Hello WGA!

Will the snow ever stop?! As Wisconsin geocachers, we've been spoiled the last 2 winters, with the lack of the white stuff. This season is a good reminder to seekers, (and cache owners) on what that 'snowflake icon' means!

Our first 2 WGA Events have come and gone; the LCG Event at Horicon and Bonfire on the Bay in Green Bay. Our thanks to the member volunteers that helped plan and execute these well attended gatherings.

The WGA Board of Directors met on Sunday, February 25th for 7 1/2 hours of WGA business. This was our required organizational meeting according to the WGA By-laws. The Association has always been blessed by good leaders, and the 2013 Board promises to continue that tradition in the coming year.

If the snow ever melts, the trash from the last 6 months will start to rear it's ugly head! Watch the Events List for WGA sponsored and locally sponsored CITO Events across the state.
Why not consider hosting a CITO? The WGA offers limited financial support to assist any member in co-hosting a CITO. Contact any current Director for more information.

The anticipation is building toward the WGA Spring Campout, being held on May 17-19 at Interstate Park near St. Croix Falls. Could this lead to an eventual MegaEvent? You should probably attend, so you can say, "I remember the first one!"

Finally, it is once again my privilege to serve another year as the President of the WGA. Please feel free to contact me at any time in the coming months with your input or comments. Better yet; introduce yourself at a WGA Event! I'd love to hear your "tales from the trails"!

Jim Bliefnick, WGA President

Over one hundred geocachers attended the WGA Bonfire on the Bay event on February 23rd. This was the fifth annual WGA Winter event which has previously been held in Waterville and Horicon. This year the event was held in Title Town at the Bay Beach Nature Center.

The weather couldn't have been better and many geocachers took the opportunity to gather around the bonfire, enjoy a few ditties by a Lone minstrel and dodge a few snowballs. Inside the Nature Center, geocachers were welcomed by WGA board members and volunteers. Every team was given a Bonfire on the Bay pathtag when they signed in.

Untold gallons of chili and dozens of hot dogs were served up by our kitchen staff headed up by Lisa from Curly Girls. The rest of the food was provided by attendees and there was plenty! Nobody went home hungry.

Planning is already underway for the next WGA Chili and Bonfire event. Watch the forums and Upcoming Events for details. Winter is winding down and spring is just around the corner. We have several events planned between now and the next bonfire event including the 12th annual WGA Spring Campout  at Interstate State Park on May 17th-19th.

There were several close races among the dozen geocaches nominated for the February Cache of the Month. Thanks to everyone that nominated and voted, the entire state was very well represented.

Northern Zone - Cheezehead's T.B & Coin & HCH container Barn by Hayward Cheezehead
Difficulty 1
Terrain 1.5
Size Large

This fun cache is located just a few feet from the roadside. Being a LARGE, is findable any time of the year, and is kept well stocked by the nearby cache owner. "Honk or wave as you drive by."

Northeast Zone - The Expedition by JimandLinda
Difficulty 4
Terrain 5
Size Regular

Several items are required to complete The Expedition, so read the description page carefully. The terrain changes depending on the season, but this multi is a true adventure any time of the year.

West Central Zone - URSA MINOR - YILDUN by bigjim60
Difficulty 2
Terrain 5
Size Micro

A great amount of effort was spent to recreate the Little Bear constellation near the Little Bear Creek in the George Mead Wildlife Area in Central Wisconsin. This one won't disappoint those looking for a high terrain geocache.

South Central Zone - WSQ Old Baptist Union Cemetery (Abandoned) by Smashing Ground
Difficulty 2
Terrain 2
Size Other

This out of the way WSQ is a true testiment to the power of natural reclaimation. Several Civil War era markers can be found here.

Southeast Zone - black bottom stomp by chevyole
Difficulty 2
Terrain 4
Size Small

Here is another higher terrain geocache that the owner refers to as "Homage to the Lonely Cache Game". With a Howitzer, a time capsule and a great view, this is a must do cache.

Series of the Month - The Muppet Series by Jim Henson (aka froggerz)
Difficulty 2
Terrain 2
Size Regular

A six pack that will have you chasing Muppets on the trails of Whitnal Park near Greenfield. You'll be getting the old band back together by finding the five original members of The Electric Mayhem Band. What could be more fun than Muppet hunting in Southeast Wisconsin?

Nominate or vote for your favorite caches in the March Cache of the Month.

The WGA BODs met in Appleton on Sunday, February 24th, 2013 from 9 AM until 4:30 PM to elect officers and organize the WGA activities for the coming year
(although the Minutes will be available after approved, we felt we should share some info with the membership on an informal basis).

New officers for 2013 are:

President - Jim Bliefnick of JimandLinda
Vice President - Pete Quella of Labrat_wr
Secretary - Barry Butrymowicz of Sweetlife
Treasurer - Renee Vanselow-Tapp of Auntie Nae

Our thanks to Webmaster Brian Kling of Team Black-Cat for his service as WGA Vice President last year.

The BOD reviewed the finances and structure of the WGA (with legal council present) and we are a sound and well-structured group.

Our Website continues to grow and develop to help keep the members informed.

We are hoping that more members will organize CITOs across the state this year. The WGA can provde limited financial support, if requested.

Planning is well underway for the Interste Campout on the WI/MN border.

The WGA Geocoin Comittee will be discussing offering a geocoin somtime during the next year. We still have a supply of 2011/2012 WGA coins in stock and discussed different outlets for marketing them.

The Fall GeoPicnic will be in mid September at Governor Thompson State Park in northeast Wisconsin, pending availability.

The WGA is looking to OWN a geocache in each State Park in Wisconsin. If successful, we will need trail bosses for maintenance. We will be seeking guidance (from the 'powers-that-be') for permission.

The WGA is hoping to e-mail 4 Newsletters this year, as another media source for members and friends.

The Squirrel was present at the meeting as an invited guest, but he did not comment on any items on the Agenda.

Our thanks to the Daniels family for allowing the use of a conference room for our meeting. They are very gracious hosts!

The results are in!

The 430 votes from 117 members that were cast in the 2013 WGA Board of Directors election, which ended Sunday February 10, 2013), have been counted and certified. The following individuals have been elected to the Board:

2 YEAR TERMS (Ends February 2015)
Renee Vanselow-Tapp
Barry Butrymowicz
Rebecca Lillo
Chris Walker

Congratulations!

Election Details

These individuals will join or re-join current Board members Jim Bliefnick, Brian Kling, Peter Quella, Rob England, and Lisa Daniels to form the 2012 WGA Board.

Note that per our bylaws, WGA officers (President, Vice-President, Secretary and Treasurer) are not directly elected and instead are Board members that are selected and confirmed by the Board itself. Selection of officers should occur during the BOD meeting at the end of February.

The WGA would like to thank all the candidates who decided to run for the Board this year. All of the candidates were well qualified to serve on the Board and all would have done a great job and been an asset to the organization if elected. They all invested significant time and effort into running by explaining their viewpoints, describing their background, and answering questions in the Candidates Corner forum so that members could make an informed decision when it came time to vote.

Also, thanks to all the WGA members who spent time learning about the candidates, carefully considering the choices, and casting their votes. The involvement of members in this leadership selection process is crucial to the long-term success of the organization.

Complete Election Results

The number of votes each candidate received is shown in the list below, along with the percentage of all the votes cast (in parenthesis) and the percentage of members voting who selected that candidate.

Renee Vanselow-Tapp WGA username: AuntieNae Geocaching.com username: AuntieNae Candidates Corner topic:	80 (19%)
Barry Butrymowicz WGA username: sweetlife Geocaching.com username: sweetlife Candidates Corner topic:	77 (18%)
Rebecca Lillo WGA username: beccaday Geocaching.com username: beccaday Candidates Corner topic:	64 (15%)
Chris Walker WGA username: Walkingadventure Geocaching.com username: Walkingadventure Candidates Corner topic:	64 (15%)
Tim Saavedra             WGA username: TJSAAVEDRA Geocaching.com username: TJSAAVEDRA Candidates Corner topic:	47 (11%)
Steve Biedermann WGA username: CommanderUSN Geocaching.com username: CommanderUSN Candidates Corner topic:	27 (6%)
David Cantrell WGA username: CacheNoTrace Geocaching.com username: CacheNoTrace Candidates Corner topic:	24 (6%)
Will Church WGA username: lone_gunman Geocaching.com username: Lone_Gunman Candidates Corner topic:	23 (5%)
Scott Dallesasse WGA username: sdallesasse Geocaching.com username: Scribble Scribe Candidates Corner topic:	15 (3%)
Kelso Gonzalez WGA username: Kelso Geocaching.com username: Gonzakel Candidates Corner topic:	9 (2%)

The January 2013 WGA Caches of the Month have been announced. Each of the five regions of the state have again been well represented.

Northern Zone - A Moment of Zen by benjam76
Difficulty 4 - Terrain 5
Hidden in 2006, this cache has only been found 35 times. Several WGA members have recommended it in the forums.

Northeast Zone - Wiouwash Whisper For Lisa's 2K by Sagasu
Difficulty 2.5 -  Terrain 3.5
This tribute cache can be found two ways. It's a three part multi, but if you prefer night caches, you can follow the reflectors to a "glittering" ammo can final.

West Central Zone - Wisconsin Roadside Weirdness Challenge by Trekkin' and birdin'
Difficulty 3 - Terrain 1.5
A challenge cache that requires you to find some of the wierdest attractions in Wisconsin. You might find a 16 foot tall loon, or sculpture gardens or even the worlds largest letter "M".

South Central Zone - Last cache in town for me? by catm99
Difficulty 2 - Terrain 2
A three part mystery cache surrounded by letters and numbers. With 10 favorite points and only 16 finds, this looks like a fun one.

Southeast Zone - The Amazing Race Starting Line (Amazing Race #1) by Doctor Dolittle & The Goldie Diggers
Difficulty 4 - Terrain 3
The start of a series of 32 caches, you may need some special equipment to find this one.

Series of the Month - Casa Oro/G15 Amazing Race by The Goldie Diggers
Difficulty 1.5 -  Terrain 1.5
This cache was chosen to represent the entire Amazing Race series. With 32 caches by some very creative hiders, this looks like a must do series.

Nominations and voting is open for the February Cache of the Month