Green Cove Spring EarthCache
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Green Cove Springs
Green Cove Springs is a small town located along the St. Johns River. As the county seat for Clay County, Green Cove Springs is easily accessible along SR 16 and US 17. Green Cove Springs has a rich history, dating back to over 7,000 years of inhabitants, all drawn to the area by the flowing mineral spring, the object of interest in pursuit of this EarthCache.
The EarthCache you are seeking is located in Spring Park, a Green Cove Springs city maintained park. The park is accessible to the public daily from 7AM – 11 PM. All stages of the EarthCache are child friendly and wheelchair accessible, so bring out the family, enjoy the beautiful scenery in the park, the gorgeous view from the St. Johns River, and learn a little bit about the natural springs of Florida in the process.
Flowing Springs
Green Cove Spring is one of only about a dozen sulfur springs found in the State of Florida. Sulfur Springs are widely coveted for their rich mineral content and, as some believe, their therapeutic potential. The Green Cove Spring boils up from a large fissure located a little more than 20’ below the surface of the spring. The water of the spring maintains a consistent temperature as it bubbles up through the fissure and into the spring. The water from the spring is then channeled through a municipal pool and then flows down on a short run into the St. Johns River. You will be able to observe this process from start to finish as your proceed through the steps of this EarthCache.
Completing the EarthCache
To complete this EarthCache you will need to traverse the grounds of Spring Park and learn about the natural sulfur spring that is found here. Along the way you will need to use your GPS to take measurements and then email back the correct answers to the owner of the EarthCache to fulfill the requirements for completion.
Step 1: Proceed to the following coordinates: N 29° 59.602 W 081° 40.674. At this location you will find the Green Cove Spring. It is requested, but completely optional, that each cacher take a picture of the spring at this location and post it with the log entry.
Step 2: The spring is enclosed by a metal gate. Using your GPS to measure from outside the gate, what is the diameter of the spring?
Step 3: The spring flows from the enclosure, through the nearby pool, and east to the St. Johns River. Using your GPS to measure, how far in feet does the water have to travel from the spring until it enters the St. Johns River?
Step 4: Proceed to the following coordinates: N 29 59.615 W081 40.604. At this location you will see a bridge very near the point where the spring run-off enters the St. Johns River. Using your GPS to measure as you walk across the bridge, how wide is the spring run-off at this point?
Step 5: (Optional) Take a picture of your favorite area in Spring Park, excluding step 1. Post this picture to you log entry.
Summary: To claim credit for this EarthCache you will need to email answers to the questions from steps 2-4 to the owner of the cache at the time of posting. It is also requested, but optional, that cachers post pictures from steps 1 and 5. Log entries which are not accompanied by an email to the cache owner with the answers to the above questions will be deleted. Additionally, logs revealing the answers from steps 2-4 will be deleted. Please email this information to the cache owner and do not post it to your logs so that other cachers can still enjoy the education they will receive while fulfilling the requirements of the cache.
Thanks to the following sources for information provided in the creation of this EarthCache:
Green Cove Springs. (2010). Green Cove Springs, Florida “The Saratoga of the South”. Retrieved from http://greencovesprings.govoffice.com/index.asp?Type=B_BASIC&SEC=%7B4BE58117-0DFA-41C7-A91D-AA377F1EE2A2%7D
NEFLA. (2010). Green Cove Springs Fl. Retrieved from http://www.nefla.com/gcs/
Scott, T.M., Means, G.H., Meegan, R.P., Means R.C., Upchurch, R.E., Copeland, R.E., Jones J., Roberts, T., Willet, A. (Feb, 2010).Springs of Florida. Florida Department of Environmental Protection.Retrieved from http://publicfiles.dep.state.fl.us/FGS/WEB/springs/clay.pdf
Also, a special thanks to the Green Cove Springs city parks and public works departments for their support in the creation of this EarthCache to share with the geocaching community.
Happy Caching!
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