Route 66 Open Space: Environmental Inventory and Restoration Plan

The Route 66 Open Space was purchased in 2010 by the City of Albuquerque (COA) and the Albuquerque Open Space Division (AOSD). The open space is located at the border of Albuquerque and Carñuel right off Central Avenue (Historic Route 66) and I- 40, near the Sandia Foothills Open Space and the Manzano/Four Hills Open Space. The Tijeras Arroyo, a mostly natural arroyo, is an intermittent stream that drains about 77 square miles of eastern Albuquerque and the Sandia Mountains, flows right through the middle of the open space. The area was originally a rodeo themed amusement park, but later became a misused parcel of land and has been neglected for many years, which has caused degradation to the trails, arroyo, and the land itself. All terrain vehicles (ATVs) and other motorized vehicle use created \u27user-made\u27 or \u27social\u27 trails throughout the open space, which have evidence of high erosion caused by over use and degradation, making them unsafe for public use. There are no \u27official\u27 trails created by the AOSD, but their goal is to create trails for low-impact recreational purposes. Low-cost, low-maintenance, and sustainable restoration of the Tijeras Arroyo, trails, and the land around the trails is a priority for the AOSD to restore the natural and safe environment. For this professional project, an Environmental Inventory was created to determine what was on site, and tests were done to see the health of the area, and see what and where restoration options should be implemented. The focuses of restoration options were on vegetation, erosion, land restoration and trails. Options needed to follow AOSD standards and regulations, while trail designs need to follow the International Mountain Biking Association standards. Field tests and previous reports for the area were used to find areas of high erosion, potential areas of major degradation, and trail concerns for the Route 66 Open 5 Space. With the results from field tests and previous reports, site-specific recommendations and ideas will be created on how to eliminate areas of high erosion, degradation, and trail concerns in a restoration plan