Thursday, June 4 (2015)
Dickinson County Nature Center
2279 170th Street
Okoboji, IA 51355
call 712-336-6352
or click here
Time: All Day. People of all ages are invited to a special geocaching event at Kenue Park in Okoboji. What is geocaching? According to geocaching . com the widely used “go to” for everything geocache related, geocaching is defined as “a real-world, outdoor treasure hunting game using GPS-enabled devices. Participants navigate to a specific set of GPS coordinates and then attempt to find the geocache (container) hidden at that location.” Four National Wildlife Foundation Ranger Rick geocaches have been established in the area around the Dickinson County Nature Center in Okoboji, and four more have been added at the Horseshoe Bend Wildlife Area south of Milford. “With geocaching being a popular and global activity, it was only natural to include it in our new offerings within Kenue Park and Horseshoe Bend Park for our county residents and visitors alike,” said naturalist Karess Knudtson. “One of the main goals for these new geocaches is to introduce people to the activity who have not previously geocached before. A second goal is to encourage families to go outside and explore nature together. Geocaching gives them an opportunity to be in our county parks and enjoy a hike with the added excitement of finding the cache. The fun is the find.” Geocaching uses handheld GPS units or smartphone navigational systems to find hidden caches — containers that are camouflaged to blend into their surroundings. People can check out a GPS unit from the nature center or they can download an app for their smartphones using the directions from the geocaching display within the nature center. Whichever system is used, geocachers will follow directions that will lead them to within just a few feet of the cache. Then they explore to find where it might be hidden. Once the participants find the cache, they can read the clue on the enclosed card to figure out what Ranger Rick character is represented at that stop, then stamp the animal’s footprint on their souvenir passport, and finally record their names and the date in the logbook.