Welcome!!!!

You have reached the homepage of the Michigan Geocaching Organization (MiGO). The purpose of our organization is to promote the sport of Geocaching in Michigan via improved communications and to provide information to the public about our activities and the sport of geocaching. Please spend some time on our site. If you have any questions, feel free to contact us or visit www.geocaching.com for more details.

Join MiGO Today! Membership gives you many benefits. MiGO is one of the oldest and most respected Geocaching organizations in the country. Since our inception in April, 2002 we have grown both in size and stature. In 2007 we were granted an organizational land use permit by the Michigan DNR. This permit enables MiGO members to place caches on permitted DNR lands, with the appropriate permit where required, at no fee. This is just one of the many benefits of your membership. You'll also become part of a local and tight-knit Geocaching community with an active interest in caching in our state. Members have access to our forums and are encouraged to participate. We also have a very active Facebook Group which is a great place to meet cachers and learn the game.

To Join, renew or upgrade your membership, pull down the Membership Menu.

Announcements

We are taking a short break from our contest schedule until after Winter Social, with the following exception:
A long-promised photo contest for just our ZFC Photo Contest Winners should be ready for roll out in a few days. This will be an all-year contest. Watch this page for the announcement.

The 2023 MiGO General Member Meeting was held via Zoom call on January 8th at 2:00PM. A video recording is available at  2023 General Meeting by Zoom.

The Nomination and Election Process for officers in the Executive Committee and Regional Vice Presidents has moving to the December-February time frame from the October-December time frame. The reason for the change is that terms of office have been updated to be from March 1st through the end of February, two years later. Stay tuned for more information coming soon.

Susan K. Schug Scholarship application has closed. The Board is in the process of selecting the best of the submittals and will announce the winner at the MiGO Winter Social, February 25th.

Winners of the Winter Social 2023 Pathtag Design Contest are shown on the Winter Social announcement below. Six tags were selected to be part of the WS23 SWAG package, along with the first of a series of throwback license plate coins.

GC9WJ2F: Winter Social 2023, February 23rd-26th, 2023, Manistee. Registration is open and will close February 13th. SWAG presale is over, but a few of the Pathtag sets and the License Plate Geocoins are available in the MiGO Store.

Both the 2022 Lake Superior Member Coins and the Winter Social Throwback License Plate Coins were delivered this week to MiGO. Distribution will be at the Winter Social for those who asked to take delivery there. Mailed coins will go out about the same time frame.

Zoom... Focus... Click! - January 2023

Member Ballot:

All members will get to pick their top 5 from all of the photos scrolling above. Photos are shown in the order they were taken. As you scroll through the photos to pick your top 5, make a note of the "number" of each photo you like. Order them from your favorite to fifth favorite.

Member Ballot open through February 4th!

Pick your top 5

MiGO Election 2023

The Self Nomination Period for positions on the MiGO Executive Committee and for Regional Vice President is open through January 8th. If more nominations are received than we have open positions, an election will be held February 6th through 12th. Click the button below to get to the nomination form.

We seek the help of supporting MiGO members who are willing to help run and promote the organization. We need people who will be involved, active and interested in help implement the initiatives that MiGO provides the caching community.

The MiGO Executive Committee is responsible for supporting the goals and mission of MiGO, promoting geocaching and running the day-to-day operations of the organization. The EC reports to the Board of Directors through the MiGO EC President. The EC has seven elected positions that serve two-year terms. Approximately half of these positions are up for nomination/election each year. Specific EC positions are decided on by the new EC after the nomination/election period.

Regional Vice Presidents are responsible for supporting the goals and mission of MiGO, promoting geocaching, being the liaison with members and park managers, and supporting local events and CITO's within their region. RVPs will be given a budget for the purpose of supporting events. RVPs report to the EC Vice President. The five RVPs also serve two-year terms. Approximately half of these positions are up for nomination/election each year.

Being an officer in this organization can be very satisfying. If you think you might like to play a part in it, we will welcome you. See the details in the preamble of the Self Nomination form for eligibility. If you change your mind, you can cancel your form.

Self-Nomination for 2023 MiGO Election

The MiGO 20th Anniversary Geocoin is available to order in the MiGO Store. Get yours before they are gone.

February Promotions

Zoom... Focus... Click! - February 2023

The MiGO Photo Contest runs for each calendar month.
Reminder: only photos taken during the contest period are eligible.

Winners (Top 3) will get a special trackable to be used in the Photo Op Winners Contest that runs for the calendar year.

The theme for this month is:

Winter Friends, Winter Finds

Click the button to submit a photo.
You may submit 1, 2 or 3 photos per contest.
Please submit only your own current photos.
Remember, landscape photos look better on our scroller.
Membership picks the winner.

Winter Social, 2023

February 23-26, 2023
A Long Weekend of Winter Caching Fun in Manistee

Registration is now open!

2023 Winter Social Webpage

SWAG Package pre-order is closed, but there is a limited quantity of the pathtag set and the geocoin available in the MiGO Store for a somewhat higher price. If there are any left, they will be available at the event for an even higher price!

Winter Social, 2023

Volunteers Needed!

It takes lots of hands to pull off Winter Social, both on Friday, to help set up, and Saturday, to pull off the multiple things going on. Many slots have been set up in the Volunteer Portal on the MiGO page. You don't need to be a member to help, but if you are, please log in first.

Please sign up today! You can sign up for multiple slots if you like but be careful to not overlap times. Visit the portal under the About Menu - Volunteering, or click this button:

Volunteer here for Winter Social 2023

2023

Winter Social

Gadget Cache and

Creative Cache Contest

2023 WS Gadget & Creative Cache Contest

January Promotions

ZFC Winners Photo Op Contest
A contest just for MiGO Photo Contest Winners:

This is the long promised, year-long contest for 1st, 2nd and 3rd place winners of the Zoom-Focus-Click Photo Contest. It is a bit like a travel bug race, with a twist: We are counting photos, not miles.

What is the object?

Get photos posted on your ZFC trackable's web page. The more photos, the more points.
The contest runs for the calendar year, starting at the January publish date, through December 31st, 2023. It is open to all ZFC prize winners (first, second and third Place) of the ZFC Photo Contest from November 2020 through June 2023. July and later winners will be eligible for the contest in 2024. The playing pieces are the ZFC Trackable tags that were the prizes for the photo contest. There are multiple ways to score more points, and more ways to win prizes.

This contest is open only to ZFC prize winners. Others are welcome to look, but to play, you must first finish in the top 3 of a monthly ZFC Photo Contest. Access to the contest page is through a private Announcement Forum for the contest. All members who are qualified to play will get an invitation to the Forum.

ZFC Winners Photo Op Contest

December Promotions

Twelve Days of Christmas
MiGO Giveaway

Limited Edition Holiday Travel Bug
from the Geocaching Store. We are giving away four a day to our supporting members,
Dec 25th - Jan 5th

On the first day of Christmas MiGO gave a Holiday Travel Bug too...
Goldfinch, jtcoffee, Mom1of6, and candzsloot.

On the second day of Christmas MiGO gave a Holiday Travel Bug too...
ekotus, K&A Enterprises, GramaMehl, and AACacheHoppers.

On the third day of Christmas MiGO gave a Holiday Travel Bug too...
hatfield.hunters, Team Kalsin, StepsideWally, and zekefritter.

On the fourth day of Christmas MiGO gave a Holiday Travel Bug too...
usyoopers, coolmamaof5, fins&feathers, and KWGT.
On the fifth day of Christmas MiGO gave a Holiday Travel Bug too...

scook, Holmer4Manistee, HetzelMI, and smurfette40.

On the sixth day of Christmas MiGO gave a Holiday Travel Bug too...

LiteOnCache, vj24, Farmchickadee, and Hot Air Cacher.
On the seventh day of Christmas MiGO gave a Holiday Travel Bug too...

lightkeeperJane, Sl0ther, 4KClub, and ScouterSteve.

On the eighth day of Christmas MiGO gave a Holiday Travel Bug too...

BigBucknasty, The Trent's, xpird, and Cosmo411.

On the nineth day of Christmas MiGO gave a Holiday Travel Bug too...

bekkastarstruck, Frank and Peggy, IdaLabs, and NightTrails.

On the tenth day of Christmas MiGO gave a Holiday Travel Bug too...

Stinky and Stinky, Team_Olsen11516, 8_is_Enough, and kmans.

On the eleventh day of Christmas MiGO gave a Holiday Travel Bug to…

smitherington, RedhedMary, TSR_TeamStellaRick and waytag.

On the twelfth day of Christmas MiGO gave a Holiday Travel Bug to…

TeamEccs21, Geognarles, mockingjay3, and DucksLanding.

Thanks to all of the supporting members of MiGO. We hope 2023 brings you many finds and great joy!

November-December Promotions

MiGO Holiday 2022 Contest

Results are available. The winners are:

To see the results summary, click this button:
MHoliday 2022 Contest Results Summary

To see the contest details, click this button:
MiGO Holiday 2022 Details and Entry

First Prize Winner: Smitherington, won a one-year extension of his Lake Superior Membership extension and selected the vintage November, 2012 Bronze Age geocoin pictured.
Second Prize Winner: kucharsm, won the vintage December, 2012 geocoin, and also has bragging rights that a prize can be one with a single objective and daily bonus.
Third Prize Winner: Fallin', wins their choice of a MiGO Trackable Name Badge, a 20-Year Anniversary Geocoin or a Hiking Stick Medallion.
Fourth Prize Winner: CCSquire: also wins their choice of a MiGO Trackable Name Badge, a 20-Year Anniversary Geocoin or a Hiking Stick Medallion.
Facebook and Lake St. Clair drawing winner: debgeoseeker, from our Facebook Group, wins a coupon for their choice of Travel Tag from The MiGO store valued under $5, plus a coupon for $5 off a Lake Huron or Lake Superior membership.

Coupons for third and fourth place and for the FB/LSC prize will be generated and sent via email.

November, 2012 GCC - Bronze Age
Selected by Smitherington

December, 2012 GCC
Goes to kucharsm

We got a nice note from Smitherington:

Smitherington and the MiGO Holiday 2022 Contest

Sometimes one needs a new motivation to get out on the trails or roads to find those geocaches that are not smiley faces yet and this contest certainly served that purpose recently. I happen to be in Florida for the season and the caches I have access to are certainly not the same as the rest of the MiGO members have available. I have been a snowbird for 8 seasons and I have found most of the caches near me so my finds were typically from 1/2 hour to an hour away.

I did not get started until the third day of the contest. I located a geocache 30 miles away that had the word ‘Mouse’ in the title. You might think that most of the mouse caches would be near Orlando and Disney World but this was just north of Tampa.

I enjoyed the contest immensely.

Thanks to those at MiGO who make this possible, to LynnGeoGin for creating the contest, to those who compiled the info and stuck the hand in the proverbial jar and drew out my number, and for the membership extension and coin.

The entire note with caching details can be seen here: Smitherington and the MiGO Holiday 2022 Contest.

On behalf of the MiGO Challenge Work Group, thank you very much. Your enjoyment makes our effort worthwhile.

The MiGO Challenge Work Group strives to bring our members and the caching community enjoyable things to do. Sometimes they are easy, sometimes, less so. If you have an idea for a contest you would like to see us present, please consider requesting some "airtime" with the work group. Write your idea up with some detail and email it to webmaster@mi-geocaching.org. Your idea will be discussed by the work group. If we use it, you will get the credit. Also, consider becoming part of our work group. We meet once a month on Zoom and have a forum on the MiGO website to document ideas and hash out details. We welcome creative minds.

Ongoing Promotions

Now Live!

Michigan Waterways Adventures

7 Adventures in 4 Regions

10 Labs per Adventure

5 Labs per county
Record the Key Words

visit
Michigan DNR Geocaching Page
for details.

Download the Waterways Adventure Labs Log to record your keywords to earn the prizes.

For questions and help with the Waterways Adventures email MichiganWaterwaysAdventure@gmail.com

Note: Many of the Lab locations are in places without cellular service. ALs can easily be completed without cellular service. Click HERE for instructions.

The Latest from the GeoTour

November 10th, 2022.

We reached 7500 Favorite Points!

Michigan State Parks GeoTour
has been officially extended through
September 24th, 2024!

Here are the latest GeoTour stats, as of November 3rd, 2022:

Logged
Finds:
50,546

Individual
Cachers:
7,828

Favorite
Points:
7500

Geocoins
Earned:
Silver:
249
Gold:
210

News from the DNR: For those of you who have earned your Silver and/or Gold coins, the DNR has more coins ordered, so please be patient. It takes time to get them.

As many of you know, our own "Kneel More" is an avid and prolific filmmaker with regards to the game of Geocaching. Kneel and his friend Bob Billy have dozens of informative and often hilarious videos in his YouTube collection. Kneel has created a series of videos while caching the MSPC GeoTour. To view the videos, click on the images below.

DNR Centennial Geocache Trail -
Trust the Tradition

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources is celebrating its Centennial year in 2021. Jay's Sporting Goods is celebreating their 50th anniversary. To celebrate, The DNR is partnering with Jay's Sporting Goods with help from MiGO putting together a geocache trail (not a GeoTour) of fifty caches in four regions of Michigan, one region at a time. Jay's is supplying the actual geocaches that will be hidden with our assistance. Search the state for caches named "DNR TTT - Adventure" in their name.

We want to recognize the following cachers for stepping up to help. Numbers in parenthesis indicate multiple sites:

2277, aghudley, Bainers1103, bgscrabble, ccsquire, Cinamuck, coolmamaof5, DanTMan&Co (2), Gdpunkgirl73, Grayseelou' HelloLola, iatsemedic, IFollowRoads, K&A Enterprises (2), kirtlandii (2), kitedancer, LiteOnCache, Loumiester, Mermaidsh, Piperollie1, Pirate Sunflower (3), Ranger4+1, redwings01win, SeasonsGuide (3). Stuffedcabbage, Team Nix (2), The Macho Homemaker, theworldisoutthere (5), TJPost (2), Traveling Dave, usyoopers (5), Ypsimom (2).

We would also like to recognize the following additional cachers who volunteered as backupsfor the primary hiders:

beenhere, DirtBikeGranny, epoch13, Working4Cache

Thank you all so much for helping bring this joint effort to fruition.

MiGO Susan K. Schug Scholarship

In memory of one of its past members, the Michigan Geocaching Organization will be sponsoring a $300.00 scholarship aimed at assisting our next generation of Michigan youth in their studies of outdoor recreational activities, in hopes of helping them gain an appreciation of the outdoors while learning to be good stewards of Michigan's land conservation and the environment in general.

Any active MiGO member, their spouse or their child or grandchild, who will be attending a college or university, is eligible to apply for this scholarship. Details and a link to the application form can be found on the

MiGO Scholarship Page

Promote MiGO on your Geocache Page

MiGO members are encouraged to identify geocaches as being owned by a MiGO Member. We have had a page containing sample logos and other graphics for MiGO Cache Owners to include on their own cache pages. Recently, HQ tightened their security, breaking many COs links to graphics and other pages. Neither our old host or our new one were included in the acceptable list.

The good news is, we have placed the graphics on our own Google Drive space and updated the page with the logos and code to go with them.

The bad news is, we would like all of our members to update all geocache pages that used our older host with code for the new location of the graphics.

Click the link below to see what is available and copy the new code to your cache pages.

Add a MiGO Logo to your cache page

Notable Membership Activity over the Last Two Months

Trial Members

Charityswindow (welcome)

Lake Huron

KWGT (renew)
debgeoseeker (new)
Etharyl (renew)
__Marie0317 (renew)
Holmer4Manistee (rendng)
Kite Dancer (renew)
MichiSeekers (renew)
cgamboy (renew)
Gnomaste (renew)
sgerbs (renew)
AlphaRK9 (renew)
GreatLakesCacher (renew)

Lake Superior

ORBGeoTour (new)
Moldslug (renew)
Edelweiss in MI (new)
MaxB on the River (renew)
N8theGR8 (renew)
WanderMI (new)
MsPackrat (renew)
dpbotkin (renew)
musical note (renew)
afishoutawater (renew)
tandembiker (ren&upg)
BinderyGuy (renew)
DucksLanding (renew)
ScoutMom5 (renew)
TPM2013 (renew)
Tjslady (renew)
GeoNiffs (renew)
FarkleTime (renew)
smitherington (winner)
Mermaidish (renew)
BigBucknasty (renew)
Nurse Nanna (renew)
beenherealso (renew)
Ranger Sue (renew)
Acker3Family (renew)
K&A Enterprises (upgrade)
jtcoffee (renew)
Team Peterson (renew)
CynJa (new)
VBClan4 (renew)
HelloLola (renew)
Stuffedcabbage (renew)
Piperollie1 (renew)
AACacheHoppers (new)
The Trent's (renew)

Lake Superior
Honor Roll