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
This cache is too small for a question so look for a code word to enter on your passport.
Bird-based tourism is growing rapidly. An estimated 469,000 Michigan residents and 135,000 nonresidents travel away from home to watch songbirds in Michigan according to a 2011 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service survey, with 41 billion dollars being spent on birding is the U.S. The Kirtland’s Warbler, as North America’s rarest songbird, has the potential to attract a significant number of these birders, many of whom lodge, eat, and purchase gas and supplies in the Kirtland’s Warbler region.
From 1966 to 2019 more than 46,000 people from all 50 states plus DC and Puerto Rico, 8 Canadian Providences, and 30 other countries, as far away as Australia and New Zealand, have participated in Kirtland’s Warbler Tours. Surveys of Kirtland’s Tour participants from 2002 and 2003 found that over 71 % planned to spend the night locally, and over 73% planned to eat locally. A 2005 survey by MSU found that the Kirtland’s tours in Mio and Grayling brought in $90,000 to the local economies that year.
How can you see a Kirtland’s Warbler? The Kirtland’s Warbler Festival in Roscommon, held every first Saturday in June, has tours at 7:30 an and 10:00 am. For more information go to: https://www.facebook.com/kirtlandwarblerfestival/
Michigan Audubon tours from Hartwick Pines State Park in Grayling has tours 7:00 am Mon. through Fri. and 7:00 am and 11:00 am Sat, and Sun, Memorial Weekend through June 30th. For more information go to: https://www.michiganaudubon.org/kirtlands-warbler-tours/
AuSable Valley Audubon tours available from Camp Inn Lodge in Oscoda. For more information contact: campinnlodge@gmail.com or www.CampInnLodge.com and click on “events”.
The U.S. Forest Service Mio Ranger Station has a Self-Guided Jack Pine Wildlife Viewing Tour. For a map and more information on it and guided Kirtland’s Warbler tours go to: https://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/hmnf/recreation/hiking/recarea/?recid=19002&actid=50
Cache
The cache is outside of a shop under a Kirtland’s Warbler mural and placed with the owners permission. Cachers have discovered that there is a regular letterbox along the wall as well. This one is a key holder fake rock. The letterbox is a larger fake rock. I guess that just adds to the fun. The mural was painted by 40 community members with 120 individual tiles from original artwork by Kim Diment and took three days to complete. Remember, this cache is too small for a question so look for a code word.