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Verde Views Feb 2011
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.
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Chapin Mesa Archeological Museum Exhibits Temporary Closure
During a cold snap on February 2, the Chapin Mesa Archeological Museum's overhead fire suppression system lines ruptured and flooded the MVMA bookstore and several exhibit halls. While considerable store merchandise, electronics, and fixtures were damaged in the deluge, fortunately no museum artifacts were lost. Museum visitors on the day of the flood were easily outnumbered by the scores of NPS employees who pitched in to help muck out the store and exhibit halls. By the next day, MVMA established a temporary bookstore in the museum lobby, which will remain in operation while store repairs are made. When we move back in to our traditional museum space in a few weeks, our store will sparkle with newly-painted walls, fresh carpeting, and restored sales fixtures. Some of the museum's exhibit rooms are currently closed while exhibit cases are restored and exhibit lighting is upgraded. During this period, the museum lobby, diorama hall, auditorium and visitor orientation film all remain accessible to visitors.The Chapin Mesa Archeological Museum is open daily from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The only cliff dwelling open during the winter season, Spruce Tree House, can be visited on a ranger-guided walking tour offered daily at 10:00 a.m., 1:00 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. These one-hour tours are free and do not require a ticket. Interested visitors should meet the ranger in the museum lobby just before tour time.  | |
Colorado Welcome Center Store Temporary Closure  On January 21, a sewer line backed up and flooded parts of the Welcome Center floor. That facility, located at 928 E. Main Street in Cortez, includes the MVMA bookstore. The Welcome Center and our store have been closed since that flood while repairs are made. We hope to be back in operation at the Welcome Center around February 22. If you're thinking of stopping by (and we hope you will!), feel free to call ahead to the Welcome Center store at 970-564-0780 to make sure we're up and running again. In the meantime, our displaced store staff are working in MVMA's administrative offices, helping us get lots of winter projects done.
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New Backcountry Hikes and Tours Coming Soon
Last summer the Mesa Verde Institute, (an educational program of the Mesa Verde Museum Association) partnered with the National Park Service on a two-year pilot program to offer enhanced visitor experiences for a modest fee. Short hikes to Mug House, all-day hikes to Spring House, and a Wetherill Mesa Experience afforded participants a real sense of discovery as they left the pavement behind to visit spectacular backcountry sites in small ranger-led groups. Feedback from the 1,433 registrants was overwhelmingly positive, so a new edition of the program is being planned for 2011. From Memorial Day through Labor Day this year, ranger-led hikes into Oak Tree House and Fire Temple will be offered for a fee; from September 1 through October 15, ranger-led hikes into Square Tower House as well as an all-day trek to Spring House will be offered for a fee. In addition, several free tours of Yucca House National Monument will be offered throughout the summer. Hike dates, fees, and program details will be posted on www.mesaverdeinstitute.org in the coming months. We'll also let you know through this e-newsletter as soon as online registration is open for these very special activities.
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What Every Visitor Should Have: a Mesa Verde Trip Planner
 If you or someone you know will be visiting Mesa Verde this year, consider purchasing our comprehensive trip planner! Our Basic Trip Planner is just $16.99, and includes park and regional maps, trail guides to the park's top destinations, and the essential books, Mesa Verde: The Living Park, and Mesa Verde: Wish You Were Here. Our Deluxe Trip Planner is $39.25 and contains all the elements in the basic planner as well as an expanded selection of trail guides and several DVDs. If you were to buy the components of each kit separately, you'd have to spend 25% more! Read more about these top-selling kits here. Proceeds from these and all purchases support Mesa Verde National Park. As always, Mesa Verde Association members receive a 20% discount on all purchases when you order by phone. Call us to order yours today at 1-800-305-6053 or 970-529-4445. Not a member yet? It's easy to join! Just click here or call us. | |
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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. | |
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