You will find a wheelchair accessible telescope mounted on an observation deck here that provides views of Squamscott River, the marshes and an osprey nest platform. The deck was built as part of Project Osprey.
From the Project Osprey website:
"Man-made nesting platforms were built throughout NH to attract osprey. Click here for a list of other sites. Although the project has concluded its 5-year mission, osprey monitoring continues in Southern New Hampshire as Great Bay Osprey Stewards.
Ospreys, along with other bird species, became endangered in the 1950s and 60s when widespread use of DDT and other pesticides contaminated the aquatic food chain. Feeding on fish exposed to DDT, ospreys laid eggs with abnormally thin shells that broke under the weight of the nesting adults. Successful reproduction became nearly impossible. By 1980, there were only three active osprey nests in New Hampshire—a former stronghold for osprey populations.
By 1999, there were 22 active osprey nests and 28 young fledged in New Hampshire, and the species inhabited two of the state’s five major watersheds. Ospreys were slowly making headway in the Granite State, but they still had a ways to go. In 2000, Project Osprey was launched by the New Hampshire Fish & Game Department, Public Service of New Hampshire (PSNH), and the Audubon Society of New Hampshire to work toward a full recovery of the state-threatened bird of prey, and to promote greater overall public awareness of the importance of healthy ecosystems to support wildlife populations.
By 2005, six years after Project Osprey began, osprey numbers had doubled in New Hampshire. Setting new highs for the post-DDT era, ospreys occupied 43 active nests, produced 62 young, and settled in four of New Hampshire’s major watersheds in 2005."
You will need some information from the telescope and the four signs that are posted around the observation deck to find the cache, which is hidden about three miles from here at:
N4Aº BC.DEF W 070º GH.IJK
11/27/22 - Unfortunately, the signs have been removed from the observation platform so I have created two alternate ways for you to find the final location.
You have two choices:
1. Solve the puzzle using photos that I have taken of the informational signs. I have uploaded them here and they are available to view in the gallery on the cache page. They were quick snapshots that I took during a visit in 2017 and as you can see, the signs were beginning to decay at that time. All of the information you need to solve the puzzle is available on the signs and in the photo of the telescope. If you need a larger version of the sign photos, you can find them here in an album on my Flickr account - Project Osprey - Happy Feet. I do hope that you take the time to visit that observation platform, though, because the park has been improved over the years and is a unique and beautiful spot to enjoy!
2. Go to the viewing platform, enjoy the view, hopefully spot an Osprey if you are there in the right season and then find a small plastic container hidden nearby that has a note with the coordinates for the final location written on it. No puzzle solving necessary. Please leave the note in the container for others. And enjoy the view before heading off for the final!
AB = The number of osprey chicks fledged in 1995.
C = The osprey has reversible toes. When perching, how many toes point forward?
D = The number of seasons the Great Blue Heron is present in Great Bay.
E = DDT was banned in the United States in 1_72.
F = The second digit in the zip code on the label on the side of the telescope.
G = An osprey has a ___ foot wing span.
H = The number of seasons the osprey is present in Great Bay.
I = Ospreys build large stick nests often more than 3 feet deep and _____ feet across.
J = The number of seasons the Purple Sandpiper is present in Great Bay.
K = The number of organizations that joined together to concentrate efforts on restoring the osprey population.
Parking for the observation deck is available at the nearby public boat ramp. There is a small public restroom at the boat ramp, also, but it is only open during the summer. There is a path that leads from the parking lot to the observation deck. It is a short walk through a pretty garden area on flat, grassy terrain to get to the observation deck.
Please note that the final cache location is not wheelchair accessible. Only the observation deck, which has a ramp access and the telescope which is mounted on the deck are wheelchair accessible.
Due to the lack of property maintenance at the final cache location, I have relocated the final to make it more accessible. It is still located in the public access area, but at the entrance now.
And finally, special thanks to my West Coast friend, Hoppingcrow, for taking the time to check the puzzle and confirm that the coordinates work!