announcements as well as event news as we get it. Our goal as always is simply to improve the caching community in South Florida.

Our biggest change here is that we have set up a FaceBook profile (link in the sidebar - be sure to fan us). We will be utilizing Facebook as our communication portal regarding the SOCIAL side of SoFlo. Travel plans, event planning etc will take place on the Facebook page, rather than here. On THIS site, you can expect to find the finalized details of any events or Geo news.

As always, if you have any questions or comments, please let us know. Lets put Southeast Florida back on the Geomap!

Last Updated (Thursday, 21 January 2010 10:19)

Guide to Finding Your First Cache

Saturday, 09 January 2010 23:15 |

Written by Admin |

This information is provided by Groundspeak.com.

Step 1 Researching the Cache
Keep in mind that distances can be deceiving. When you are using your GPS unit to find a cache, the unit only knows how close the site is as the crow flies (a direct line). You may be a mile from the cache, but there may be a river in the way, or a near-vertical climb involving 3 miles of switchbacks, or a mountain â€“ you get the picture.
1. Buy a map of the area from your local camping store for those caches that are off a trail or too remote to drive close to. Topographical maps (which show features of the land like hills) are best, so you can get a good idea of the terrain you'll be crossing. Youâ€™ll also know whether to bring your Honda Civic or rent a Land Rover.
2. For car geocaches (ones you can drive to and walk a short distance), use MapBlast. Geocaching.com provides you with a link to MapBlast so you can get directions to that location. Make sure to zoom in on the location to make sure it's near a road. MapBlast can only get you so far!
3. If you have a good idea of the area, you can navigate via the GPS unit. This is best when the park is small. This is also the most challenging, and is not recommended for your first hunt.

You'll most likely need to do all three things to prepare and reach the geocache, though our experience has shown different combinations for each cache. I'd always start with one of the online map sites first to get an idea of the area, then decide on whether you need to buy a map or use what you have.

Since this is your first time, it's also ok to read the stash notes, look at a picture of the cache, or read other peopleâ€™s experiences finding the cache. Some may be visible from 20 feet away, while others in more trafficked areas may be buried under some rocks (or in one case, in a World War II bunker!). Getting within a mile or two of the site isn't usually too difficult - it's the last mile that'll get you every time.

Last Updated (Saturday, 09 January 2010 23:24)

South Florida Water Management Regulations

Saturday, 09 January 2010 23:25 |

Written by Admin |

Originally posted by Reviewer - Palmetto

Permission is required to place a geocache in Miami-Dade County Parks or EEL lands (Preserves)

Please contact
Sonya M. Thompson, Restoration Biologist
Miami-Dade County Park & Recreation Department,
Natural Areas Management
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
22200 SW 137 Ave., Miami, FL 33170
305-257-0933 x 228 Phone 305-257-1086 Fax

Caches on lands managed by South Florida Water Management (which includes an extensive system of canals and levees - see link on the left navigation bar on that page) need a geocaching permit issued by the District. It's free, and generally they get back with a permit in a few weeks to a month.
SFWMD geocache permit app online

Caches in lands managed by FWC as lead manager need a geocaching permit.
Here are their guidelines and permit application.
Ammo cans....

Within Dade County, Tamiami Pinelands Park manager has said no to caches. If you put one there, I'm going to ask you about specific permission.

The manager of the Deering Estate removed all caches on the estate a few years ago and contacted Groundspeak. Caches may be placed on the grounds, seek permission FIRST.

Caches in Florida's State Parks and and Aquatic Preserves need permission from park management. I need the name and contact info of the person giving permission.
Caches on DEP managed trails and greenways also need permission, but I'm not aware of any trails in south Fl under DEP direct management.

Click here for more Geocaching information from Florida Water Management.

Last Updated (Saturday, 09 January 2010 23:29)

History of Geocaching

Saturday, 09 January 2010 21:32 |

Written by Admin |

The History of Geocaching as taken from the Complete Idiot's Guide to Geocaching

GPS Users get an Instant Upgrade

On May 2, 2000, at approximately midnight, eastern savings time, the great blue switch* controlling selective availability was pressed. Twenty-four satellites around the globe processed their new orders, and instantly the accuracy of GPS technology improved tenfold. Tens of thousands of GPS receivers around the world had an instant upgrade.

The announcement a day before came as a welcome surprise to everyone who worked with GPS technology. The government had planned to remove selective availability - but had until 2006 to do so. Now, said the White House, anyone could "precisely pinpoint their location or the location of items (such as game) left behind for later recovery." How right they were.

Last Updated (Thursday, 21 January 2010 10:55)

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