Boyer Chute NWR #1 Virtual Cache

This cache has been archived.

Heartland Cacher: Greetings I'm Heartland Cacher, one of the volunteer reviewers for caches submitted to Geocaching.com.

I can't find any recent responses from the Cache Owner about maintaining this cache which makes it appear the Cache Owner is either unwilling or unable to maintain the cache. Cache maintenance includes listing maintenance including updating any changes to the text, updating coordinates, removing needs maintenance attributes and enabling the listing. The cache will be archived and removed from the active cache listings.

"If a geocache is archived by a reviewer or staff for lack of maintenance it will not be unarchived." Cache maintenance includes listing maintenance including, but not limited to, updating any changes to the text, updating coordinates, removing needs maintenance attributes and enabling the listing.

Thanks for your understanding,
Heartland Cacher
Your friendly Geocaching.com Community Volunteer Reviewer

How to contact me NOTE:Please do not reply by leaving a note on this cache. I am not notified if a note is posted to this cache. If you wish to respond to this message from the geocaching.com mail bot. Go to your cache page and e-mail Heartland Cacher from the log there or email me directly at HeartlandCacher@gmail.com, referencing the cache URL's, or GCxxxx number.

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Hidden : 11/20/2002
Difficulty:
1 out of 5
Terrain:
4 out of 5

Size: Size: virtual (virtual)

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Geocache Description:

The 2011 Missouri River flood completely inundated the refuge and forever altered the countryside. There is still wildlife to be seen and outdoor beauty to be observed - just a much different landscape than what previously existed.

CACHE DESCRIPTION UPDATE (04-01-2013):
  1. All roads to and through Boyer Chute NWR are open and in great condition. The former beauty of the refuge as described when the cache was first initiated in 2002 was forever changed by the 2011 flood (see new photos). It will take years to recover, if ever, and even then who knows how much government funding will be allocated for facilities restoration. The landscape is barren / harsher now. It reflects the power of Mother Nature and being underwater for two months. There is still beauty and wildlife to be enjoyed, but from a slightly different perspective.
  2. The virtual cache is still in place and will remain active but the Terrain rating was revised to 4 stars. The mowed, groomed paths were devastated by the flood. Access to the cache for the foreseeable future will be via unpredictable deer trails through a combination of terrains including tall dense weed growth, sandy clearings, and riverside forest.
  3. I went to the cache today (near the end of winter). All the annual vegetation was dead and fairly easy to maneuver through. The round trip took me less than an hour. Access in the summer and fall will be more difficult. Attempting this cache the day after a rainstorm is not advisable because the low spots will be very muddy. The restroom facility at the parking lot is closed.
  4. Today I saw a one-eyed beaver (seriously – I have photos), two eagles overhead, a large flight of northbound geese, a red-tailed hawk and a Cooper's hawk. I saw the tracks of deer, coyote, turkeys, raccoons and rabbits. I did not see anything resembling cougar tracks.
  5. DON'T LET IT FOOL YOU! The current Google Maps satellite image was taken in 2012, about a year after the flood. Much of what looks like sandy river bottom in the photo is now covered with various types of heavy overgrowth.
  6. This cache should now only be considered by the tough and hardy geocacher who is comfortable in the outdoors. I do not recommend doing it solo.
  7. Be sure to mark a waypoint at your car so you can find your way back if the path is too tangled. Follow the curvature of Boyer Chute river bank – do not attempt to go cross county.
ORIGINAL CACHE DESCRIPTION:
  • Located three miles east of Fort Calhoun, Nebraska, the area that is now Boyer Chute National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) was originally an island of sand and sediments deposited in the Missouri River by the Boyer River. Gradually, the Missouri River eroded channels (chutes) through the sediment. One of the major channels was Boyer Chute, named after the Boyer River, which in turn got its name from a settler who hunted and trapped in the watershed before the time of Lewis and Clark. Missouri River explorers including Lewis and Clark, John J. Audubon, Prince Maximillian, and Major Long, all navigated through the area as they traveled up the river. Today, Boyer Chute has been reopened to the river, providing breeding areas for fish and 3,100 acres of habitat for migratory birds and other resident wildlife such as mink and river otters. Hundreds of acres of lost wetlands are being restored.
  • Stop at the entrance kiosk to pick up a Boyer Chute Brochure that contains a site map and all the regulations. The refuge is open daily from sunrise to sunset except on Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day. There is no entrance fee.
  • This is a wildlife sanctuary - sorry, no pets allowed on the refuge.
  • There are some restroom facilities on site but no trash receptacles so PLEASE pack out what you pack in. Leave the area cleaner than you found it.
  • Parking coordinates are given below. The nature trail is best explored on foot. Round trip walking distance is just over one mile.
  • TO GET CREDIT FOR THIS FIND: Please e-mail me the answer (a description or photo) to this question: How many ten-inch diameter tree trunks originate from a single root system at the cache coordinates location? Please don’t reveal the answer in your log.

Additional Hints (Decrypt)

Sbyybj gur trareny pheingher bs Oblre Puhgr. Qba'g nggrzcg pebff pbhagel.

Decryption Key

A|B|C|D|E|F|G|H|I|J|K|L|M
-------------------------
N|O|P|Q|R|S|T|U|V|W|X|Y|Z

(letter above equals below, and vice versa)


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