Hooray for Hexapods (Honoring KP) Traditional Geocache
Hooray for Hexapods (Honoring KP)
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(regular)
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This insect themed cache is placed to honor the entomological career of Kenneth Pruess, which began at this location in 1957.
In the spring of 1957 the University of Nebraska hired Kenneth Pruess to come to the North Platte Agricultural Experiment Station to investigate the Pale Western Cutworm which was devastating the wheat crop in western Nebraska. Fresh out of grad school at Ohio State, where he had completed both a master's and PhD degree in the record time of three years, KP went to work and very soon after he arrived the Pale Western Cutworm started a precipitous population decline and it has never been a serious crop pest again.
KP stayed on at the station shifting his research attention to range land grasshoppers and the unique east-west, plains to mountains and back again, migration of the Army Cutworm Moth. In 1965 the University offered him a tenure track position in the Entomology Department in Lincoln. Since by then he had acquired a wife and a child this seemed to be a prudent career move although he hated to leave the good fishing opportunities in the North Platte region. He still returned periodically to North Platte to check on the grasshoppers, accumulating 42 years of data on the 'hoppers in the pasture just south of the station buildings.
KP, as a faculty member in Lincoln, taught a variety of courses in the entomology department, mostly at the graduate student level. He served as advisor for a number of students pursuing graduate degrees and he continued research in several fields eventually shifting his primary attention to aquatic insects, especially the annoying little biting flies known as Black Flies. He was a pioneer in early desktop computer use at UNL, working with an AppleE, but when forced to use Microsoft he got stuck at the Dos level and he still hates to do Windows.
KP retired in November, 1995 but he still goes to his office/laboratory on the UNL east campus five days a week (except when traveling, fishing or duck hunting) He continues his Black Fly research and he coaches the UNL graduate student Linnean Games team which completes at regional and annual entomology meetings,(National Champions in 2006). He faithfully attends national and regional meetings of the Entomological Society of America and the North American Black Fly Association.
The cache location is open from sunrise to sunset. Please keep vehicles on paved roadways. You can park very close to the cache. The cache container is a large ammo can containing a variety of insect items. There are some nice things for the first and early finders including a coffee mug, a butter fly sun catcher, ceramic butterflies and a praying mantis finger puppet. Most kids love insects and there are a lot of things for them in here.
Insect and nature related trades are welcome but not required. Early finders need not feel obligated to match values. Kids can have things without a trade.
The cache is less than 2 miles from the I-80 interchange and it should serve well as a Travel Bug drop. Two insect Travel Bugs will be beginning their adventures here with the initial placement.
I live in Lincoln but Big Dawgg has kindly agreed to help watch and maintain the cache. I pass through North Platte a few times every year and I will replenish the cache as needed.
Enjoy the cache and enjoy the wonderful world of insects.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
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