Chasing Manatees - My Mistake

For those of you who don't know me, I live in the high desert, love to mountains and like to head there when the summer heat is getting on my nerves, but my true passion and love is for the beach.  Any chance I get, that is where I go.  No matter the weather or the month, I love the beach.

Can you imagine how excited I was when I read Geocaching and Manatee in the same sentence?  I instantly put on the big smile and started the happy dance!  And - began to read about this caching experience that I knew was going on my list of 'Do Soon' caches. 

It only took a few moments for me to realize that I was way off on this.  The smile drooped and the happy dance stopped as I read on.  The Taking Flight Geotour is located in Manatee County, Florida.  I have nothing against Florida; in fact I would love to do some caching there while visiting family; and maybe attend an event like Geowoodstock XI - but my heart was looking forward to a cache involving the those chunky cuties - the manatees.

I am not a total doom and gloom sort of person so I did read on.  Gotta tell you that it didn't take long for the smile to return and the feet get jittery - this is one remarkable GeoTour.  In fact, I have been learning about it for several weeks and just didn't know exactly how I could write about it.  There are so many amazing factors involved - my mind has just been swimming with all the info.

So - this is going to be a story done in stages.  And as I learn more and hear back from the cachers who have completed the tour, I will share their stories also.

Here goes - Taking Flight GeoTour - part one

Here's a bit of the info, taken directly from Geocaching.com.

 

TAKING  FLIGHT  GEOTOUR 

Check out the new Taking Flight GeoTour on the official geocaching.com website!  It's just launched as an official Groundspeak GeoTour - THE FIRST IN FLORIDA!  Thank you to our sponsors Sarasota Bay Estuary Program, Tampa Bay Estuary Program and Charlotte Harbor National Estuary Program for helping to make the tour happen.

 And here is a little bit of info from their own site -

 Visit the sites along the Taking Flight GeoTour, hunt for and find geocaches, and learn about Manatee County's wild spaces and the amazing feathered friends that live in them.

About the Taking Flight GeoTour

Visit the sites along the Taking Flight GeoTour (TFGT) and learn about Manatee County's wild spaces and the amazing feathered friends that live in them. Along the way, you will be challenged to become a citizen scientist, a preserve ranger, a detective, a historian and of course an excellent geocacher in order to find all of the caches on the trail. Caches are located in birding "hot spots" throughout Manatee County's publicly accessible conservation preserves. Each one highlights a specific bird species or aspect of bird life providing you with opportunities to learn more about these creatures and what we can do to help them survive. Caches also focus on protecting the region's waterways, bays, and natural watersheds, and habitat areas for many of our area's feathered friends. The Taking Flight GeoTour will launch August 20, 2012 and includes 15 caches within Manatee County. A trackable geo tag will be awarded to the first 300 geocachers, while supplies last, for locating at least 12 TFGT caches. To be eligible for the tag, geocachers must download and print a passport (click link to download and print out your passport) or pick one up at the Manatee County Natural Resources Department office at 415 10th St. W., Bradenton, FL 34205, Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Geocachers must log at least 12 finds, answer the question from each cache on their passport, and complete any additional requirements for specific caches (such as posting photos for earth caches).

After finding a minimum of 12 caches, participants can have their passports validated in person or via mail at the Manatee County Natural Resources Department office at 415 10th St. W., Bradenton, FL 34205, Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tracking Tags will be available beginning September 1, 2012. Please check back to this website for news and availability of tracking tags.

There you have it.  Part one of this story.  As I do a little research , and look at the areas the caches are located, it has become obvious that this is so much more than an adventure in geocaching.  This is a learning experience for the entire family, a fantastic photography opportunity, and a chance to see unlimited wild life.  It is amazing.

I will put together more info from the caches and include them in a new post soon.  Please check back for the updates and a bit about what it  took to put this together.  That is a story all in itself.

Unique Florida Event

     Another sleepless night led me to discover this article about an event that happened last week; and event hosted by the Manatee Natural Resources.  I have yet to find any follow up information but I will be searching and sharing.

     This is the article I found.

Manatee Natural Resources Hosts Geocache Hunt at Preserves

Participants may take GPS-enabled devices to find geo-treasures at 10 locations across Manatee

Published Monday, August 13, 2012

by Manatee County

MANATEE COUNTY – Manatee County Natural Resources Department will launch new Taking Flight GeoTour through Manatee County’s preserve system Monday, Aug. 20.

Participants will use their GPS devices to find hidden “geocaches” throughout Manatee County’s publicly owned preserves. Each geocache location has an educational focus and the entire tour itself is themed around birds, their habits, and habitats. Melissa Cain Nell, NRD Volunteer and Education Division Manager, described the tour as a high-tech treasure hunt in some of Manatee County’s most beautiful locations.

“As trail trekkers travel to each point on the tour they will learn about Manatee County’s unique feathered creatures and discover different aspects of bird life such as migration and nesting,” Cain Nell said. “The GeoTour spans all of Manatee County, from the beach on Anna Maria Island all the way east to Duette Preserve. In between, geocachers can find caches at 10 different conservation properties, three of which are currently undergoing restoration.”

The geotour is free and easy. All you’ll need is a GPS locator or GPS-enabled device like a smart phone. You’ll also need a copy of a free Taking Flight GeoTour Passport available at the NRD office at 415 10th St. W., Bradenton. The passports are also available on the county website at http://www.mymanatee.org/takingflightgeotour.

“The first 300 people complete at least 12 of the 15 caches on the passport will receive a free trackable geotag that they can then place in another cache and track as it travels around the world,” Cain Nell said. “Once you answer the questions on your passport, turn it in or mail it in to the office to receive your tracking tag.”

Participants can also just hunt for the caches without completing the activities by looking them up on Geocaching.com, but they won’t receive a tracking tag.

The trail’s Grand Opening will take place on Monday, Aug. 20, when the cache sites will go “live” on the Geocaching.com and will officially be available for people to find. The caches themselves can be looked up on geocacing.org or can be seen on the official County webpage at http://www.mymanatee.org/takingflightgeotour

The County page also features an interactive Google map with all of the cache coordinates, downloadable copies of the passport, basic geocaching information, and news and updates about the new project.

The Taking Flight GeoTour is sponsored by Manatee County Natural Resources Department, Sarasota Bay Estuary Program, Tampa Bay Estuary
and Charlotte Harbor National Estuary Program.

For more information on Manatee County’s Natural Resources Department call (941) 748-4501, ext. 4605 or visit www.mymanatee.org/naturalresources

     This sounds so SUPER!    
 Needless to say, I have already emailed my Florida connections and am anxiously awaiting a response from someone who attended and will share their experiences and photos.

Stay tuned for a followup.