1/8/2006 Mesa Verde National Park expansion

from the 1/6/2007 Farmington (NM) Daily Times


National park could see growth
By Lisa Meerts The Daily Times
Farmington Daily Times

"MESA VERDE NATIONAL PARK — Land neighboring Mesa Verde National Park could one day be included within its boundaries, adding more cultural sites as well as a rare daisy to the park's already abundant treasures.

U.S. Sen. Wayne Allard, R.-Colo., introduced a bill on Thursday that calls for two parcels totaling more than 360 acres to be incorporated into Mesa Verde. The Henneman family owns 324 acres and the Mesa Verde Foundation owns another 37 acres. Both lots stretch north of the park along U.S. Highway 160.

Betty Janes, assistant superintendent at Mesa Verde, said the Henneman property may eventually include nature trails. She added land from the Mesa Verde Foundation could house a new museum and visitor's center.

"The idea is that when you come into Mesa Verde, you will be able to stop immediately and find out what there is to see and do," she said. "It's going to be really cool for people to be able to understand what the park is all about without driving 15 miles (into it)."

Mesa Verde, which celebrated its centennial in 2006, spans roughly 52,000 acres and includes some of the largest and best preserved cliff dwellings within the United States. Visitors drive 15 miles along a road that requires low-speed travel before they reach the visitor's center, built in the 1960s. There they can plan their tour of the park. The museum is located five miles further and was built in the 1920s.

Allard's bill is one of many steps needed to acquire the Mesa Verde Foundation land and construct new buildings, said Janes. She noted the park can only purchase the land after U.S. Congress extends the boundary. Once the National Park Service owns the land, it can acquire money for the museum. Janes said the museum is in the design phase and the park service expects to request funding in 2009.

The Henneman property, which includes many Native American resources, has been held within the family for more than three decades. Should it become part of Mesa Verde, it will add something entirely new — the Gray's Townsend Daisy.

"It's very unusual and we're very interested in helping preserve it," said Janes, who added the globally at-risk flower likes the chemical make-up of Mancos shale.

Jerry Henneman, whose family owns the 324 acres, described the land as a peninsula within Mesa Verde National Park. Its water line runs through the property as does wildlife, he said. "It's a natural fit for them."
...........
For the full article see: http://daily-times.com/news/ci_4961370