The earth gives life to nearly everything, and we often take it for granted. As education and outreach professionals in this community, we hope to teach you a thing or two about the soil on which you stand when you find the cache--what it was formed from (called landform), what's in it, and how close you are to the water table.
12 Soil Science geocaches have been placed in this Indiana county, one in each township, and the 2-3 letter combination on the side of each one corresponds to the soil type of the geocache's location. Learn more about the earth below your feet and gain an appreciation for this precious resource at each stop!
Make an even bigger adventure out of today's geocaching excursion, and use the Steuben County Soil Science GeoTrail Passport enclosed in the cache to collect pencil/crayon rubbings of each soil type. Fill all 12 townships with corresponding rubbings, and claim a prize!
Please park in the designated parking area. Expect to hike approximately .20 mile on the paved path. The entire loop is .5 mile. Big thanks to the Orland Town Council for allowing us to place this cache in their park near the well-kept athletic fields! Please let us know if the poison ivy grows up, and we'll make a trip there to cut it back. We hope you will be a good neighbor as their are residences near by. The park closes at dusk. No night caching allowed here!
Learn more about Steuben County 4-H and the Steuben County Soil and Water Conservation District
Placing this cache was memorable...a young buck (small 6-point or so) was caught in the batting cage netting, had lost one antler in the fight already, and was still struggling to shake loose when I arrived. An Orland man name Paul and I called the Sherriff's Department to dispatch a Conservation Office who arrived not too long after. An amazing creature in an amazing park...just not the best way to collide with one another...