Adventure awaits! Do you set New Year’s resolutions for yourself? Gather your family, work group, or friends to bond, create memories, and get outside with over 50 missions to guide your steps. Or if you are like me and don’t make New Year’s resolutions, but being active and exploring brings you joy, then this winter challenge is for you too.
Downeast Lakes Land Trust (DLLT) and Downeast Coastal Conservancy (DCC) have come together to get you out exploring Washington County. The public is invited to assemble teams of one to five members and compete in a county-wide scavenger hunt. All ages are welcome to participate. Top teams will receive a goodie pack from DLLT and DCC. The grand-prize winning-team gets to take home a wood toboggan from L.L. Bean!
Sarah Cote, DLLT’s Education and Volunteer Coordinator, devised a plethora of items for northern Washington County, while DCC’s Membership and Outreach Director Cathy Lookabaugh covered the southern end of Washington County. Missions vary in difficulty and are scored accordingly. Missions have 3 different point values: 100 points for those that can be completed anywhere at any time during the challenge, 300 points for those that require you to go to a specific location, and 500 points for those that require you to attend an event on a specific day.
Can you slide across the ice penguin style? 100 points!
Can you find the Old Silver Mine at Pigeon Hill Preserve? 300 points!
Will you visit our Winter Family Fun Days? 500 points!
This family-friendly competition runs from January 1st through February 28th. Get ready to start by registering your team on the Goose Chase app on any smart phone or tablet device. After downloading the app, search for “Washington County’s Outdoor Winter Challenge!” Plan for your team’s kick-off mission, a first-day hike on January 1st at any DCC Preserve or DLLT Community Forest trail.
Many businesses and organizations have joined the collaboration as supporters and mission locations to visit; Be sure to thank them for their support of the scavenger hunt.
P.S. DLLT’s photo contest is also underway, so remember to take lots of pictures and submit your best shots to photo@downeastlakes.org. Full details and rules can be found under the “Get Involved” tab from DLLT’s website or by using this link: https://downeastlakes.org/events/dllt-photo-contest/