Current at 11/6/2011 (Online waypoint URL) You have already found this cache! Master Index    Nearest Caches Enjoy the view! by OHMIC (1.5/1.5) N50° 09.905  W97° 07.942 (WGS84) UTM  14U   E 633385  N 5558655 Use waypoint: GCECEF Size: Regular    Hidden on 3/26/2003 In Manitoba, Canada Difficulty:     Terrain:                         This cache requires a nice short walk that offers lots of wildlife viewing opportunities. Wetlands are important for clean water and a healthy environment. Wetlands slow the passage of water and encourage the deposition of nutrients and sediments carried by water. The nutrients, mainly nitrogen and phosphorus from agricultural sources, human wastes and industrial discharges, may accumulate in the sub-soil, be transformed by chemical and biological processes or be taken up by wetland vegetation which can then be harvested and effectively removed from the system. Wetland plants can also remove toxic substances and heavy metals. The lagoon in front of you is an artificial wetland built by Ducks Unlimited Canada that cleans the 8,637,900 litres (1,900,600 gallons) of wastewater from the Conservation Centre per year.Clean water can not be taken for granted and as the world becomes more and more populated the amount of wastewater that needs to be treated increases. Lagoons have been built across Canada to deal with the wastewater and have been very successful in treating the water. Water conservation is and will become an important conservation issue. The water that leaves these artificial marshes is very clean and adds even fewer nutrients to natural water systems decreasing any impact on the environment. These wetlands also provide habitat for a wide variety of organisms, including, fish, birds, mammals, amphibians, reptiles and insects. As wetlands continue to be altered and deteriorate these artificial wetlands become increasingly important.

Additional Hints (There are no hints for this cache)

8/1/2011 by Kabuthunk
After I had finished a successful dinifra on the Cattails cache, I was debating where to head next. I decided that since this cache was in the general vicinity of the South area of the marsh, I'd tackle a number of the caches down in these parts. I'd certainly have my pick of them... there was a fair number of them left from the last time I was here! I had pondered going back to find that Waterbugs cache by the picnic area, but as there were still multiple families enjoying the day there, I bypassed the area and headed further South.

However, on heading down a road leaving up to this cache, I was a bit dismayed to find that there was a chain strung across the road leading over here. So I sat there for a minute, pondering what the significance of this was, and what exactly it meant. On my skimming of various cache descriptions of the area at home, I didn't recall any of them mentioning only certain hours available. Cachemate also confirmed this with the description. There also appeared to have been quite an obvious trail from people walking around the chain to get past it. On top of that, I noticed that the dyke trail leading up to yet another cache (which would end up being cache number 6 for me) would have been a perfectly viable path to take which would bypass the chain entirely. The only logical reason for this to exist is then the most obvious... it's meant to stop vehicles from travelling this road, but not pedestrians, as they have multiple other ways to reach the other side.

So not wanting to try to drag my bike into the grass, I just lifted the chain a bit and zipped under it. At about this point, I spotted what had to be the general cache area... a raised platform that seems perfect to enjoy the scenery from. With my goal in sight, I headed onwards. At first, I continued past the platform, attempting to find perhaps a specific path that would lead up to it. It seems as though most people simply walked the shortest possible route on the West side, and no gravelled or otherwise marked path existed. The slope seemed a bit less steep on the South side though, so I swung my bike towards the platform and biked on through the vast number of thistles that seemed intent on attacking me. To their defence though, I WAS on their territory . However, I was going too fast for any of the barbs to stick in, so I arrived at the platform safe and sound.

At which point, I spotted the cache container pretty much instantaneously upon stopping my bike. At first I thought 'there's no WAY that cache be the cache container if it's that spottable'... but I soon rationalized that this was only because of my unconventional way of getting up the hill. To everyone else, the cache would not be so easily spotted. Although personally, I'd have probably at least made it a little bit more hidden. Not wanting to move it from its designated spot however, I signed the logbook and dropped in both a chainmail ball, as well as a geocoin that I picked up at a recent event. I was a bit worried that these caches wouldn't see much action and thus the coin would stay for a while, but looking at the logbook (and now the logs online), it seems as though that shouldn't be a problem. It looks like these get a fair amount of activity on a regular basis.

So with this cache placed, I snapped a few pictures from the platform (in the second one, you can see the RV that I mentioned in the Cattails log if you look closely enough). After relaxing for a bit and feeling the slight breeze that was out get rid of the humidity that was hovering around me. After a bit of relaxing, I headed back to the bike, and took it down the commonly walked path and back onto the road. Mission accomplished.

Thanks for getting to view the nice scenery, and for making a cache plenty big enough to drop travelbugs in.

Took: Nothing
Left: Logbook entry, John Harrison Geocoin, and chainmail ball