Events associated with earthcaches/earthcaching

[+danieloliveira]

I am proud to report that in Portugal, as a result of increased earthcache placements, one of my earthcaches Dykes and Sills Earthcache - DP/EC2 (GCPZC9) was been chosen as the location for a nationwide publicised event in the Programme "Geologia no Verão" (Geology in the Summer). This Programme runs every summer and aims to place geology within reach of the layman and participation is open to all who register. Below you can see the description of the activity (mostly in Portuguese):

 

The event took place on the 26th of July and this is a copy of the publicised www page:

 

Título: Geocaching+Geologia=Earthcaching

(Departamento de Geologia da Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade de Lisboa)

Data: 26-07-2008 14:00:00 Lista de Espera

Ponto de encontro: Praia das Avencas, Parede

Localidade: Parede / CASCAIS / LISBOA

Itinerário: Praia das Avencas e nas suas imediações.

Duração: 4,3 h

Inscrição prévia obrigatória: SIM Lista de Espera

Responsável pela acção: Mário Cachão

Descrição: Os participantes nesta actividade irão travar conhecimento com o Geocaching e o Earthcaching, novas ferramentas para a promoção e divulgação das geociências.

Notas: Com a colaboração de Geocaching@PT.

 

This event shows how earthcaching has now become a viable tool to divulge and even perhaps teach facets of the earth sciences to people who have no idea where they are stepping on while walking through the blue planet. In addition participants also learnt about geocaching and the different facets thereof.

This activity results from joint efforts that myself and a fellow geologist and colleague have undertaken with the Faculty of Science of the University of Lisbon through Mário Cachão who is a a professor of paleontology at the university.

 

To make the same event enticing for geocachers nationwide, my colleague Paulo Henriques, organized a geocaching event cache to run simultaneously with the "Geologia no Verão" activity. The event is named the same as the activity Geologia+Geocaching=Earthcaching! (GC1DM08).

 

The "Geologia no Verão" limited the number of participants to a maximum of 25 and we had people on the waiting list so it was rather successful.

 

Below are some pictures taken during the event:

 

The event site: Praia das Avencas, Parede (approx. 17 km W of central Lisbon) - looking west

 

Another view of the beach - looking east

 

The dykes in the middle ground

 

The "teachers"

 

The (attentive) audience

 

More of the audience

 

Post event picture

 

 

If you'd like to see more pictures follow the links of the event cache and go through the logs.

[+geoaware]

Wonderful! Thank you so much for sharing this with us. And to be honest, this also makes me extremely proud of your EarthCache!

 

International EarthCache Day is Sunday 12 October this year. I hope that people will do a similar thing and organize some form of activity around EarthCaching. Maybe a talk to local people about what an EarthCache is or a training session for people who would like to set up EarthCaches.

 

I am told that he guidelines for event caches prevents us from using that form of geocache to promote EarthCaches by taking people to them....so we need to be more creative on what we can do.

 

Any ideas?

[Nomex]

I am told that he guidelines for event caches prevents us from using that form of geocache to promote EarthCaches by taking people to them....so we need to be more creative on what we can do.

 

I'm not exactly sure who told you that, but for clarification, the Guidelines say....

 

In addition, an event cache should not be set up for the sole purpose of drawing together cachers for an organized hunt of another cache or caches. Such group hunts are best organized using the forums or an email distribution list.

 

I would think that an Event to promote Earthcaches through education, would make a fine Event. Just because there happens to be an Earthcache nearby doesn't mean you can't fashion Event around the same area, no more than you would exclude a location because there are several Geocaches nearby.

 

I would think, that as long as you avoid phrasing the Event page like this....

 

We're gathering together at the above coordinates in order to log the nearby Earthcache...

 

And put more emphasis on the Earthcache program like this.....

 

Join us to learn about Earthcaches and the role that the Geological Society of America plays in Reviewing and Publishing this cache type. Learn how to research a potential Earthcache, how to obtain permission, and how to submit an Earthcache through the GSA site.

 

You would probably be OK. I would recommend working with your local Volunteer Reviewer to find out what would be acceptable and what to avoid.

 

Hmmmmm....I wonder if I should check with my buddy at the USGS to see if there's some interest for an Event on October 12th

[+TerryDad2]

Way cool. I'd love to see that kind of recognition here in the states. I wouldn't even mind if one of mine was the subject either.

[+DeRock & The Psychic Cacher]

Right on the money Nomex on all accounts!

 

Geoaware - I like your idea and I'm going to run with it for a local event here in my area. (International EarthCache Day is Sunday 12 October this year. I hope that people will do a similar thing and organize some form of activity around EarthCaching. Maybe a talk to local people about what an EarthCache is or a training session for people who would like to set up EarthCaches.)

 

Deane

AKA: DeRock & the Psychic Cacher - Grattan MI

[+danieloliveira]

Wonderful! Thank you so much for sharing this with us. And to be honest, this also makes me extremely proud of your EarthCache!

 

International EarthCache Day is Sunday 12 October this year. I hope that people will do a similar thing and organize some form of activity around EarthCaching. Maybe a talk to local people about what an EarthCache is or a training session for people who would like to set up EarthCaches.

 

I am told that he guidelines for event caches prevents us from using that form of geocache to promote EarthCaches by taking people to them....so we need to be more creative on what we can do.

 

Any ideas?

 

Since you mention earthcache day.......

In 2006, when I was approached by Geoaware to promote Earthcache day, I organised an event cache at the same location. The meet was also highly successful and involved a in situ explanation of the geological phenomena.

Check it out HERE.

 

Sadly in 2007 no event was organised as I was working hard elsewhere. I'm thinking of something along the same lines for this year but at another earthcache nearby.

[+danieloliveira]

There are definite plans to commemorate "Earthcache Day 2008" in Portugal. Stay tuned......

[+Cav Scout]

Its earthcache day everyday in Kentucky

 

Keep on publishing those ECs Geoaware.

[+danieloliveira]

Its now official: EarthCache Day 2008 - PT edition.

 

Will post a full review with lots of pics after the event.

[+danieloliveira]

12 October 2008. The day dawned late and grey… and misty…and muggy. Was St. Peter about to spoil EarthCache Day 2008 – Pt edition? We would find out in approximately two hours.

The previous days had been a hive of activity preparing the field guides for the 51 “will attend”, printing them and getting some “goodies” for (some of) the kids on site. On the day and because of St. Peter’s quirks we had to hunt for our weatherproof jackets as well about an hour and a half before kickoff time.

Getting to Ground Zero meant having to circumvent the Marginal road due to the Estoril Triathlon that would take place that morning.

At GZ the die hard cachers and the other half of the organisation waited patiently for everyone to arrive. The surprise was that in spite of a possible wet morning, ever more cars kept arriving and out of those ever more cachers and other interested muggles kept streaming out of them.

With ten minutes to go before kick off, St Peter opened up the flood gates and a heavy rain fell sending the die hard into the Cresmina Fort and the less brave scurrying for their cars. Some still considered abandoning the event but a clearer southern sky persuaded them that good times (and weather) was still ahead.

The geological explanations at stops one, two and three took place under this heavy rain with people huddled in groups under umbrellas, rock outcrops or under the hoods of their weatherproof jackets. The kids seemed not to mind the rain at all. Why do adults?

Prof. Paulo Fonseca kept the audience enthralled with explanations of dykes, sills, transition zones, marine platforms, gastroliths and other fossil remains and the cachers eagerly taking notes; as best as possible on wet paper, and getting the solutions to the various earthcaches along the route.

The walk along the Guincho road must have raised a few eyebrows amongst the passers by. Would you be surprised with about a hundred people filing by in the midst of a heavy downpour?

At the Praia Grande do Guincho, St Peter, having exhausted his reserves of H2O, let up on the rain and the traverse across the wet sand to an extinct volcano was done under a much more jovial mood. Of course amongst every group there were those that questioned whether a volcano did really exist on the spot – geologist’s fairy tales?

Into the contact metamorphic zone of the limestones the group waded flanked by angry sea on one side and green, peaceful mountains on the other and bubbling geology at our feet- dykes, the principle of intrusion, the x-dykes (how do they form?) and the sills in the now grey limestones in the scarps of the mountain. Hanging valleys? Wow!

At approximately half past one the still strong, and thirsty for science, group arrived at the final “observation platform” to view the dykes and sills in the mountain side with Sintra (s.l.) looming above.

From the positive comments received in situ I would say that the event was a success (and something to be repeated?)

 

Check out the pics in the logs and HERE