5/5/08

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:
Romney Hall, Public Affairs Coordinator, UNI Museums, (319) 273-2188
Vicki Grimes, University Marketing & Public Relations, (319) 273-6728

UNI Museums to host geocaching event, Saturday, May 17

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa –The University of Northern Iowa Museum will host "Geocaching:  A High-Tech Treasure Hunt," from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., Saturday, May 17 at the University Museum, 3219 Hudson Road, Cedar Falls. Cost is $7 per person or $20 per group of four. Maximum number of participants is 40, and registration is requested by contacting Doris Mitchell at (319) 273-2188.

Participants will learn about geocaching, a popular outdoor treasure-hunting game that relies on the use of Global Positioning System (GPS) receivers to hide and seek containers called "geocaches" or "caches." Attendees will apply their new-found knowledge by searching for caches around the UNI campus, followed by refreshments and prize giveaways at the Museum.

Co-sponsors of this event are CrawDaddy Outdoors, a wilderness supply and education store, Waverly; Hartman Reserve Nature Center, Cedar Falls; and Iowa Geocaching Organization members Nancy Hamilton, Tom Wagner and Bret Ford. Students from the Waverly-Shell Rock High School Geocachers Club also will assist with the program.

"Geocaches have been placed in more than 100 countries around the world and on all seven continents," says Romney Hall, public affairs coordinator for the UNI Museums. "This hobby encourages outdoor exploration and focuses attention on the well-being of our planet."

"Geocaching:  A High-Tech Treasure Hunt" is presented in connection with the University Museum's current featured exhibit, "Earth from Space," on display through June 28. "Earth from Space"is organized by the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service, in collaboration with the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. The exhibition has been made possible by Global Imagination, with additional support provided by the U.S. Geological Survey and the Smithsonian Women's Committee. The Smithsonian Community Grant program, funded by MetLife Foundation, and John Deere Waterloo Operations are also sponsors of these public programs.

For details on the geocaching event and the "Earth from Space" exhibit, visit www.uni.edu/museum or call (319) 273-2188.

###