Untitled Document
This New Mexico state geocache is based on the national geocache
called "NGS Benchmark Recovery Cache" by Dutchboy in Indiana, and
with his permission. All the credit for this idea goes to him.
This cache is close to your home, no matter where you live. The object is to
look up a National Geodetic Survey Benchmark in your area (New Mexico), and locate
it. The first thing you must do, is determine and record the coordinates of
your location in DDMMSS format (not decimal minutes). Then go to the following
website:
NGS
DATASHEET POINT RADIUS FORM
Plug your coordinates into the form and do a search for all
Benchmarks within a few miles of your location. You will get a listing of several
Benchmarks to choose from. Pick one and bring up the data sheet on it. You may
have to look at several before you find the one you wish to locate. You will
find several around railroad tracks and airport runways. These are generally
not good ones to locate. You will find some around public landmarks like buildings,
or bridges. When you find the one you want to locate, print out the data sheet,
plug in the coordinates and away you go. If you have never seen a NGS Benchmark,
below is a picture of what you are looking for. After you find it, you can even
file a report on the condition of the Benchmark. They will put your initials
on the data sheet. Here is one that I located, and filed a report on the condition.
The coordinates of this cache are for the Benchmark I recovered, but you can
log a cache by finding any in your area.
When you locate the Benchmark in New Mexico, take a picture of it,
and post it with your cache log. Some Benchmarks are accurate enough to test
your GPS. Any New Mexico Benchmark that have not already been found and logged will
qualify for this cache.