Since 2013 I’ve hosted geocachers for the Project Blue River Rescue CITO the first Saturday in April. Attendance of this event has sadly been on a steady decline so I debated whether to have it this year or not but finally concluded that even if it’s just me and a couple others it still makes a positive impact (that and I’m a sucker for tradition).

Water has been an essential part of the human story since the beginning.  Without it many engineering feats would not have been realized, the Pirates of the Caribbean movies would have sucked and of course we would cease to exist being made mostly of it ourselves.  Realizing the importance of this basic but all important resource efforts have been made to keep the water available to us clean.  If you live in Kansas City you are likely aware of how many places the Blue River reaches on both sides of the state line and as geocachers how often we find ourselves near (or in) it.  Please consider joining me and close to 500 other fans of clean water for a little Saturday morning volunteer work around a key source of KC water.

FAQs

1. They will serve donuts, coffee and juice in the morning and lunch in the afternoon.
2. All tools are furnished.
3. You should dress for working outside in dirty, possibly muddy, conditions. (Perfect for geocachers!)
4. Closed-toe shoes are absolutely necessary for your safety and are required.
5. Insect repellant is suggested if it’s warm.
6. Often there will be water supplied but it’s advisable to bring your own to be safe.
7. There are always a large variety of sites needing attention and we may end up breaking into different groups.  Please mention if any members of your team will be under 18 so we can ensure they are not assigned any place that might be dangerous.
8. When leaving the nature center participants can drive to the cleanup site in their own vehicle or ride with me (until I am at capacity) and I will bring them back to their car close to lunch time.
9. If you think you might arrive late send me a message beforehand and I can give you my cell number.
10. Participants will be given an event t-shirt, several adult sizes are available.
11. If this is your first event/CITO let me know ahead of time and I will gladly answer any questions you may have to ensure you have a positive experience.
12. The Geocacher involvement is in conjunction with a larger effort so expect upwards of several hundred people when you arrive. As a result you may end up parking and walking a long distance to the registration area if you arrive closer to 9:00 AM or after.

Event Details

Saturday April 1st 2017

Lakeside Nature Center

4701 E. Gregory Blvd.

Kansas City, MO 64132

Arrive between 8 AM – 9 AM

CITO between approximately 9 AM - 12 PM

Timeline

(All times are approximate)

8:00 AM               Registration tables open to collect gloves and t-shirts, breakfast is also available

9:00 AM               Sites are assigned and we will depart

9:15 AM               Arrive at our assigned cleanup site and receive trash bags and other tools as necessary

11:45 AM             Wrap up the cleaning effort and head back to the nature center

12:00 PM             Enjoy lunch and I’ll have a few giveaways /raffles for the geocachers