Visitors to Hawk Mountain Sanctuary, a raptor sanctuary located at 1700 Hawk Mountain Road, Kempton, were invited to bundle up and hit snow-covered trails to complete a geocache challenge on Saturday, Feb. 21. Participation was included with the regular per-person, trail-use fee at the conservation site.
For the uninitiated, geocaching is a kind of treasure hunt. Using GPS (Global Positioning System) coordinates, explorers find a small container or marker. At Hawk Mountain, the caches did not include small trinkets or sign-in sheets, as many geocache sites do. Instead, upon completion of the challenge, participants were invited to return to the visitors’ center to pick up a prize: a paper bird craft or a rubber “Hawk Mountain” bracelet.
The center is the home base for many educational programs offered at the sanctuary. The building houses a display on birds of prey, including several stuffed specimens, as well as a three-dimensional, interactive map of the property. Nearby, a bay window is set up for bird watching, with comfortable bench seating inside and a bird feeder, visited by dozens of hungry birds at a time, right outside. There is also a well-stocked gift shop offering bird-themed t-shirts, clothing, toys, books and more.
Greeting participants at the nature center was Rob Neubert, a winter intern at Hawk Mountain Sanctuary. He explained winter geocaching was a new event for the organization, one of several happenings he has planned to increase cold-weather activity at Hawk Mountain Sanctuary. For the geocache challenge, Neubert set up a bright display, including posters explaining more about the sport, papers listing the geocaches to be found, and more information about the sanctuary.
Neubert prepared for the event by canvassing the trails on Hawk Mountain’s acreage and selecting different sites for explorers to discover. Each included specific focal points, including views of the snow-covered valley below. Upon discovering each, geocachers were asked either to write a description of the view from that spot or take a digital photo to capture the site.
In order to accommodate different ages, Neubert came up with two separate challenge lists, one for beginners and a second for intermediate hikers. Both challenges included five locations, each listed with GPS coordinates.
Visitors could bring their own GPS device, or use one of the hand-held GPS units available at the check-in table. Also available were two sets of scavenger hunt sheets. Each listed a variety of animals, plants and even foot prints for visitors to find as they set out geocaching.
The weather was a challenge the day of the geocache, and not many people participated. The trails were already covered with a foot or more of snow, and fresh powder began falling during the day. However, Neubert is excited about the possibility of offering similar activities in the weeks ahead. He is planning a winter hike on snow shoes in March.
Neubert is also in the process of writing grant applications. The potential increase in funds means Hawk Mountain will be able to expand winter activities at the sanctuary.
“Next winter,” he confirmed, “we can offer more programs. That way, it will be more year-round.”
With a history dating back to the Great Depression, Hawk Mountain Sanctuary is the world’s largest member-supported raptor conservation group. The site is open daily, and visitors are asked to pay an entrance fee before exploring the trails and catching site of the birds and other wild animals who live on the property. For more information visitors may visit their website, www.hawkmountain.org, or call Hawk Mountain Sanctuary at 610-756-6961.
