Welcome to the Horicon National Wildlife Refuge. This property is managed by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. From their website:
"The northern two-thirds of Horicon Marsh is managed federally by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as the 22,000 acre Horicon National Wildlife Refuge. The refuge was established in 1941 to provide an undisturbed sanctuary for a number of migratory birds and waterfowl including the redhead duck as well as to provide opportunities for people to connect with nature through many wildlife dependent recreational activities such as wildlife observation, photography, environmental education, interpretation, fishing and hunting."
This visitor's center has limited hours of operation but access to this virtual cache is available at all times. The visitor's center is open at different times, depending on the season. Fall hours (9/1-10/31) are M, T, Th, F, and Sat 9:00-4:00. Please check their website for updated hours depending on the season.
Before this property was a wildlife refuge, it was the home of the Feucht family. For five generations this family farmed this land. Along with their farming, they grew hay which served a special purpose that served the economy of Wisconsin in a unique way. The sign at this location will tell you all about this story.
Logging requirements: This is a virtual cache and so you will not be looking for a physical container. To be able to claim a "found" on this cache you will need to privately send me a message with the answers to the following questions:
1. Who was the hay sold to?
2. What purpose did it serve?
3. Which famous person received a shipment involving this hay in 1898?
4. How much hay was shipped out in 1910?
(optional) Please consider posting photos of the marsh or yourself enjoying the marsh in your log.
Permission for the creation of this cache was given by Erin Railsback, Visitor Services Manager of the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This Virtual Cache is part of a limited release of Virtuals created between January 17, 2024 and January 17, 2025. Only 4,000 cache owners were given the opportunity to hide a Virtual Cache. Learn more about Virtual Rewards 4.0 on the Geocaching Blog.