Welcome to the Kirtland's Warbler GeoTrail (KWGT). This trail will take you in a loop in central Northern Michigan through the Jack Pine ecosystem, breeding home of the Kirtland's Warbler. This tour takes you to a total of 25 caches with an amazing trackable geocoin as a reward. The KWGT Passport can be downloaded here: https://f81c572e-1d95-4026-befc-8c60f69cbcd9.filesusr.com/ugd/31e003_41b2f3aa918442e8b08c880e746e6946.pdf
The first Kirtland's Warbler Day was held at Kirtland's Community College in 1976. The first Kirtland's Warbler Festival was held in Mio in conjunction with the Iris Festival in 1994 and was attended by U.S. Secretary of the Interior Bruce Babbitt. By 1996, the Festival had become too large for facilities in Mio and was taken over by Kirtland Community College in 1997. The festival was held annually at KCC, with the last year being 2011 after which the funding was cut. In 2015, the Kirtland's Warbler Festival was revived on a smaller scale in the Village of Roscommon, where it is still held today on the first Saturday in June.
The Kirtland's Warbler Festival is an educational celebration of the Kirtland's Warbler, its habitat, and the communities located in the Jack Pine ecosystem - Kirtland's Country. There are plenty of things to see and do at the festival for the entire family: vendors, food, live animals, live music, educational presentations, kids activities such as games and face painting, and tours out to the Jack Pine ecosystem to look for Kirtland's Warblers.
Cache
The posted coordinates take you to an informational kiosk at the Marguerite Gahagan Nature Preserve, which hosts the Kirtland's Warbler Festival Planning Committee meetings and is a partner on the KWGT. At the kiosk, you will need to gather information for the final cache location. The final is located at N 44 29.ABC, W 084 36.XYZ.
A=Fourth digit in phone number for Cabin Use and Educational Programs by Appointment
B=On what day of January 1997 did Marguerite die in Roscommon?
C=Second digit in year Marguerite Gahagan Nature Preserve was established.
X= On what day of January 1997 did Marguerite die in Roscommon?
Y=First digit in year Marguerite Gahagan Nature Preserve was established.
Z= Eighth digit in phone number for Cabin Use and Educational Programs by Appointment.
Check sum A+B+C=15, X+Y+Z=7.
For more information on the Kirtland's Warbler Festival go to https://www.facebook.com/kirtlandwarblerfestival/