Indiana DNR

Congratulations on the winners of the Spring Geocaching Quest. They were selected from dozens of returned entries and over 370 geocaching teams that played. See if you recognize any from their real names below: Grand Prize Winner (DNR pass, $100 gift card, $50 Cabelas Gift Card, State Museum Tickets) Karen Tagliaferri South Bend, IN Other Prize Winners: Cathy Vannice Elletsville, IN Larry Cosmo St. John, IN Brian Sheahan Plainfield, IN Steven Kenaga Anderson, IN Anne Hartman Indianapolis, IN George Buss Muncie, IN Gina Schmidt Elletsville, IN Jillian Baker Greenfield, IN

No

The DNR recently changed over the website to a new format. Thus, many links may have changed. Geocaching Quest information is now found here: http://www.in.gov/dnr/parklake/11984.htm

A couple quick announcements... Some have had trouble seeing the gamepiece parks. We are uploading a darker gamepiece onto the geocaching pages today. Also, congrats to Los Lacos. Their name was drawn from nearly 100 geocache logs from this weekend. They're getting a DNR unactivated geocoin. Congrats!

Below is from this thread: http://forums.Groundspeak.com/GC/index.php...mp;hl=McDonalds We used the letter, tweaked for our local McDonalds and was successful in getting free drinks provided for our CITO a few years back. When I consider that the majority may turn you down, I depend on writing a lot of letters to local businesses, expecting only a couple will help out. Of course, personally visiting probably gives you better luck than a mass mailing. Here's the text from a letter I wrote (and will mail) to the McDonald's closest to our CITO event: I didn't spend as much time on it as I might a resume or scholarship application, but I think it gets the point across, and it fits on one page. Jamie

They have asked to get some photos by Monday. If I can get any suggested shots by Sunday, that would be great. Thanks

I'm not sure what link you may have seen that redirects you to the wrong site, but as mentioned above you can go to http://www.interpretiveservices.in.gov to see the FAQ and get the gamecard. The game cards will also be available on each geocache page, which should get published sometime this afternoon/early evening. Hold of on your PQ until then! Thanks

I have a request for geocaching pictures. The Herald Times newspaper out of Bloomington is doing a geocaching article, featuring the new state geocaching contest. They are seeking images that show geocachers doing their thing in an Indiana State Park. I have a few I can send, but wanted to do a call out to see if anyone has some nice geocaching pictures they would want to send me (highest quality possible). They are interested in statewide, but if you have one from a nearby park (Brown County, McCormick's, Turkey Run, Spring Mill, etc) that may add more local flavor to the article. If you have a cool one you'd like to share, you can post it here, but please also email it to me to preserve the original quality at BBumgardner@dnr.in.gov. This is a short notice, thanks.

Honestly, I had not considered it. I just read the guidelines for a hybrid, and see no reason why these wouldn't qualify. My only question would be whether these need listed on a letterbox site to qualify? I may explore having them listed as hybrids. There is a large bulk prize for the winner of the outer square drawing. There are no plans for promoting any race like feel to the contest, as was the case with the Fall Into Geocaching. There are bonus prizes and extra rewards in place for participants that have not been promoted. They will be revealed to folks that complete a card and submit it in the contest.

I'm glad to hear this is coming back. As a property resource manager, I used the feature to see the history of geocaches in certain parks.

Thanks 501 Gang for posting the initial information. Most of the questions can be answerd through the FAQs posted on the website above. The press release also answers some other questions. I have pasted it below from the DNR website. You'll probably see it in your local paper this week. The Spring Geocaching Quest starts April 5, giving Indiana State Park visitors who have access to a GPS receiver yet another reason to visit Indiana's State Parks, Reservoirs, and Recreation Areas. The Quest invites visitors to explore these state properties for a chance at an assortment of prizes, featuring a $100 gift card to the state park inns, $50 gift cards from Cabela's, prizes from Dick's Sporting Goods, and Indiana State Museum tickets. Geocaches will be hidden at 24 state properties for players to find and use to stamp a special bingo-style game card, which can be downloaded at geocaching.com. At the same Web site, players can search under "Spring Geocaching Quest" to get the coordinates for each hidden geocache. Each game card must be postmarked by July 7 to be eligible for the different prizes, the reception of which is based on how each player completes the card. Random caches stashed throughout the spring may contain gift certificates from Dick's Sporting Goods and tickets to the state museum. The grand prize for completing a large square on the game card includes a $100 Inns Gift card, a 2008 DNR Annual Entrance Pass, a $50 gift card from Cabela's, and four free tickets to the state museum. Additional prizes will go out for each 5-in-a-row that is completed on the game card and mailed in before the July 7 deadline. Special Spring Geocaching Quest geocaches will be found on the following state properties: Brookville Lake, Brown County, Clifty Falls, Fort Harrison, Indiana Dunes, J. Edward Roush Lake, Lieber SRA, Lincoln, McCormick's Creek, Mississinewa, Mounds, O'Bannon Woods, Ouabache, Patoka Lake, Pokagon, Potato Creek, Raccoon, Salamonie, Shakamak, Spring Mill, Summit Lake, Tippecanoe River, Versailles, and Whitewater Memorial. The Spring Geocaching Quest also coincides with a revamped park patch program for kids of all ages called "Hoosier Quest." Visitors to the State Parks and Reservoirs this summer can connect with the state parks and earn special patches and pins to take home. For more information on the Hoosier Quest program, visit a State Park or Reservoir Nature Center. Participation in Quest is free, but regular State Park and Reservoir per-vehicle entrance fees of $4 for Indiana residents, $5 for Indiana residents on the weekend, and $7 for out-of-state residents ($10 out of state at Indiana Dunes State Park) apply. Annual Entrance Passes are also available at park entrances.