GEOCACHERS WILL CLEAN UP AT SNCITO4 IN GREELY
Geocachers of Eastern Ontario and South Nation Conservation are inviting members of the general public to join forces with local and area geocachers on Saturday April 27 for a major clean-up in and around Greely.
It’ll be a prime opportunity to see the geocachers in action when they team up with SNC to present SNCITO4 (South Nation Cache In/Trash Out) at Shield’s Creek Park in Greely. Three previous SNCITOs were held at Cass Bridge Conservation Area (Winchester Springs), Jessup’s Falls Conservation Area (Plantagenet), and High Falls Conservation Area (Casselman).
The event starts with an outdoor catered breakfast at 8 a.m. along the banks of Shield’s Creek near the Old Prescott Road parking lot. Breakfast reservations should be made by April 21 by contacting Tjackson@nation.on.ca. Some 95 participants are expected from across Eastern Ontario.
“While CITO is designed primarily for experienced geocachers, it’s also a great occasion for beginners to pick up some of the basics,” said Tim Jackson, SNC Geographic Information Systems Technician.
“It’s also a good opportunity to donate some time to improving the environment because participants help with a cleanup of about 10 sites in vicinity of Greely, Findlay Creek, Manotick Station, and others.
Many new geocaches will be published on Geocaching.com for SNCITO4 participants to find. They’ll be divided into groups and taken to different cleanup sites, some of which will be a “walk in the park” and some very work intensive.
In the past, said Ian Mitchell, an experienced geocacher and SNCITO veteran, everything from rolls of fencing to a washing machine have been recovered during CITO cleanups. The most memorable item was probably an old Volkswagen beetle pulled from a slope leading down to the river.
The basic idea of geocaching, Mitchell explained, is to locate containers hidden outdoors, examine the contents, and share the discoveries online. The game is enjoyed by all age groups and builds a strong sense of community and support for the environment; he noted that thousands of geocaches have been established across Eastern Ontario. For more information on the game of geocaching, visit www.Geocaching.com.
Geocachers are always on the lookout for special prizes, one of which is a special geocoin with a tracking number designed by SNC which is now in its fourth edition. The owner of a geocoin can activate it on Geocaching.com, give it a name and mission, and place it in a cache; a coin can be moved from cache to cache, with its progress tracked on line.
The appeal of three distinct designs of the handsome, gold and silver coloured $10 coin has reached beyond geocachers, with many being purchased as collectors items. The latest version will be introduced April 27 in Greely where it’ll be available for sale along with the three previous coins.
FOR MORE INFORMATION - Tim Jackson, SNC, 1-877-984-2948. tjackson@nation.on.ca