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 Member NewsletterMarch/April 2011 

If April showers bring May flowers, then we should have a spectacular spring...with no shortage of caching events. April also means CITO, so show your love for the parks by attending one of the 11 CITO activities scheduled this month.

 

Speaking of events, we have some big ones planned this summer: We're Going APE...All Over Again, following the Thompson Brigade down the Columbia, and relaxing at our 8th annual Summer Campout (register today!). Of course, we had some fun at events this winter, as well. 

 

Bling alert - we're now taking orders for our 2011 suncatcher geocoin. Maybe you can drop one into one of our Fa vorite Caches. Some of our favorite cachers have been in the news lately (or soon will be), and we've been asked to teach geocaching to statewide parks staff. Speaking of outreach, check out the latest geocaching presentations and brochures. Oh, and WSGA is now a registered state nonprofit, which has some advantages.  

 

If you haven't renewed your WSGA membership for 2011, time's a-wastin'! Your dues determine club activities and chapter allocations, plus members get discounts on coins and events, as well as special bonuses (last year, it was pathtags and patches). Also, non-members will be removed from our Member Newsletter mailing list in May, so renew today!  

 

Finally, a warm welcome to kidvegas19, our new Inland Empire Chapter Rep. 

coin2011 WSGA Geocoin Now Available
 

WSGA 2011 geocoinThe 2011 WSGA geocoin (designed by Suckerish) is at the mint, and should arrive in late April. We're minting 500 coins with a black-nickel finish, and the WSGA section is translucent (suncatcher). It looks fabulous (the colors are much brighter than shown here). 

 

Order yours today. Members get a discount and have exclusive ordering privileges until April 20, when we'll open it to the public. More pricing and ordering details. Thanks to FluteFace for all her hard work in managing our geocoin process! 

citoIt's CITO Time!
 

April means CITO, and we have 11 CITO events scheduled around Washington this month - come out and show your love for our parks! The more we help the parks, the more support we'll get for geocaching from the land managers, as has been demonstrated in several park systems. Thanks to all the geocachers who've organized CITOs this year in partnership with their local parks.  

 

And remember: CITO events aren't limited to Earth Day - we encourage you to talk to your local parks and organize a CITO anytime it will help them. Parks at every level - city, county, state, federal - can benefit from a CITO event.

campoutSummer Campout: Make Your Reservations

Registration is now open for the 8th annual WSGA Summer Campout. The Campout will be Aug. 5-7 at Chief Timothy Park outside Clarkston. Our hosts, quadsinthemudd and the Inland Empire chapter, have lots of fun stuff planned, and the Goodie Bags will include a Campout pathtag.

 

We've booked 16 tent and 15 RV spots (tent sites accommodate two tents). All the details, including activities, pricing, and registration, are on the event page.

 

Early registration bonus: If you register for a campsite before May 31, you'll be entered in a drawing for special prizes. Member bonus: All geocachers are welcome, but if you're a WSGA member, you'll save more than the cost of annual dues on your campsite and registration.

apeeventGoing APE...All Over Again
 

The Tunnel of Light will reopen this summer, and WSGA is hosting a tunnel-warming party during International Geocaching weekend so that geocachers from all over can experience the spooky two-mile hike through the tunnel to the APE cache.

 

We're hosting Going APE...All Over Again on Sunday, Aug. 21, at Hyak. That's the day after the Groundspeak Block Party, which is a mega-event bringing people from around the globe back to the PNW for another trek to the Triad.  

 

If you were at Going APE during GeoWoodstock last year, you know it got rave reviews and enhanced WSGA's rep among geocachers - so let's do it again!No buses or fees this time; we'll pay for the park permits and refreshments and just enjoy ourselves. Groundspeak is even advertising it on the Block Party page!   

 

This will be WSGA's signature event for 2011, and we'll need lots of member support for it to be successful. And some fund-raising - buy our coins, talk to your chapter rep about holding raffles at your events. Hydnsek is directing the event, so please contact her if you can help. (Thanks to Cowboy Wayne for volunteering to reprise his Sasquatch role at the cache!) 

brigadeWelcoming the Thompson Columbia Brigade

WSGA is participating in the 2011 David Thompson Columbia Brigade activities commemorating the 200th anniversary of the trip taken by David Thompson in 1811 along the Columbia River from Canada to the river's mouth. The activities include a 6-week, 1200-mile canoe trip from Invermere, BC to Astoria, Oregon, along the route taken by Thompson. The first Brigade geocaching event has already been published in British Columbia.  

 

Acfunk is managing our participation, which includes events in four chapter areas along the Columbia, tentatively Kettle Falls (June 17/18), Wenatchee (June 27), Pasco (July 3), Ft. Vancouver (July 12). Read more. 

 

Four WSGA Chapters are involved: Inland Empire, Cache-cadia, South Central, and Southwest. Planning is underway (go, idajo2!), and chapter reps are looking for volunteers to help with events and themed cache placements. Please contact acfunk or your chapter rep if you can help. 

faveOur Favorite Caches

Each month, we highlight a cache (or series) that gets Favorite votes but has been overlooked by WSGA's Cache of the Month and Cache Recommendations (until now), and many cachers. Ideally, we're looking for caches that have been around a while but never got noticed, or those in out-of-the-way areas that are a "must do" next time we're in the vicinity.  

This month's entry: N 46° / W 122°, which is at a degree confluence in Gifford Pinchot NF northeast of Vancouver. There are 23 degree confluences in Washington State, and although this one is remote, it's easily accessed. The cache was published in early 2010 but was in the works for years, with much time, effort, and cost to bring it to fruition. When you visit, make sure to get a picture of your GPS at N 46 00.000 W 122 00.000 - not something you see every day!

Have a favorite cache to recommend that's not on our lists? Contact jcar.
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parksPark Outreach: WRPA Presentations

Thanks to WSGA's outreach program with our parks, WRPA Today ran an article about us in Summer 2010. The Washington Recreation & Park Association (WRPA) is the professional organization for employees of city and county parks. The article, "Geocachers Promote Park Partnerships," appeared in the Summer 2010 issue (PDF file) - huge positive impact with park personnel across the state.

Now WRPA has asked us to teach geocaching to statewide summer recreation staff (around 200 people) during its Skillbuilder training day on June 11 in Tukwila. This is a tremendous opportunity to build relationships with park personnel!

 

Thanks to rodgowdy for offering to head up this outreach effort; please email rodgowdy if you can help.

fameCachers in the News

PBS logoLast year, several WSGA cachers were interviewed for two PBS documentaries. The first, "Brain Fitness: Peak Performance," ran on PBS stations across the country in December, and featured Jeremy and Bryan, TotemLake, W7WT, hydnsek, and our Going APE event.

The second documentary, "Treasure Trackers," which focuses just on geocaching, will run in June on PBS stations. Can't wait to view it and see which of our locals get their 15 minutes of fame this time!

TotemLake has had a full hour of fame lately for his HOTM outings. First, he was featured in Groundspeak's Latitude 47 video blog, now he's in Snowshoe Magazine's piece on snowshoe caching (along with the Groundspeak folks). Way to go, Greg! 

resourcesNeed a Geocaching Presentation?

Groundspeak now offers an Introduction to Geocaching PowerPoint presentation that you can download and use in outreach presentations. There's even a spot to add the WSGA logo for co-branding.

WSGA also has a "What is Geocaching?" presentation that we can provide upon request (email hydnsek). Our presentation can be customized to your audience - there are slides targeted for the general public, others specifically for parks personnel, etc.

Maybe you need handouts for an event booth or presentation. WSGA has a customized version of Groundspeak's Guide to Geocaching brochure, available in b/w and color.

Finally, why join WSGA? What does our organization do? What benefits do members receive? If you've been asked these questions, check out our WSGA Benefits flyer. You can print it for events, or forward it to friends.
 nonprofitWSGA Has State Nonprofit Status

WSGA is now a registered nonprofit organization in the State of Washington. Being a state nonprofit puts us on solid legal footing, exempts us from most state taxes, provides price breaks on event fees (state parks - APE event) and some room rentals (community centers, e.g.), and enables us to legally hold fund-raising lotteries at events. (No, this is not federal 501c3 status, so you can't write off expenses or mileage.) Thanks to jcar for getting the ball rolling, and to Lucymogus for handling the paperwork (contact Lucymogus if you have questions). 


eventsUpcoming Events
Join WSGA
Your annual dues help support geocaching in Washington.
From the President's Desk
hydnsek

Apologies for the tardiness of this newsletter, but I hope it's worth the wait - lots going on!


What would you like to see in the newsletter? We welcome contributions, such as jcar's monthly "Favorite Caches," as we can't be everywhere. Just send me your ideas, writeups, or photos!

  

Thanks for your support of WSGA, and I look forward to seeing you at a geocaching event soon.   

 

  Contact hydnsek    
Mailing Address

WSGA

P.O. Box 971

Liberty Lake, WA 99019

 

Board Meetings

WSGA's Board of Directors meetings are open to all members. Meetings are online at 7:00 p.m. on the specified dates, except for the Annual General Meeting at the Summer Campout. To join an online meeting, click Live Chat in the menu bar on the WSGA site.

2011 Board meetings:
  • Jan. 27 - done! 
  • Mar. 24 - done! 
  • May 26
  • July 28
  • Aug. 6 (Campout)
  • Sept. 9
  • Oct. 27
Questions and agenda items may be sent to the President up to one week before each meeting.  
Board Minutes

The Minutes of Board meetings are accessible from the WSGA home page (lower left column), and an archive of Board Minutes back to 2007 is also available.
Activation Codes  for Trackables

Looking for the activation codes for the 2010 WSGA coin, APE coin or cachekinz? Here they are:

APE cachekinz - CACHE
APE coin - TUNNEL
WSGA 2010 coin - SALMON

boardContact WSGA Board Members
Who We Are

WSGA LogoThe Washington State Geocaching Association was founded in September 2002 to support geocachers and geocaching throughout the state of Washington.

The WSGA exists to:
  • Promote geocaching as a fun, family-oriented activity that increases awareness of the outdoors and our parks and trails.
  • Provide opportunities for the community to enjoy geocaching and to socialize with other geocachers.
  • Increase awareness and support of geocaching through interaction with other outdoor groups, geocaching clubs, and the public.
  • Educate geocachers about low-impact geocaching and promote stewardship of our natural resources.
  • Represent geocaching interests in public forums and to land managers.
  • Promote CITO activities to help maintain parks and trail systems.
This email was sent to jac_bertrand@msn.com by contact@wsgaonline.org |  
Washington State Geocaching Association | P.O. Box 971 | Liberty Lake | WA | 99019-0971