Photo courtesy of Todd Lochmoeller, 4cornershikers.blogspot.com

Join Mesa Verde National Park staff and volunteers for a free full moon ski and snowshoe on Sunday, February 1, from 6:00 pm to 9:30 pm!

Enjoy a unique opportunity to explore Mesa Verde's Morefield Campground and Meadow Bliss trails in the moonlight. The trails will be lined with glow sticks and glow stick jewelry will be provided. Join us out on the trail for complimentary hot beverages and cookies. Meet with a park ranger from 7:30 pm to 8:30 pm for Native American Star Stories and telescope viewing (conditions permitting) near the Morefield Campground Store.

Parking for this event will be at the winter activities parking lot in the Morefield Campground Village, just four miles past the park entrance station. A limited number of adult and child snowshoes will be available for checkout during the event.

Activities are subject to cancellation due to weather or road conditions. Please call 970-529-4461 for more information.

Photo courtesy of Todd Lochmoeller, 4cornershikers.blogspot.com

Mesa Verde National Park is offering several free winter ecology classes. The park entrance fee of $10 per vehicle is applicable, but there is no other registration fee to participate. The park offers a limited number of snowshoes available for free loans for the day from the Visitor Center or the Chapin Mesa Museum.

Plant and Animal Adaptations at Mesa Verde; Saturday, February 28, 9:00 am to noon. Join park staff as they explore the amazing ways animals and plants survive in the cold winter environment. The hike will tour the winter habitats of plants and animals in the Morefield Campground. Limited to 20 people, ages 7 to adult. Call 970-529-4631 for reservations.

Winter Plant Identification Hike at Mesa Verde; Saturday, March 7, 9:00 am to noon. Winter months strip many plants of their foliage and make winter identification of these plants difficult. Join the San Juan/Four Corners Native Plant Society on a winter plant identification hike in Mesa Verde National Park to learn how to identify plants in the winter. Limited to 15 people; recommended for high school age to adults. Call 970-882-4647 for reservations.

Mesa Verde National Park, San Juan Mountains Association, San Juan National Forest, BLM Tres Rios Field Office, San Juan/Four Corners Native Plant Society, Durango Nature Studies and Colorado Parks and Wildlife have teamed up to offer a series of winter hikes during the 2014-2015 winter season. Come enjoy the outdoors during this special time of year while exploring the local winter ecology. Learn more at www.sjma.org/education/classes/winter.htm

Mesa Verde National Park will begin accepting applications for a Commercial Use Authorization (CUA) for bicycle rental operations on Wetherill Mesa in Mesa Verde National Park. The operation will also include stroller and wheelchair rentals.

The National Park Service (NPS) will issue up to one CUA authorizing a temporary bicycle rental operation located at the Wetherill Mesa parking area in Mesa Verde National Park. Under the CUA, the permittee will be authorized to rent bicycles to park visitors for use on approved roadways and trails on Wetherill Mesa. The permittee will be responsible for providing and maintaining all rental equipment necessary for the operation as well as temporary sales and storage facilities.

The CUA will be issued for an initial term of twelve months. The need for the CUA will be re-evaluated after the initial season. The NPS will utilize information and data collected during the term of this CUA to aid in the transportation plan for Wetherill Mesa and in determining how bicycle rental operations will be managed in the future.

A copy of the application and application instructions can be obtained by contacting the Mesa Verde National Park Concessions Management Division at 970-529-4613. In order to be considered complete, applications must be received by February 13, 2015 at 4:00 p.m. local time.

The NPS will review all applications received by the closing date and select the best qualified applicant to operate the bicycle rental.

For questions or additional information about the bicycle rental operation, please contact Dewey Higley, Concessions Management Specialist, at 970-529-4613. 

Have you been dreaming of working in a national park? This could be your year! Mesa Verde Museum Association has several open positions to fill for the upcoming season. We are looking for friendly people to provide excellent customer service to park visitors from all over the world. These are seasonal positions with varying hours and workdays. Starting pay for all positions is $9.50 per hour. Successful applicants must have reliable transportation, be willing to work weekends and holidays, and must pass a credit check and a federal background check.

Office Assistant: Must be computer literate, have strong, accurate clerical skills, able to work independently, and must be bondable. Must be available to work in April, and work through October. Workplace is on Chapin Mesa in the park.

Sales Associates: Must be customer oriented, computer literate, and be willing to work at all store sites as assigned, which include Chapin Mesa Museum Bookstore, Visitor and Research Center Bookstore, and Colorado Welcome Center Bookstore. Travel into the park for Museum store assignment will additionally be compensated at $8.00 per day. Must be able to start in mid-March and work through October.

Warehouse Assistant: Must be available to start work the first week of March and work through October, and be able to lift and carry up to 50 pounds. Workplace is at the Visitor and Research Center, and will be traveling in the company vehicle to each site as needed.

The ancient dwellings of the Southwest are some of the best-preserved archeological sites in North America.  Intriguing stone architecture sculpted into the cliffs and canyons and rising up from arid plateaus offer a fascinating glimpse of ancient settlements that integrate beautifully with the surrounding environment.  This 12-month calendar features dramatic photos of some of the Colorado Plateau's most thought-provoking national parks and monuments.   MVA members at the Interpreter ($100) level and above should have received their Ancient Dwellings calendar in early December.