[i]Much of this material is from the Wisconsin DNR.[/i] There are many names for this invading weed: [i]Alliaria petiolata, garlic mustard, hedge garlic, sauce-alone, jack-by-the-hedge, poor man's mustard, jack-in-the-bush, garlic root, garlicwort, mustard root[/i]. It looks rather pretty in the woods, but if it gets its way, it may be the only plant you see in the woods. Many of us have commented on how prevalent this plant is this Spring. Many agencies, including the Wisconsin DNR, are seeking assistance in curtailing its spread. Many locations are hosting [i]Pulling Parties[/i] hoping for the assistance of volunteers to remove this invader.

Part of my job requires me to help people understand ticks and how they affect people’s health. I would normally not respond to a forum posting in such detail, but I think that it is important for geocachers to be well informed about ticks, so I am going to step up onto my lecture box. I hope no one takes offence. If any one would like to ask me any questions I would be happy to answer them. Having spent several weeks in school learning to identify ticks and the diseases that they carry, I just wanted to clarify a common misconception about ticks. I read in this, and in other threads, that the Lyme disease tick is the size of a pin head, while the Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever(RMSF) tick is much larger. I say Lyme disease tick, and RMSF Tick, because in actual fact several different types of ticks can transmit these diseases. The most common vector for Lyme disease is Ixodes scapularis (common name: Deer Tick or Blacklegged Tick), but it is generally believed that Lyme disease may be carried and transmitted by any of the ticks in the Genus of Ixodes. RMSF can also be transmitted by the Deer tick, as well as its more common carrier the Rocky mountain wood tick (Dermacentor andersoni). These two are by no means the only transmitters of RMSF. In the East the most common carriers of RMSF are the Deer tick and the Dog tick (Dermacentor varabilis). You can get RMSF if you have never left the east coast.

The following information was obtained from the CDC

Overview of West Nile Virus

Q: What are West Nile virus, West Nile fever, and West Nile encephalitis?
A. “West Nile Virus” is a flavivirus commonly found in Africa, West Asia, and the Middle East. It is closely related to St. Louis encephalitis virus found in the United States. The virus can infect humans, birds, mosquitoes, horses and some other mammals.

“West Nile fever” is a case of mild disease in people, characterized by flu-like symptoms. West Nile fever typically lasts only a few days and does not appear to cause any long-term health effects.

Geocacher BruceS is a prolific geocacher from the St. Louis area who recently spent several days geocaching in Wisconsin. For this month's WGA article, we asked him a few questions about himself and his approach to geocaching.

Ken Braband: Please describe a little about yourself: Age, where you live, family, job, other hobbies, etc.

BruceS: I am a 45 years old and live in St Peters, Mo, a suburb of St Louis. I am married and have 4 children ages 12, 14, 16, and 20. I work as a systems manager for a large transportation company. My main other hobby is long distance bicycling.

Back in February 2001, there was only one geocache around Milwaukee and a total of three in the entire state. After Ken Braband found his first cache, in the Chicago area, he wanted to place his own. He had skied and hiked the trails at Pike Lake State Park for many years and always enjoyed the view from the top of Powder Hill. Pike Powder Hike cache was placed.

[i]Copyright Isthmus Publishing Co. Inc. 2003. [/i] There is a cry in the wilderness. "[b][i]Found it![/i][/b]" The voice belongs to "mudbug," and the exclamation point connotes her excitement and accomplishment. She has found her first geocache. Under the watchful eye of veteran geocacher John Carvin, Mudbug and I - both rookies - have been tromping around Magnolia Bluff southwest of Evansville with a GPS receiver in search of the cache, a green .30-caliber ammo can.