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Manchester Ship Canal - Geocaching

You will need a handheld smartphone or GPS device downloaded with Geocaching software.

Brian Webber is the conservation manager of Moore Nature Reserve, which runs alongside the Manchester Ship Canal.
The reserve is 200 acres of lakes, woodland, meadows and ponds which he supervises in a bid to aid the survival of a wide variety of birds, animals, plants and other wildlife. Brian's aim is to ensure birds keep coming back to the site.
But to ensure people also regularly visit the site, Brian employs a 'geocaching' game, an online form of modern orienteering using GPS devices.
Goecaching devices are placed in secret locations throughout the conservation area with the game's aim being to encourage more enthusiasts to enjoy the nature reserve and learn more about the plants and wildlife it supports.

You will need a handheld smartphone or GPS device downloaded with geocaching software. Once the relevant coordinates are downloaded you then use the device to seek out various hidden geocaches dotted through the conservation site.
The GPS co-ordinates will take you to within a few feet of the geocache and then you will have to use the clues provided (also posted on-line) to find the treasure. They're often tiny little boxes containing a small prize and a log book where people can write down who found the geocache.
Once people have finished their day they can upload comments onto the geocaching website, detailing how easy or hard they found it to discover the prizes, and add any comments about the area explored during the day.

Brian has now seen a big increase in the number of people who visit the conservation area since he started using geocaches around the nature reserve. He says it makes it all worthwhile for him as it brings in people who wouldn't normally come to the reserve or even know the reserve existed.

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