Take a short walk from the parking lot to find this cache. While you are there, look out over the wetland areas and see if you can spot a mute swan!
Putting on the GeoTrail every year takes a lot of work, and we couldn't do it without the help from the geocaching community. Thanks to Tiger Kitty & Rude of the Turks for helping us look after this cache!
In Ohio we have three species of swans: the native trumpeter swan, migrating tundra swan, and the invasive mute swan. An adult male mute swan can weigh up to twenty-six pounds and stand as tall as five feet. Mute swans can consume up to eight pounds of submerged aquatic vegetation in one day. They uproot the whole plant, usually leaving nothing behind. This takes away natural habitat from fish, leaves little food source for native waterfowl, and causes water quality issues and erosion issues. On top of their environmental effects, mute swans are very aggressive. During the breeding and nesting season, which generally runs March through May, adult mute swans become highly territorial attacking humans, pets, and will fight to push native birds out of their nesting area.
Be sure to check out the 15 other caches that are a part of this year’s Metro Parks GeoTrail! To participate in the Metro Parks GeoTrail go to Metro Parks to find complete instructions. Find, log and record the code word from at least 12 caches to be eligible for one of 125 limited edition GeoCoins. Find all 15 caches to unlock the coordinates to the Bonus Puzzle Cache.