i am in total agreement to this. we don't know why a person has stopped
boxing, and it is not up to us to judge these reasons. however as
letterboxers we need to preserve the environment around us and that would
include abandoned letterboxes. i don't think one should rush hastily to the
aid of a box that might seem to be deserted however. all efforts should be
made to find the original placers. if the owners can not be found what do
you do....litter up the trails? if adoption is too strong a word then
perhaps the more gentle and nurturing sound of foster is more appropriate.
smile
uneksia <----- who in life outside of letterboxing was a foster child and
adopted two sons.



I don't feel just because someone gets out of letterboxing that we should
leave all of these abandoned boxes lying around to become exposed. Our
sport will truely become "Litterboxing" If a parent disappears, we don't
let their children walk the street. People adopt them or an agency takes
care of them. If these people want to get out they have an opportunity to
remove their boxes from the wild. I just don't feel we should lose this
history because of abandonment.
Please shout out on this!
Devonpeter

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Although I too agree, I hesitate to call these boxes, even if abandoned,
"litter."

We are also a part of the earth, and as long as the boxes remain intact (and
there's the key, I believe), I see them as little time capsules, marking a
Western, cultural nostalgia for a return to nature during a period of
technological preoccupation . . .

Is this view too romanticized? impractical?

What "real" harm would a letterbox pose out in the wild? (As opposed to,
say, trash, which I would define as in-usable items including food/drink
containers, diapers, ect. Also, trash can be harmful to eco-systems and/or
"visible," and hense, disagreeable).

Cheers,

Froggiebaby!

----- Original Message -----
From: "devonpeter"
To:
Sent: Friday, August 20, 2004 11:13 AM
Subject: [LbNA] Re: adopting boxes-disagree


> I am going to have to disagree about adopting boxes. I got an email
> the other day stating that one of my adopted boxes was A-OK. it was
> planted many moons ago & who knows if that person is still around. I
> have tried to contact them via email & the list-no response. I don't
> feel just because someone gets out of letterboxing that we should
> leave all of these abandoned boxes lying around to become exposed.
> Our sport will truely become "Litterboxing" If a parent disappears,
> we don't let their children walk the street. People adopt them or an
> agency takes care of them. If these people want to get out they have
> an opportunity to remove their boxes from the wild. I just don't
> feel we should lose this history because of abandonment.
>
> Please shout out on this!
>
> Devonpeter
>
>
>
>
>
> Yahoo! Groups Links
>
>
>
>

I adopted almost all of the letterboxes in North Carolina (at that
time), after trying unsuccessfully to contact their owners before the
LBNA change-over. Over half the boxes in the state would
have "disappeared" if I had not done that. Since then, several of the
owners have come forward and claimed their own boxes. (it seems some
people only letterbox while on vacation in the summer :-)

I had at least two letterbox owners who emailed me and gave up their
boxes to me. They were no longer interested in letterboxing and were
not interested in maintaining their clues (or boxes) or receiving
updates on their boxes.

I also have planted boxes in Iowa and New York State that I have
given up to other letterboxes to Maintain (since I just never get
back to those places to take care of the boxes)

Of the boxes that I adopted, I note in the clues that I was not the
orignal placer of the letterbox, I also ask in the clues that if you
are the original placer, please contact me to take over your clues!
I recieve notification when folks have found the boxes or if
something in the clues has changed. (Tree fell down from storm,
bridge washed out from flood, etc.) and I update the clues
accordingly.

--Amanda from Seattle (still fostering 11 letterboxes in NC and FL)



it was
> planted many moons ago & who knows if that person is still around.
I
> have tried to contact them via email & the list-no response. I
don't
> feel just because someone gets out of letterboxing that we should
> leave all of these abandoned boxes lying around to become exposed.
> Our sport will truely become "Litterboxing"

I agree with what people are saying regarding adopting of boxes,
however my situation is a little more complex. I basicly want to
place boxes where the original ones would have been, using the same
clues. The location is wonderful, as are the clues. Since I wouldn't
really be adopting any boxes, I would be placing new ones, I wasn't
sure how to handle this or even if I should do it.

~Oceanwytch~

--- In letterbox-usa@yahoogroups.com, "uneksia" wrote:
> i am in total agreement to this. we don't know why a person has
stopped
> boxing, and it is not up to us to judge these reasons. however as
> letterboxers we need to preserve the environment around us and that
would
> include abandoned letterboxes. i don't think one should rush
hastily to the
> aid of a box that might seem to be deserted however. all efforts
should be
> made to find the original placers. if the owners can not be found
what do
> you do....litter up the trails? if adoption is too strong a word
then
> perhaps the more gentle and nurturing sound of foster is more
appropriate.
> smile
> uneksia <----- who in life outside of letterboxing was a foster
child and
> adopted two sons.
>
>
>
> I don't feel just because someone gets out of letterboxing that we
should
> leave all of these abandoned boxes lying around to become exposed.
Our
> sport will truely become "Litterboxing" If a parent disappears, we
don't
> let their children walk the street. People adopt them or an agency
takes
> care of them. If these people want to get out they have an
opportunity to
> remove their boxes from the wild. I just don't feel we should lose
this
> history because of abandonment.
> Please shout out on this!
> Devonpeter
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

I agree with this.

There are a handful of boxes placed in our area by a
person that hasn't responded to multiple attempts to
contact them. The boxes that are still there are nice
and in need of caretaking.

The boxes that have gone missing could/should be
replaced--clues are great, parks are nice. Letting
them die off would be a shame. And needless to say,
people keep looking for them since no one is keeping
their status current on the website.

In a way, it would be a nice way to honor the original
placer. I'd adopt them, give the credit to the
placer, and keep true to the intent of their clues.
With someone looking after them, it would be more fun
for all of us.

Thanks,
FamilyMan

--- devonpeter wrote:

> I am going to have to disagree about adopting boxes.
> I got an email
> the other day stating that one of my adopted boxes
> was A-OK. it was
> planted many moons ago & who knows if that person is
> still around. I
> have tried to contact them via email & the list-no
> response. I don't
> feel just because someone gets out of letterboxing
> that we should
> leave all of these abandoned boxes lying around to
> become exposed.
> Our sport will truely become "Litterboxing" If a
> parent disappears,
> we don't let their children walk the street. People
> adopt them or an
> agency takes care of them. If these people want to
> get out they have
> an opportunity to remove their boxes from the wild.
> I just don't
> feel we should lose this history because of
> abandonment.
>
> Please shout out on this!
>
> Devonpeter
>
>




__________________________________
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devonpeter@yahoo.com writes:


> I don't
> feel just because someone gets out of letterboxing that we should
> leave all of these abandoned boxes lying around to become exposed.
>

Ditto, Devonpeter! I hate the though of a viable box languishing with the
clues hidden in the letterbox basement. When I adopt a box, I always put
something on the clues like, "If the original placer wants to take the box/clues
back, they are more than welcome," but in the meantime, other boxers are able
to find the box!

Oceanwytch-- The boxes you'd be replacing are gone? I guess if you try in
good faith to contact the placer, it'd be okay to re-use a hiding place,
though I'd write your own clues, if I were you. And the safest course would be
(as someone already suggested) find your own spot in the same area, and do
clues from scratch.

DebBee


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

I also found a box that is wonderful but the clues were in the letterboxing basement. I tried to contact the placer but had no luck. I loved the spot so much that I really was in a dillema on whether to plant one of my own there or just resurrect theirs. I didn't want to step on toes, either way. So after getting advice from some other letterboxers, one who knew them, I have decided to re-post the clues, giving them credit for it, but I consider myself just "box-sitting" until they come back or retrieve the box. Not adopting, just "box-sitting". I felt better about it that way. Hopefully, if they ever return, they will appreciate that I took care of it in their absence.

Snickerdoodle

Thank you. I think this will be the safest thing to do. I am going to
place my own boxes with my own clues. That way I'm not stepping on
any toes.

~Oceanwytch~

--- In letterbox-usa@yahoogroups.com, StDebb@a... wrote:
>
> Oceanwytch-- The boxes you'd be replacing are gone? I guess if
you try in
> good faith to contact the placer, it'd be okay to re-use a hiding
place,
> though I'd write your own clues, if I were you. And the safest
course would be
> (as someone already suggested) find your own spot in the same area,
and do
> clues from scratch.
>
> DebBee
>
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]