Welcome to the CABQ Open Space 35 geocache series! This eight geocache series commemorates the City of Albuquerque Open Space Division’s 35th Anniversary, recognizes this special community milestone, and is designed to provide information to the geocaching public in a variety of areas, as described by the geocache titles. Solve for the Anniversary Commemorative Coin Passphrase with clues from all eight geocaches, and earn a 35th Anniversary Commemorative Coin!
A Bosque is a type of forest habitat that forms in corridors found along the riparian flood plains of stream and river banks in the southwestern United States. It derives its name from the Spanish word for woodlands. The most notable southwestern U.S. Bosque is our 300-mile long ecosystem found along the middle Rio Grande that extends from Santa Fe south to El Paso, Texas.
Mammals. Thirty five species of mammals have been documented or are possible residents of the Bosque. Those species frequently encountered during the day and throughout most of the Bosque include the Desert Cottontail, Rock Squirrel, Muskrat, Porcupine and Coyote. Also widely distributed but less easily seen are the Beaver, Long-Tailed Weasel, Pocket Gopher, Mule Deer, Badger, Bear, Bobcat, Ring-Tailed Cat, Striped-Skunk, and Raccoon.
Reptiles. The 29 species of reptiles identified in the Bosque represent nearly one third of all the reptiles known to occur in New Mexico. Thirteen of the species are Snakes, 10 are Lizards, and 6 are Turtles.
Birds. Over 180 bird species have been identified in the Bosque. They can roughly be divided into year-round Bosque residents, summer breeding residents, winter residents, and spring and fall migrants.
The most common year-round residents are the Mallard, American Coot, Mourning Dove, Northern Flicker, Red-Tailed Hawk, Cooper’s Hawk, American Kestrel, Woodpeckers, Great Blue Heron, Blackbirds, Robins, and House Finch.
The most abundant during the summer breeding season, are the Black-Chinned Hummingbird, Downy Woodpecker, Bewick’s Wren, Black-Headed Grosbeak, Summer Tanager, and Western Wood-Pewee.
In winter, Snow Geese, Canada Geese, and Sandhill Cranes occur in high numbers at ponds and wetlands, in the river channel, or in fields adjacent to the Bosque.
Spring and fall migrants are dominated by the Wilson’s Warbler, Chipping Sparrow, Pine Siskin, White-Crowned Sparrow, Yellow-Rumped Warbler, Dark-Eyed Junco, Orange-Crowned Warbler, and Ruby-Crowned Kinglet, as well as a variety of Ducks, Egrets and Herons.
This geocache is located near Canopy Loop Trail.
Find all eight "CABQ Open Space 35” passphrase geocaches, and solve for the Anniversary Coin Passphrase with clues found on the inside of each geocache. Use the following template for the clues —
Passphrase: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
To claim your Anniversary Commemorative Coin, please go to the Montessa Park CABQ Open Space Administration Office, and provide the Coin Passphrase to a CABQ Open Space employee.
NOTE: the Montessa Park Office may only be accessed Mon-Fri, 8:00 am - 4:00 pm.
A complete list of the geocaches in the CABQ Open Space 35 series may be found within the CABQ Open Space 35 #1: CABQ Open Space Division; GC859AW description page.
Starting at the CABQ Open Space Visitor Center, roundtrip for geocaches #2 - #8 along River Loop and Canopy Loop Trails is approximately 2.25 miles (see Spoiler Pic ‘OSVC and Bosque Trail Access’ map). Please stay on designated trails and limit your off-trail travel as much as possible, in order to protect our special and delicate Bosque ecosystem.
Revised CABQ Open Space Visitor Center Hours (as of 23 Oct 2023):
Tue - Sun: 9:00am - 5:00pm
Enjoy the series search, and your stroll in the CABQ Open Space / Bosque!