June 2011 Meeting/Event
Our 10th Anniversary!
Please make plans to attend the June 2011
meeting, located the pavilion in
Lost Mountain Park, Powder Springs, GA
On May 2, 2000, at approximately midnight,eastern savings time, the
great blue switch controlling selective availability was pressed.
Twenty-four satellites around the globe processed their new orders,
and instantly the accuracy of GPS technology improved tenfold. Tens
of thousands of GPS receivers around the world had an instant
upgrade.
For GPS enthusiasts, this was definitely a
cause for celebration. Internet newsgroups suddenly teemed with
ideas about how the technology could be used.
On May 3, one such enthusiast, Dave Ulmer, a
computer consultant, wanted to test the accuracy by hiding a
navigational target in the woods. He called the idea the "Great
American GPS Stash Hunt" and posted it in an internet GPS users'
group. The idea was simple: Hide a container out in the woods and
note the coordinates with a GPS unit.
Within three days, two different readers read
about his stash on the Internet, used their own GPS receivers to
find the container, and shared their experiences online. Throughout
the next week, others excited by the prospect of hiding and finding
stashes began hiding their own containers and posting
coordinates.
Slashdot, a popular online magazine for
techies, reported the new activity on September 25, 2000,
introducing a larger group of technology professionals to the
activity. The New York Times picked up the story and featured it in
its "Circuits" section in October, starting a domino effect of
articles written in magazines, newspapers, and other media outlets
around the world. CNN even did a segment in December 2000 to
profile the new hobby.
The GGA was the first official geocaching
organization. It was born out of an odd set of events. In 2001 two
geocachers met on the trail one day. They talked about now
interesting it would be to meet other cachers. They decided to list
a new type of cache, an "event" cache. They listed it and others
joined in to help organize a location and such.
The first meeting of Georgia geocachers was
held on June 9, 2001. The idea was for Atlanta area geocachers to
get together, share caching stories at a local park, and put a face
with screen names.
Right before the event, GA Geocachers
suffered a blow of sorts as caches were banned in GA State Parks.
We suddenly had an actual serious agenda at this meeting. This gave
the meeting a focal point and we spent most of the meeting
discussing this issue.
Still, it was a great meeting. TJBowers' and
LoCache's event went off great and the event cache is now a staple
in geocaching.
Following the meeting an email discussion
list was started which was used to develop what became the GGA.
Over the next month, we discussed names and logos for our newly
forming organization. At our next meeting we chose a name for our
group. The Georgia Geocachers Association began the tradition of
monthly event caches and became the first geocachers association.
At our fourth meeting (Sept. 2001), several people who were working
behind the scenes decided to form a management committee, or the
Steering Committee (SC).
It was almost a year later in June of 2002
before the GGA convinced the GA State Parks to allow us to geocache
in our parks. It is a limited policy, but at least we were able to
place some caches back in the parks again.
Moving into 2003, March saw the first CITO
events worldwide. Unfortunately, it was after Earth Day instead of
before it so many parks across the world were pretty clean. The GGA
saw the exception to that rule for sure. The GGA was proud to hold
an event at the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area. We
had 26 members in attendance. In 2004, we completed two CITO
events.
In 2004 and 2005, GA Geocachers were hit with
a moratorium on geocaches in the Chattahoochee National Forest, run
by the USDA Forest Service. 2006 brought us back into the
Chattahoochee National Forest again. The GGA has obtained a blanket
permit that allows caches back in the National Forest areas
again.
In 2010, after much hard work behind the
scenes, GA State Parks released the Georgia State Parks
Geo-Challenge with 45 caches in 42 different Parks across the
state. To date there have been over 9,000 finds logged by almost
2,000 cachers.
May of 2011 GA State Parks, spurred on by the
success of the Geo-Challenge, released the Georgia State Historic
Sites History Trail.
So join us and help us
celebrate TEN YEARS OF THE GGA!
Activities & Timeline for the
day:
1:00 PM Social Time – Ice Cream
Social
2:00 PM Announcements
2:30 PM Going Coastal presentation
3:00 PM Group Photo and Wrap up