sub32: (Log written by DewPoint52 who is maintaining all sub32 caches now)
It's a very sad day. Over 10 years ago, after hiding 7 small ducks in the "Quack" series, sub32 painted an ammo box to look a bit like a duck, we filled it with ducks containing logs for other cachers to hide, and we went to what was my favorite Raleigh park to hide "The Mother Quack".
In the past 10 years, almost 400 separate geocaching accounts, likely representing considerably more people than that, have found this cache. Many commented in their logs about how they and in many cases their kids enjoyed finding it. In the early years of this cache, we kept it stocked with ducks and many other caches were hidden in the area as offspring from the Mother Quack which provided fun for other geocachers in other parts of the area.
But no one else will have that pleasure because someone in park management has decided to ban all geocaches from the park. I do not understand or agree with this decision at all. To me, the point of having a large park in a city is to allow people that might not otherwise have an opportunity to experience nature to have a chance to do so - to get out of the concrete and asphalt jungle and into the woods to explore and see a bit of the natural world - and geocaches help entice people to go out and do that.
During my geocaching career, I have found and explored many very nice parks that I'd have never visited or even know about otherwise as a result of looking for geocaches there. Unless current or future park management reverses this decision to ban geocaches, no one will ever again discover this very nice natural area as a result of there being geocaches in it.
I would think that drawing people that might not otherwise know about it to the park would be a desirable thing, but apparently current park management feels differently. That's very disappointing to me. I thought this park was one of the best places in the area to enjoy geocaching in the woods without having to leave the city which is why I and sub32 hid and found numerous caches here over the years.
The Mother Quack has been evicted from her long time home, but is safe at home with me now and perhaps I can find somewhere new for her - somewhere that will appreciate geocaching and what it does to entice people to get out and enjoy nature more.