One of the continuing legacies of Mesa Verde National Park's 2006 Centennial Celebration has been the strong partnership between local community volunteers, the park, and the Mesa Verde Museum Association.  The volunteer program was started in 2005 to help with the park's 100th birthday festivities; the program was awarded the coveted Hartzog Award as the National Park Service's Volunteer Program of the Year for 2006; and it continues to grow, each year developing new ways for people to get involved.

Much of the volunteers' work is concentrated in the summer months when park visitation is greatest.  Between Memorial Day and Labor Day, one to three volunteers work at the Far View Visitor Center daily introducing visitors to the park and helping them plan their days.  Also during the summer, volunteers staff MVMA's water kiosk at Cliff Palace -- selling water (since there are no drinking fountains out there), answering questions, and providing a friendly, knowledgeable "face of the park" for visitors.

In these visitor service activities, the mission of the volunteers is to enhance the visitor experience and understanding the significance of the park's resources.  In addition, park volunteers are involved in other activities, including developing and conducting educational activities with young visitors and working with the park's natural and cultural resources.  Volunteers collect and archive data as well as maintain boundary fences, hiking trails, archaeological sites, and landscaped areas.  Some work with the professional maintenance staff, and still others help with special events in the park, perhaps folding and lighting luminarias or greeting people and managing traffic.