Geocaching: Join The Hunt At Irvine Nature Center

Online, July 5, 2011 (Newswire.com) - Irvine Nature Center recently incorporated geocaching into their list of family-friendly outdoor activities. Five "caches" are located on their 116-acre property for people of all ages to come out and search for.

Geocaching is done with the help of a handheld navigational system. Cache seekers plug specific longitude and latitude coordinates into a GPS and then hike to a location where a container holds a log book, and often a prize. With the help of Ranger Rick and the National Wildlife Federation, Irvine has now joined the worldwide geocaching community and offers five nature-oriented boxes for their visitors and members to search out while on the property.

Just a few hours after the first cache was officially posted in Irvine's new Outdoor Classroom, a cache finder commented "I've always passed Irvine, but never stopped. Thanks for placing this cache and bringing me here!" Steven Mickletz, an Irvine naturalist, believes the geocaching trend will continue. "This is a great activity for families with a smart phone. It's a fun combination of technology and being outdoors."

Irvine has rental GPS units available for families without their own equipment. Players should be sure to log their name, record their experiences and check out any other cool things inside each cache box. Geocaching at Irvine is limited to Irvine's 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. business hours.

Irvine Nature Center is located on 116 acres of woodlands, wetlands and meadows in the breathtaking Caves Valley area. In addition to geocaching, Irvine offers opportunities for visitors to explore nature, including special events like Native Plant Seminar & Sale, the Nature Preschool, summer camps, field trips, green weddings and an interactive natural history museum. For more information, visit www.ExploreNature.org.

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Founded in 1975 by Olivia Irvine Dodge, Irvine is an environmental education organization. Our mission is to educate and inspire current and future generations to explore, respect and protect nature. Irvine is located at 11201 Garrison Forest Road in Owings Mills, Md. Call 410-738-9200 or visit www.ExploreNature.org for more information.