GPS and Mapping

Countywide GPS and Mapping Project (formerly Geocaching Project)

What you can do in this project?

Youth discover the world of orienteering using maps and global positioning system (GPS) technology to explore the world around them or plan an adventure.

  • Learn how road and terrain, points of interest, travel times, and cardinal directions are shown
  • Learn how to use a compass
  • Learn to use different types of maps
  • Learn the fundamentals of GPS technology and digital mapping
  • Learn about careers and adventure opportunities that use GPS and maps
  • Learn the fundamentals of geocaching and equipment
  • Learn guidelines and rules of geocaching
  • Explore outdoors looking for geocaches
  • Learn how to build and place your own geocaches

Ages:

3-13 grades

Cost:

Must purchase Geocaching.com Premium membership on your own, $40 per year

Equipment Needed:

Must have phone with Geocaching app installed or a hand-held GPS unit with geocaches downloaded prior to each meeting.

Project Add Deadline:

January 1st

Meeting Location:

Various Locations throughout Ozaukee County & local area beyond. Project leader will provide meeting locations.

Meeting Dates and Times:

Meeting difficulty is listed by each meeting. Youth can choose which meetings to attend based on rating.

  • Easy meeting: topics that we have discussed in previous years, caches are easy, walking is easy. These meetings geared toward newer and/or younger project members.
  • Hard meeting: more challenging topics, more physical hiking, and/or harder caches. These meetings geared towards veteran and/or older project members.
    • New/young project members are invited to attend these meetings AND a parent/guardian should attend and participate with youth.
  • Everyone meeting: possible guest speaker, an educational topic meant for all project members, and/or mix of cache difficulties.

2026-2027 Dates: (please RSVP to Jessica whether or not you plan to attend just prior to each meeting date.)

  • New Members Only: Friday, November 6, 2025: 5:30-6:30 pm at Mequon Public Market, 2nd floor
    • Introduction to project and geocaching; what is needed for project; find three nearby caches.
    • Meeting Difficulty: Easy
  • Returning Members Only: Saturday, November 14, 2026: 3:30-5:00 pm meet at Meijer parking lot, Grafton
    • Intro to letterbox caches, 1 multicache, possible mystery cache and 2 traditional caches nearby.
    • Meeting Difficulty: Hard
  • Saturday, December 5, 2026: 3:30-5:00 pm at Village Park, Thiensville
    • Compass and map reading, learn what EarthCache is, scavenger hunt, finding a nanocache and EarthCache.
    • Meeting Difficulty: Easy
  • Tuesday, December 29, 2026: 3:30-5:00 pm at Downtown Cedarburg, meet at Cedarburg Coffee Roastery
    • 1 virtual cache, 1 uniquie traditional cache, 1 mystery cache
    • Meeting Difficulty: Everyone
  • January 2027: Weekday evening – Date TBD.
    • Guest speaker
    • Meeting Difficulty: Everyone
  • Tuesday, February 9, 2027: 6:00-7:00 pm at Grafton Public Library
    • Multicache and education on different types of maps
    • Meeting Difficulty: Everyone
  • Saturday, March 13, 2027: 4:00-5:00 pm at Schowalter Park, Saukville
    • 2 traditional caches, group games using navigation
    • Meeting Difficulty: Easy
  • April 2027: Date TBD. at Downtown Port Washington, meet in public lot south of Duluth Trading Company
    • Mystery cache, webcam cache
    • Meeting Difficulty: Hard
  • Saturday, May 22, 2027: 4:00-5:30 pm at Possibility Playground, Port Washington
    • Mystery cache, pack your patience, difficult terrain requires leader to choose youth for final cache
    • Meeting Difficulty: Hard

Record Books:

Project youth should send photo of record book pages to project leader, Jessica, after county fair, and she will make comments and email back to youth. Youth can then print and put pages into record book before turning in to your general leader.

Countywide Project Contact Leader:

Jessica Heller   414-218-4777 or heller_jl@yahoo.com