Mesa Verde - Twice in a Lifetime

Late April 2010 Issue 17

Upcoming Events

Hike Tickets Now On Sale

Lecture Series at Mesa Verde

Welcome to "Verde Views," the e-newsletter for Mesa Verde Association members and friends. This periodic publication will keep you informed about Association news and events, park happenings, new products and special sales.

Mesa Verde Museum Association

Mesa Verde National Park

Mesa Verde Foundation

Mesa Verde Institute

Aramark Mesa Verde Company

The Mesa Verde Association is a joint membership program of the Mesa Verde Museum Association and the Mesa Verde Foundation. Your MVA membership supports both of these 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations.

The Mesa Verde Museum Association (tax ID 84-1404606) provides educational and interpretive material to visitors of Mesa Verde National Park through an active publishing program and the operation of retail bookstores online, in the park, and in Cortez, CO. Our services enhance the visitor experience and promote stewardship of Mesa Verde's world-renowned archeological resources and natural landscapes. Proceeds from all Association operations are donated to the park's interpretive, research, and education programs.

The Mesa Verde Foundation (tax ID 84-046967) funds capital improvements, projects, and educational endeavors for Mesa Verde National Park. Our projects include construction of a new Visitor and Research Center near the park's entrance and remodeling the existing Far View Visitor Center into a Tribal Cultures Center to enhance understanding of the connection between the Ancestral Puebloans and contemporary Native American tribes.

You are receiving this email because you are a member of the Mesa Verde Association or because you purchased a product from the Mesa Verde Museum Association. To ensure that you continue to receive emails from us, add info@mesaverde.org to your address book today.

Special Hike Tickets Now On Sale
Backcountry Hikes in Mesa Verde

During Mesa Verde National Park's 2006 Centennial celebration, rangers led special once-in-a-lifetime hikes to Spring House and Mug House - extraordinary sites not normally open to the public. The hikes sold out almost instantly as people recognized how unique these offerings were at the time. Were you able to visit these breathtaking destinations back in 2006? If you missed the chance or if you want to go back, 2010 is your year!

The Mesa Verde Institute, an educational program of the Mesa Verde Museum Association, is bringing back the popular day-long Spring House and two-hour Mug House hikes, and we've added a day-long "Wetherill Mesa Experience" hike! These daily ranger-led tours are offered in partnership with the National Park Service beginning on May 30. Tickets for Spring House and Wetherill Mesa Experience are being sold exclusively online at www.mesaverdeinstitute.org and are on sale now. Be sure to get yours today before they sell out! Tickets are $35 per person and include lunch and snacks.

Mug House and Cliff Palace Twilight Tours (with historical figures from the park's past) also begin on May 30. Tickets for these activities will be sold up to two days in advance exclusively in person at the Far View Visitor Center MVMA Bookstore. More information about all Institute programs is available now at our newly-updated website at www.mesaverdeinstitute.org. As always, Institute and Museum Association proceeds support Mesa Verde National Park.

If you're joining us for a special hike, why not come and stay a while? Explore your in-park lodging options at www.visitmesaverde.com. Learn more about the many recreational opportunities this entire region has to offer at by visiting www.mesaverdecountry.com.

Lecture Series at Mesa Verde

We had a great turnout for the two April lecture programs in this year's free Four Corners Lecture Series. We'll have several offerings in Mesa Verde National Park in the month of May. Coming to Mesa Verde's Far View Lodge at 7 p.m. this Sunday, May 2, will be Patrick Joshevama, who will provide a Hopi carver's perspective on the production and sale of Hopi Katsina Dolls.

Continuing on the theme of "People and Landscape - thousands of years of land use in the Four Corners," Joel Brisbin will speak at Far View Lodge at 7 p.m. on Friday, May 21, on the intriguing topic of "not in my backyard." Wonder what it's about? Come find out for yourself! Then Roman Bitsuie will discuss "Navajo Land: A Way of Life" on Friday, May 28, 7 p.m. at Far View Lodge.

The free annual Four Corners Lecture Series is sponsored by the Fort Lewis College Department of Anthropology, Bureau of Land Management, Anasazi Heritage Center, Cortez Cultural Center, Crow Canyon Archeological Center, Mesa Verde National Park, and MVMA's Mesa Verde Institute. Additional support is generously provided by ARAMARK and KSJD Dryland Community Radio. View the full schedule of all 29 offerings here. From talks to traditional Hopi dances to a pottery firing, you can learn more about the lands we love by attending free programs this summer!