Everyone is invited to Mesa Verde National Park's annual "Hike and Bike" event on Wetherill Mesa on National Public Lands Day, Saturday, September 27. Entrance fees will be waived for those participating. "Come and take advantage of the unique opportunity to hike and bike on the Wetherill Mesa Tram Road," said Superintendent Cliff Spencer. Wetherill Mesa is closed for the season after Labor Day, but will re-open for hikers and cyclists on September 27. A hike and bike was conducted on September 13 which drew more than 200 attendees.

On September 27, the Wetherill Mesa Road will open at 9:00 a.m. and close at 3:30 p.m. The Wetherill Mesa Road is located near mile 15 on the park road, just past Far View Lodge. From that junction, visitors are invited to drive 12 miles to the Wetherill Mesa information kiosk where the tram road begins. Hikers and bicycle riders can ride or hike along the 5.5 mile long tram loop road. Along the route, stop at Long House, the second largest cliff dwelling in the park; hike into Step House; explore Badger House Community; and hike to views of Kodak House and Nordenskiöld #16. Park rangers and volunteers will be available to answer questions and point out unique features of each site. All visitors must exit Wetherill Road by 4:30 p.m. You may bring a picnic lunch and drinking water, or you may purchase lunch at the kiosk.

Mesa Verde Foundation's second annual Rims to Ruins art exhibition and sale will feature works of art from 31 nationally recognized western artists. In May, these artists gathered at Mesa Verde National Park for three days of painting throughout the park and within the ruins. The exhibition and sale will be at The Wildlife Experience Museum (on Lincoln Avenue, just off of I-25 south of Denver) on Wednesday November 5, 2014, beginning at 5 p.m. Rims to Ruins will add a new feature this year with sculpture and a "Smalls Wall." The works of art range from the ruins of the Ancestral Puebloans to the spectacular Southwestern landscapes, capturing the magic and grandeur of the park. Proceeds will go to the Mesa Verde Foundation and Mesa Verde National Park.

"Mesa Verde Foundation is very pleased to be presenting the second annual Rims to Ruins art event in 2014," says Judy Grant, Chair of the Board of Directors for MVF. "This program that debuted last year has helped the foundation raise critical funds for Mesa Verde National Park, a cultural and archeological treasure here in Colorado of which we all are so proud."

We look forward to having you with us to view and purchase these incredible works by nationally celebrated artists. Tickets to the opening reception and sale are $75; please make reservations in advance at http://www.shop.mesaverdefoundation.org/or by calling 303-321-3120. The exhibition runs through January 4, 2015.

"Anasazi Puzzle" oil by Mike Desatnick - 17" x 12"

"Ambush" bronze by Barry Eisenach - 23" x 6" x 13.5"

At 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, September 20, Mesa Verde National Park will host a pottery making demonstration by Santa Clara Pueblo-born Starr Tafoya. The demonstration, pottery firing, and sale, all held at the park's Visitor and Research Center, are part of the annual Four Corners Lecture Series. The series features presentations about the archeology, current Native American cultures, history, and natural resources of this spectacular area. All programs are free and open to the public.

Starr will demonstrate how to mold clay into the desired shapes, explain the polishing and painting process, and finish by firing several pieces using traditional methods. Afterwards, she will have a number of finished pieces available for sale.

Starr Tafoya was born and raised in Santa Clara Pueblo south of Espanola, New Mexico. She has a teaching degree and teaches in the pueblo on a regular basis. Starr learned to make traditional Santa Clara redware and blackware pottery from her mother, Jane Baca. As a team, they specialized in animal and bird figures as well as various types of geometric pieces. Although Jane passed away in 2011, Starr continues the tradition.

Remaining Four Corners Lecture Series programs for 2014 are:

When: Saturday, September 20, 10:30 a.m., Visitor and Research Center, Mesa Verde National Park

Who: Starr Tafoya

What: Pottery Demonstration, Firing, and Sale

When: Saturday, September 20, 2:00 p.m., Edge of the Cedars State Park Museum, Blanding UT

Who: Winston Hurst

What: Fading Traces: The Archaeology of Southeast Utah's Forgotten Roads and Trails

When: Sunday, September 21, 1:00 p.m., Anasazi Heritage Center

Who: Marietta Eaton

What: The Wetherill Legacy

When: Thursday, September 25, 7:00 p.m., Room #130, Noble Hall, Fort Lewis College

Who: Jeffery R. Hanson

What: The Long Journey Home: Life, Death, and Deliverance at a Frontier Army Post

When: Thursday, October 9, 7:00 p.m., Room #120, Center of Southwest Studies, Fort Lewis College

Who: William Reitz

What: Archaeology in the Painted Desert of Northern Arizona: Off the Beaten Path in Petrified Forest National Park

When: Saturday, October 25, 2:00 p.m., Edge of the Cedars State Park Museum, Blanding, UT

Who: Don Simonis

What: The Can Can: Tell Precisely How Old Historical Sites Are Over the Last 150 Years

This lecture series is generously sponsored by Mesa Verde Foundation, Mesa Verde Museum Association, and Mesa Verde National Park, as well as the Anasazi Heritage Center, ARAMARK Parks and Destinations, Bureau of Land Management, Cortez Cultural Center, Crow Canyon Archaeological Center, Edge of the Cedars State Park Museum, Fort Lewis College Office of the President, Department of Anthropology, and Center of Southwest Studies, Hisatsinom Chapter of the Colorado Archaeological Society, and KSJD Dryland Community Radio.

For a list of other programs in the lecture series, go to www.mesaverde.org/four-corners-lecture-series.

Mesa Verde National Park welcomes bronze sculptor Hal Stewart as its fourth Artist-In-Residence of 2014. Hal will conduct a free interactive presentation and demonstration of his work for the public on Thursday, September 25, 2014 at 7:00 p.m. at the Far View Lodge Library. Attendees will be able to watch this sculptor attach clay to his armature (a framework upon which a sculpture is molded), calculate proper proportions of the body, and add details to his creation. One of Hal's sculptures and a mold used for casting bronzes will be available for viewing.

An Arizona-based sculptor, Hal is known for the movement and minute details in his creations.  He was recently honored with a one-man sculptor exhibit at the Desert Caballeros Western Museum in Wickenburg, Arizona. One of his sculptures, "Yaqui Deer Dancer," is part of the museum's permanent collection. Hal is also a member of the prestigious Western Artists of America.

Hal spent his working career in construction industry sales and management selling concrete, asphalt, sand, and gravel. Having also been a farmer and rancher in Arizona, he is familiar with his subjects of Native Americans, cowboys, horse, birds, and other animals. He has met with tribal officials and visited animal sanctuaries to obtain authentic details for his work. Hal gives generously of his time, having spent four years as a volunteer teaching art to incarcerated juvenile boys at a federal detention center in Arizona. As a U.S. Navy veteran himself, he currently teaches sculpting to disabled American veterans.

Hal will be in residence from September 15 through 27.  During your visit at Mesa Verde National Park, you may see Hal somewhere in the park sculpting or sketching. Stop by, visit with this personable sculptor, and watch him sculpt.

The Superintendent's Compendium for Mesa Verde National Park has been updated for 2014, and includes language prohibiting unmanned aircraft, including drones, quadcopters, and model airplanes, from taking off or landing inside the park boundary.

The new policy restricting drone use in all national park units came from the Office of the Director of the National Park Service on June 20, 2014.  It explains:  "The National Park Service embraces many activities in national parks because they enhance visitor experiences with the iconic natural, historic and cultural landscapes in our care. However, we have serious concerns about the negative impact that flying unmanned aircraft is having in parks, so we are prohibiting their use while we examine their impact on park resources." According to a statement released by Jon Jarvis, Director of the National Park Service, "The primary goal is to ensure that we can protect park resources and ensure visitor safety while providing all visitors with a rich experience."

The use of unmanned aircraft is a new park use that affects park resources, staff, and visitors in ways that the National Park Service has yet to identify and analyze. It is National Park Service policy to not allow a new park use until a determination has been made that it will not result in unacceptable impacts on park resources and values.

"Mesa Verde National Park will enforce restrictions on the use of drones until the determination is made regarding their use and potential unintended consequences on park resource values, including wilderness, solitude, quiet, and direct impacts to sensitive species," according to Superintendent Cliff Spencer.

The Mesa Verde National Park Superintendent's Compendium is a document which is reviewed annually and provides regulations and guidance on specific park activities within the authority of the Superintendent, under Title 36 Code of Federal Regulations. This closure to drone use is an interim policy that will remain in place until the National Park Service develops a Service-wide regulation to address unmanned aircraft through the public rulemaking process.

To review the Compendium or for more information, call 970-529-4465.

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