By: angiehongmn
Keeping water clean, Outdoor Adventures, ,

Introducing the new Clean Water Geocaching Trail

From Jenn Radtke

Have you ever pretended to be a pirate, placed a patch over your eye and held a map in your hands with a big X on it? The X, of course, marks the spot of buried treasure! Well, this summer you don’t have to pretend anymore! The East Metro Water Resource Education Program is sponsoring its first ever Clean Water Geocaching Trail. Geocaching is a real-world outdoor treasure hunt using GPS-enabled devices. Simply enter in the GPS coordinates and then attempt to find a hidden geocache, or a container of some sort, that is hidden at that location. The patch is, of course, optional.

Our Clean Water Geocaching Trail takes you to some of the most beautiful parts of the East Metro Area of the Twin Cities where you will find one of the most precious treasures of all – clean water. From raingardens to cleaner lakes, stabilized ravines and fish barriers, you can grab your swim suit, fishing pole or hiking shoes along with a GPS device or smartphone for an outdoor adventure along the way.

How to Play:

Visit each of the 9 clean water sites around the East Metro Area of the Twin Cities and find the secret letter to reveal a message. The first 10 people to complete the trail can stop in at the Washington Conservation Center for a prize – a nature book of your choice! Plus there are other cool prizes to find along the way! Simply enter the coordinates into a personal GPS device or download the FREE OpenCaching App on your iPhone or Android smart phone.

This is what you’ll be looking for.

There are 5 large geocaches to find, and they are contained within a plain white Nalgene bottle with an “Official Geocache” sticker. When you find it there will be a description of the clean water project (with the secret letter), a log book to sign, and a small treasure that you may take. The remaining 4 locations are mirco-caches with log books; at these locations, you will have to find the secret letter from interpretive signage at the location.

Successful geocaching adventures take a little planning to keep things safe and fun. Make sure you have the things on this list while out and about:

  1. GPS Device or smartphone
  2. A parent or friend
  3. Hiking shoes
  4. Sunscreen & bug spray
  5. Flashlight w/ extra batteries
  6. Pen & notebook
  7. Camera
  8. Plenty of water
  9. Snacks
  10. Appropriate clothing

Geocaching is an activity done “at your own risk.” The East Metro Water Resource Education Program is not liable for accident or injury.

For questions, directions, and hints visit www.mnwcd.org/geocache or contact Jenn Radtke at the East Metro Water Resource Education Program: 651-330-8220 x.44 or jradtke@mnwcd.org.