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goje0601
Geocacher
Joined: 10 Aug 2010
Posts: 5
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 Posted: Tue Aug 10, 2010 6:50 pm Post subject: Visit Wild River SP on 8/22/10 and help me with my thesis! |
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Hello! My name is Jessica Rosier and I am a graduate student at St. Cloud State University. I am studying Geography with an emphasis in Tourism Planning and Development. I am writing my thesis on geocaching, too! This is very exciting to me because it something that is relatively new and there is a real lack of research and published information on the topic.
Through my research, I hope to determine if geocaching is a good way to learn about a state park's natural resources and history. I have chosen Wild River State Park, near Taylors Falls, as the setting for my study. I have visited the park several times and attempted to survey geocachers about their experience there to see what they've learned about the park. Unfortunately, there have not been a lot of people around to survey!
Would you like to join me on Sunday, August 22 at 1 p.m.? If you are wiling to help me with my research, I ask that you visit the park in the morning, find some caches, and then meet at the Visitor Center/Museum at 1 p.m. Then I will ask you to fill out a five-minute survey about your experience geocaching that day.
Please let me know. Thank you!
Jessica Rosier
jessicarosier@gmail.com
P.S. – Wild River has just set up a brand new puzzle cache – maybe you’d be interested in trying it! They also have...
-Wildlife Safari
-History Cache 1 (this is very challenging and has been found by less than a dozen cachers)
-(Way)points of Interest
-Nevers Dam
-Old Military Road
-Sunrise Trail (south)
-Sunrise Trail (north)
Last edited by goje0601 on Tue Aug 10, 2010 9:13 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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bflentje
Geocacher
Joined: 29 May 2006
Posts: 3655
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| Posted: Tue Aug 10, 2010 7:21 pm Post subject: |
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I think that between this and the personal messages we're all being sent might border on SPAM. It's a good thing you might have a good cause.  |
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blueberry
Geocacher
Joined: 10 Aug 2010
Posts: 1
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| Posted: Tue Aug 10, 2010 9:02 pm Post subject: Great idea for your research |
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goje0601 -
This sounds like a great thesis project. I am sure your research results will be useful not only to Wild River State Park, but to the entire State Parks System.
I plan to attend and will tell my friends as well.  Promotion is always good- more people, more caches found, more surveys = better results for the State of MN!
blueberry  |
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Kurt Franke
Past MnGCA Board
Joined: 22 Sep 2005
Posts: 411
Location: Saint Cloud, MN
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| Posted: Wed Aug 11, 2010 7:49 am Post subject: |
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I'm going to do what I can to help with this project/thesis as well. Not sure if I will make Wild River State Park though.
Kurt
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"Biddle, Biddle, Biddle, ,Biddle, Biddle..."
Jerry Jempson |
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TheGilby4
Geocacher
Joined: 01 Nov 2005
Posts: 714
Location: Southwest Metro
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| Posted: Wed Aug 11, 2010 9:06 am Post subject: |
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I recommend coming to a geocaching event or two and surveying people there. I would say that a large majority of the cachers at the events will have found many caches within the state parks.
_________________
"There is a pleasure in the pathless woods..." - Lord Byron |
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goje0601
Geocacher
Joined: 10 Aug 2010
Posts: 5
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| Posted: Wed Aug 11, 2010 9:48 am Post subject: |
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| TheGilby4 wrote: |
| I recommend coming to a geocaching event or two and surveying people there. I would say that a large majority of the cachers at the events will have found many caches within the state parks. |
Thank you for the great idea- a lot of people have emailed me to say they are interested in attending an event at Wild River State Park. They want to find the new puzzlecache and then work on the illusive "History Cache I." According to the naturalists, the cache has only been found by 9 people! I myself have worked on it for two days...pretty tough...I need to dedicate some more time to that!
http://files.dnr.state.mn.us/destinations/state_parks/wild_river/wild_river_cache.pdf
People will be coming to the park on Sunday, August 22 to work on this...it does take a LOT of time, so perhaps a separate event just for this would be needed in the future! |
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EPMinnesota
Past MnGCA Board
Joined: 13 Apr 2006
Posts: 1898
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| Posted: Wed Aug 11, 2010 10:30 am Post subject: |
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Jessica,
I am curious as to what the actual concept is that you have for your thesis. In what way do you feel your findings will be helpful to the state of Minnesota and to Wild River State Park and how will you present it to them? |
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goje0601
Geocacher
Joined: 10 Aug 2010
Posts: 5
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| Posted: Wed Aug 11, 2010 10:41 am Post subject: |
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| EPMinnesota wrote: |
Jessica,
I am curious as to what the actual concept is that you have for your thesis. In what way do you feel your findings will be helpful to the state of Minnesota and to Wild River State Park and how will you present it to them? |
Hello!
This is a very long, long story...but to make it short -
I intensively researched each state park in Minnesota, looking for a park that sets up caches in a way that make people learn while they're doing it. I interviewed park managers, naturalists, staff from the DNR office in St. Paul, visited and cached at numerous parks, and eventually chose Wild River. I would like to prove that geocaching is a great way to learn about culture, history, and natural resources. Wild River State Park has amazing caches- they have set them up a highly educational way (in my opinion). This is the final and only setting I am using for my research, since it must be approved through various agencies.
Wild River State Park is very on-board with my idea- they feel the same way. They just want me to do the research and come out with a conclusion. If I find that their caches are educational- they will keep designing them in this way- it will be great encouragement. Learning is one of their highest goals. The contacts I have in the State Parks office in St. Paul are also on-board with my project. They are going to take the results I get and then they may apply them to other caching programs, state-wide. They like educational caches too!
I can provide much additional information if you are curious, but best not to do it all on this posting! Thank you for showing interest in my project! |
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bflentje
Geocacher
Joined: 29 May 2006
Posts: 3655
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| Posted: Wed Aug 11, 2010 10:43 am Post subject: |
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| TheGilby4 wrote: |
| I recommend coming to a geocaching event or two and surveying people there. I would say that a large majority of the cachers at the events will have found many caches within the state parks. |
In fact, I recommend this great event..
http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.aspx?wp=GC278EQ
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CharleneMae
Geocacher
Joined: 23 Apr 2009
Posts: 44
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| Posted: Wed Aug 11, 2010 12:19 pm Post subject: |
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| Could you create a Survey Monkey or some other online survey for your research? We actually have camping reservations at Wild River this weekend and were planning on caching while we were there. I could fill out your survey when we return from our trip if you like. |
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sparkyfry
Geocacher
Joined: 03 Jun 2008
Posts: 345
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| Posted: Thu Aug 12, 2010 11:50 am Post subject: |
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| I bet if you created an event cache, you'd get a lot more people to show up since they'd be able to log it as a find. You could even call it "The Help Me With My Thesis Event Cache." |
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Team Dogs
Geocacher
Joined: 20 Jan 2006
Posts: 42
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| Posted: Thu Aug 12, 2010 12:18 pm Post subject: |
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Tri-Chick and I will be at Wild River State Park to participate in this Research/Survey. We are going early so that we can work on and hopefully solve GC1DBZK - History Cache I
I think this would be a great opportunity to get together, compare notes and then solve GC1DBZK - History Cache I before participating in a research study that will help geocaching and the State park system that has embraced geocaching.
I posted a separate thread specifically about getting together a group to work on GC1DBZK - History Cache I
Team Dogs
_________________
3rd Place 2006 MOGA Individual Competition and Winner of Round 9 of the MN Lakers Game |
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Team Dogs
Geocacher
Joined: 20 Jan 2006
Posts: 42
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| Posted: Thu Aug 12, 2010 12:23 pm Post subject: |
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| sparkyfry wrote: |
| I bet if you created an event cache, you'd get a lot more people to show up since they'd be able to log it as a find. You could even call it "The Help Me With My Thesis Event Cache." |
sparkyfry - She will not be able to create and event as it is A) less then two weeks before the date and B) Would be considered promoting an agenda which is against Geocaching policies.
I have created and unofficial forum "Event" to help get more cachers to show up and help her out. Interested in trying to solve a very difficult puzzle? Check out my other post.
_________________
3rd Place 2006 MOGA Individual Competition and Winner of Round 9 of the MN Lakers Game |
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Tuxedo Duck
Geocacher
Joined: 08 Mar 2007
Posts: 40
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| Posted: Sat Aug 14, 2010 8:42 pm Post subject: |
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Jessica,
My wife convinced me that we will be there. Thanks to Team Dogs for their invitation too, we will have a great time as a group doing the History I cache with a group.
See you in a week,
Tuxedo Duck |
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