January 2020 Calendar of Events at the Open Space Visitor Center
Film Screening and Q&A “Crowville”
Saturday January 4, 2:00pm - 3:00pm. FREE! CROWVILLE is a short film by Mary Lance and Ben Daitz. Each winter, thousands of American Crows are drawn to the Rio Grande Bosque, a fragile riparian cottonwood forest along the river. They spend their days scavenging at a nearby mass of interconnected shopping centers. In the evenings, they leave that concrete world to roost communally in the peace and security of the Bosque. It’s both a visually stunning and mysterious phenomenon—their migration west over our house at dawn, and east again at dusk, to a massed communal roost hidden somewhere in the Bosque. As filmmakers who live nearby, we began to document this phenomenon, beginning in our own backyard. Underpinning these stories is the pull of deep nature and a recognition that we, like the crows, live in two worlds. Space is limited. Please call 897-8831 for more info and to register.
Bosque Wild: Guided Nature Walk
Sunday January 5, 8:00am - 10:00am. FREE! The Middle Rio Grande Valley is a natural wonder that has something different to offer every season. Enjoy the winter months observing migratory birds and looking for porcupines during this moderately strenuous guided hike along the banks of the Rio Grande and through one of the largest cottonwood forests in the world. Participants are encouraged to leave their pets at home. Space is limited. Please call 897-8831 for more info and to register.
Opening Reception for “The Creative World of Judith Weichsel Carr”
Saturday January 11, 2:00pm - 4:00pm. FREE! Judith Weichsel Carr (1942 – 2018) was an important member of the New Mexico arts community from the time she arrived here in the late 1960s. She was born in New York and educated in the East until she went to the Cranbrook Academy of Art in Michigan, where she received a B.F.A. and M.F.A. in Weaving and Fine Arts. She became an Instructor of Weaving and Fine Arts at UNM in 1970, as well as the University of Albuquerque in 1973. She was an innovating force in modern tapestry weaving and fiber arts through her teaching, her exhibits, and her work with other artists and private students. She continued to explore fiber art and create beautiful and surprising work until the very end of her life. The exhibit runs through February 23rd. Please call 897-8831 or see www.cabq.gov/openspace for more information.
Family Nature Club Kickoff
Sunday January 12, 10:00am - 12:00pm. FREE! If you are interested in getting your family outside more regularly, connecting your children to nature, meeting other families and exploring your local parks, then joining a Family Nature Club may be for you! Family Nature Clubs are an initiative started by the Children and Nature Network and they are intended to be collaboratively organized and run by parent leaders. Let the City of Albuquerque Open Space team help you get started by joining us for a series of 2020 Family and Nature Club hikes. Registration helps us know who is showing up and is recommended but not required. Register online at: https://web2.vermontsystems.com/wbwsc/nmalbuquerquewt.wsc Call 768-4959 for more information.
Taoist Water Method Qigong
Sundays January 12 and 26, 2:00pm - 3:30pm. Explore the mysteries of Chinese Qigong in a beautiful setting with instructor Marcy Pincus. Minimum donation is $10.00. A portion benefits the Open Space Alliance. Space is limited. Please call 897-8831 to register.
Home Composting Basics
Saturday January 25, 9:30am - 12:00pm. Home composting is recycling that produces a useful soil conditioner. Basic composting science will be presented with a special focus on useful practices for a high desert climate. A variety of home composting options will be covered. Useful take-home information will help a participant get started and / or improve an already chosen composting method. Space is limited. Please call 897-8831 for more info and to register.
Opening Reception for “Connecting the Modern to the Natural World”
Saturday January 25, 2:00pm - 4:00pm. Explore the works of artist and designer Brian Arthur, who uses natural materials such as bark and lichen to bring awareness to the beauty of the natural world. "The rich textures of the cork-like bark and the unique enigmatic quality of the lichen are the tangible elements of nature contrasting and connecting to the industrial materials of aluminum, steel and acrylic. The Usnea Lichen (the string-like variety) continues to slowly grow within the module thus creating a type of laboratory to witness the wondrous behavior of this amazing organism! All materials from the forest are very ethically harvested. For example, the Antler Lichen grows for many decades on tree branches and will only be collected if it has fallen to the ground. The bark is taken from fallen trees and will effortlessly pull away from pulp underneath when ready. It is my desire as a designer and as a strong proponent for the conservancy of our natural habitats to bring forth to you objects that hopefully will touch you as I am touched in my journeys into the natural world." http://bastelladesign.com. The exhibit runs through February 23rd. Please call 897-8831 for more info.
Open Space Explorer Packs
ONGOING. Children and children-at-heart can stop by the Open Space Visitor Center to check out an Open Space Explorer Pack and experience the natural wonders we have to offer. The backpacks are intended to get families outside and in to nature to learn about plants, animals, and cultural resources found within Open Space. Each backpack is filled with exciting self-guided activities. The packs are available for use during Tuesdays-Sundays and must be returned by 4:30pm. Call 897-8831 to reserve a backpack for a particular time and day. Use of the packs is FREE!
Yoga with a View
Every Sunday, 9:00am Begin Sundays with an invigorating YOGA session at 9:00am. Your first class is $5, subsequent classes are $15, and if you buy in bulk, they’re even less. Class fees include a donation to the Open Space Alliance.
About the Open Space Visitor Center: The Open Space Visitor Center is an interpretive hub for the Open Space program, lands, and resources. Visitors enjoy educational exhibits, art displays, wildlife fields, a Traditions garden, Bosque trails, and a variety of talks, workshops, demonstrations and entertainment. The Open Space Visitor Center is located at 6500 Coors Blvd. NW between Montaño Rd. and Paseo del Norte at the end of Bosque Meadows Rd. The Center is open Tuesday through Sunday, 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM and closed Mondays. Call 897-8831 for more information or visit www.cabq.gov/openspace.