Developed by Tracy Trimpe and Cheryl McDaniel

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Earth Quest
An Environmental GPS Adventure

• Developed by Tracy Trimpe and Cheryl McDaniel
• for the Havana Junior High School Science Club
• Spring 2009 http//sciencespot.net/

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Earth Quest

• Earth Quest will test your teams navigation and
  problem-solving skills as you learn about issues
  that are facing our environment.
• Each team will have the chance to complete 8
  quests. Each quest involves a series of three
  waypoints with the last one being a challenge
  game.
• Your team will use a GPS receiver to find the
  microcaches that are hidden around the
  schoolyard. Each one has inside about an
  environmental issue. Your team will need to use
  the fact to answer a question, which will help
  you find the next waypoint on your quest.
• After completing 2 microcaches, your team will
  determine the final waypoint with the challenge
  you need to complete. Once you finish the
  challenge, you will receive your next Quest Card!

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What is GPS?

• GPS stands for Global Positioning System.
• It uses 24 satellites positioned around the
  globe. The satellites are 12,000 miles from
  Earths surface.
• We use GPS receivers to connect with the
  satellites to learn our position on Earths
  surface, which are based on latitude and
  longitude.

Havana Junior High Latitude 40.296917
NLongitude 90.050007 W
Images http//geomag.usgs.gov/images/gps_001.jpg
and http//www.portcities.org.uk/london/upload/img
_400/longitude_latitude.gif
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How accurate is a GPS receiver?
With todays GPS receivers we can get as close as
3 meters or 9 feet.
To determine our position, the receiver measures
the time it takes to receive a signal from a
satellite and converts it to a distance.
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What is geocaching?
Geocaching - An outdoor treasure-hunting game in
which the participants use a GPS receiver to hide
and seek containers called "geocaches
(Wikipedia, 2009) Cache - A typical cache is a
small waterproof container (usually a tupperware
or ammo box) containing a logbook and "treasure,"
usually toys or trinkets of little
value. Microcache A small container (film
canister) containing only a logbook.
Waypoints Locations where a cache is hidden
identified by latitude and longitude. Travel Bugs
Geocoins Items that geocachers place in
caches and track their locations as other
geocaches move them to another cache. Muggles
Refers to people who do not geocache Geocaching.co
m Website devoted to geocaching and provides
information on all the caches around the world.
As of April 2009, there were 777,062 geocaches
around the world!
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Earth Quest Rules
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Earth Quest Tips

• Check the lids on the microcaches to make sure
  you have the right one! The waypoint is written
  on the top of the lid and the cache is on the
  underside.
• Examples
• If you are looking for waypoint 18, it will be
  listed as 018 on the receiver and will have
• 018 written on the top of the lid.
• If you are looking for the clue for 1-3, this
  should be written on the underside of the lid
• and on the slip inside.
• Use your calculator to help you find the answers
  to each problem. If you find a microcache, but
  it is not the correct clue you are probably in
  the wrong spot! Recheck your answer and try
  again!
• If a problem says to add the digits in the
  number, you need to find the sum of all the
  individual numbers in it. For example, to find
  the sum of the digits in the year 1940, add 1
  9 4 0 for a total of 14.
• Keep the GPS unit flat in your hand to make sure
  you are getting good reception from the
  satellites and keep moving in order for the unit
  to know where you are located!
• Remember that the GPS will get you close within
  9 feet you will have to search the area to find
  the microcache. Try walking away from the area
  and back towards it to make sure you are in the
  right spot.

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Its time to pick teams

• What does your team need to do?
• Grab a clipboard and your team envelope. Make
  sure you have a working calculator, a pencil, and
  a GPS unit.
• Get out the Quest Card and determine your first
  waypoint.
• Your team must use the information provided to
  find each of the caches, solve the problems, and
  then head to the challenge!
• Once you have completed the challenge, you will
  receive another Quest Card to start your team on
  another route. You will NOT visit the same
  microcache twice!
• Write whatever information you need on your
  worksheet and then put the microcaches back
  EXACTLY where you found them! Do not take the
  film canisters or clues with you!

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Its time for Earth Quest!
Grab your materials! Grab a GPS unit! Meet at
the flag pole and wait for final instructions!