I’d like to introduce Gary Lewis, geoaware, developer of the EarthCaching program for geocachers and Earth Trek, citizen science program as well.

Hi Gary, thanks for talking with us.

Q. Could you give us a little background on yourself, education, occupation, etc?

I am an Australian who lives and works in the USA. I grew up in southern Sydney and then spent 20 years working in the Australian national capital – Canberra. I have a background in geology and education and have been involved in Earth science education for over 25 years in Australia, USA and internationally. I currently work as the Director of Education & Outreach for the Geological Society of America (GSA) and manage a whole plethora of programs to raise awareness and opportunities for people in Earth science.

Q. When did you begin caching and how did you find out about the activity?

I began caching in November 2003. I was sort of introduced to the game through a work colleague who explained it to me well before then…but I did not really chase it through. Then at a GSA meeting in Seattle in 2003 a GSA member mentioned geocaching and we should somehow get involved. I guess that really sparked the interest!

Q. How did the concept of EarthCaches come about?

At this time we had been working closely on another project with the USA National Park Service, Bureau of Land Management and Forest Service. When I mentioned geocaching I was struck with the negative vibes – it seemed that geocachers had really created a huge issue for them they that were having difficulty to manage. Not really being part of the game, we asked them what we could do to make geocaching more attractive to them. The issues seemed to be that many of the nations environmental assets in National Parks for example were being managed through obscurity – that is, if people don’t know about them, they don’t visit. If those sites are not being visited, then they are being protected. Geocaching and other GPS related activities (as well as the internet as a whole) means that a person could ‘advertise’ one of these sites to potentially millions of people who may visit. So, what these agencies wanted was a way to check the sensitivity of sites before allowing people to ‘advertise them’, keep people from making new trails, and have the ability to remove a site's listing if the area became over visited and damaged. At the same time, GSA wanted to be able to take people to site where they would be enthralled by the Earth science at the site – where the visitor would learn about significance, importance and excitement of our planet’s Earth science environments. Matching the two issues together made sense…and so the concept of an EarthCache was born.

 

Q. When Groundspeak was approached with this idea, were they initially receptive or did you have to work some to sell the idea?

Groundspeak have been partners in the concept from almost the first day. The first call was made to Bryan Roth. Shortly after Jeremy Irish and Elias Alvord came to Boulder, Colorado for a meeting with the National Parks, Forest Service, BLM and staff at GSA. At that meeting we developed a draft of some guidelines and we were rolling. It was a very positive process and continues like that till today.

Q. EarthCaching has several sponsors in addition to the American Geological Society, who are they and how do they participate in the program?

EarthCaching has a number of sponsoring partners – organizations that help to spread the word and in the review process. We also had Subaru America provide us some operational support for a number of years that helped pay for the costs of pins, stickers and postage to run the EarthCache Masters program.

Q. This was before my time, but I understand that EarthCaches were moved to Waymarking for awhile. What can you tell us about that and how they came back to stay on geocaching.com?

This is correct. At the birth of Waymarking, EarthCaches were copied over as a category. They sat there for quite a period and did not really grow substantially in number or in visitation. After a period of time, Groundspeak made the decision to bring EarthCaches back to be a part of their educational side of geocaching. At the same time we made changes to the guidelines – in particular those related to the development of educational logging tasks. Since then, EarthCache numbers exploded and visitation rose exponentially. It was a win-win for all.

Q. You were initially the only EarthCache reviewer worldwide, I imagine that would have been a huge workload, how did you keep up with it?

In it first few years the number of EarthCache submissions was low. It was easy to keep up with the submissions. Then the numbers started to swell. At first we formed a team at GSA and we all worked on the submissions. Then various people took on the task – Jen, Anny, Matt. So between us we published around 9,000 from something like 15,000 submissions. Quite a feat!

Q. There is now a reviewer team for EarthCache submissions, what were the criteria for selecting reviewers and how many are on the team?

EarthCache reviewers, of which there are now around 10, are specialist cache reviewers with experience in EarthCaches. Many are Platinum EarthCache Masters and all have a deep background in Earth science. We are always looking for more people to help who fit those criteria. We also have other tasks for people to help us with – like reviewing the classification of Earthcaches.

Q. Not too long ago there were guideline changes for submitting new EC’s. What precipitated these changes?

The EarthCache guidelines have been evolving over time. The changes are normally a response to issues that affect EarthCaching, geocaching or both. Many times adjustments are made to make the existing guidelines easier to understand. We try not to make a lot of small changes throughout the year, but do an adjustment once a year if it is needed. All the guidelines have been developed to ensure that we meet the needs of land managers and the needs of geocachers.

Q. Looking back, how well have these changes been accepted by the EarthCache/geocache community?

Very well. But like all change, there will be some people who have a hard time accepting things need to be done differently. We try and work with those folks so they understand how simple adjustments to their existing caches or submissions will make them meet the guidelines. We really do want the development of EarthCaches to be an enriching experience and not a battle. The guidelines are now very clear and not that difficult to follow.

Q. What is the EarthCache Masters program?

Early in the EarthCache program we decided that we would like to reward people who visited and developed EarthCaches. The idea was simple – visit three or more EarthCaches, fill in an online form and you would be awarded the EarthCache Masters status. There are four levels – Bronze, Silver, Gold and Platinum. For the first few years we even sent out physical pins and stickers to people for free (we spent around $30,000 in pins, stickers and postage!). The response was amazing! The result was that EarthCaches grew in number and visitation. Around 18 months ago we realized that the huge growth and popularity of the program meant that we could sadly no longer give those items away – the pins are still available for sale for a very low price through the EarthCache store.

Q. The EarthCache Master’s program appears to have been quite a success and there will be a new program rolled out soon. How big a role do you think such incentives have played in the growth of EarthCaching?

I think it has played a very important role. People geocache for a wide range of reasons – and one of those is that they like to have goals to strive for. The EarthCache Masters program has certainly meet that need for many thousands of cachers. The number of EarthCaches that have been developed and visited as a direct result of the program is unknown – but I am sure that it has been a major factor for many cachers.

 

Q. You’ve recently announced an International EarthCache Event. What activities have been planned for the event?

The 1st International EarthCache Event (1IEE) is being held just north of Portland Maine on 2 September 2012 (http://earthcacheevent.org/index.html). The aim is that it will be the first EarthCache Mega Event and it will be unlike the majority of Mega events as it will be part event and part conference. There will be sessions to attend on various aspects of EarthCaching such as how to develop logging tasks, working with land managers etc. There will be social events, games and competitions. At least one event will be for the higher level EarthCache Masters people only. It will be a wonderful opportunity for people interested in EarthCaches to meet and share in their experiences. The venue is outstanding – an operating model farm with a wonderful conference venue.

Q. There is also an EarthCache related expedition planned. What can you tell us about that?

GSA operates a field trip program called GeoVentures (www.geoventures.org) that takes people to see Earth science sites around the globe. Often these trips include visits to EarthCache sites – especially if I am the leader! The trips are not just ‘EarthCache expeditions’ although we have thought about running a trip like that to Australia for people to visit the very first EarthCache as get to see some amazing Earth science (as well an culture, fauna, flora….).

Q. What other programs have you developed that might be of interest to cachers?

GSA has a wide range of programs that might interest cachers. One important one is the global citizen science program – EarthTrek (www.goearthtrek.com). Through EarthTrek, cachers can take part in real scientific research by helping scientists collect data on a wide range of environmental issues. Its easy to participate – you just read through the science protocols/instructions for a project, follow the protocols to carefully collect the data and log your findings online. The scientists will use you data and every so often you will be sent a report of what they are finding. For example, one project has people measuring the weathering of marble gravestones around the globe. The data is being used to see how the atmospheres chemistry may have changed and its affect on marble gravestones and monuments. Other projects have people collecting earthquake data, seeking out garlic-mustard (an invasive weed), watching for hummingbirds etc. Notice – these are not all Earth science related! Its free to join EarthTrek and participate.

Q. There are incentives for The EarthTrek program also, can you tell us about the levels and how you earn them?

Each and every time you collect data in EarthTrek you can earn EarthTrek points. These points go towards you achieving levels within EarthTrek. There are eight levels and these are displayed on your EarthTrek profile. You can also earn points by introducing others to EarthTrek, helping EarthTrek by providing translations or photos and even by blogging/twitter or facebooking about EarthTrek! Some projects even send out physical rewards – like pins – for participating. Finally, you can also show the EarthTrek community that you are involved in other activities – like geocaching – by adding Community Icons to your profile.

Q. That just about covers our questions except one. Would you like to give The Online Geocacher the scoop on the new levels of the EarthCache masters program?

The new award program is called the EarthCache Discovery Awards. These awards are based solely on the number of official EarthCache finds you have in your geocaching profile. There are five levels:

Quartz – 50 or more finds

Mica – 100 or more finds

Garnet – 250 or more finds

Emerald – 500 or more finds

Diamond – 1000 or more finds

To obtain each of these awards you need to apply via an online form on the earthcache.org website with the level of the award and the number of your total EarthCache finds. When approved, you are send an email icon for the level for you to place in your profile. You can also buy some really neat trackable tags to display your level on your pack, water bottle etc

Thanks for taking the time to answer our questions and for your role in providing these worthwhile and educational programs for us to enjoy.

 

By catsnfish

A couple of empty-nesters who caught the caching bug not realizing it was incurable. So if we’re found in the woods waltzing with Garmins, lifting lampskirts while tying our shoe or looking for “gum” underneath benches, be sure to stay away... it’s contagious and the only temporary relief can be found in finding bison’s, ammo’s, nano’s, or passing coins and spreading travel bugs!

Publisher's Note: Catsnfish write the periodic column The Adventures of Catsnfish. Subscribe (free) to The Online Geocacher to get an email alert when a new article is published.

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