Salazar’s Mesa Verde Expansion Bill sails through U.S. House

WASHINGTON, D.C. – A bill sponsored by U.S. Rep. John Salazar (CO-3) authorizing the expansion of Mesa Verde National Park took a major step forward today. H.R. 783, known as the Mesa Verde National Park Boundary Expansion Act of 2007, unanimously passed the full U.S. House of Representatives and now goes to the U.S. Senate for a vote.

“Mesa Verde is home to some of the world’s most remarkable archeological treasures,” Rep. Salazar said. “With the passage of this legislation, this incredible National Park will be further preserved and enhanced for future generations.”

The National Park Service, a local Montezuma County family, the Conservation Fund and the Mesa Verde Foundation are working together to make the expansion possible. The proposed expansion includes 324 acres owned by the Henneman family. Their property would be purchased by the Conservation Fund and transferred to the park.  In addition, the Mesa Verde Foundation will donate another 38 acres to the park. The bill will also help facilitate the creation of a new Mesa Verde Visitor’s Orientation Center.

Ancestral Puebloans made Mesa Verde their home from about A.D. 550 to 1300. For more than 700 years they and their descendants lived and flourished there.  The ancient people built elaborate stone communities in the sides of the canyon walls.  In the late 1200s, the people of Mesa Verde mysteriously disappeared, leaving behind belongings that remained mostly untouched for 600 years.

Mesa Verde National Park was established on June 29, 1906 by President Theodore Roosevelt to "preserve the works of man," and was the first national park of its kind. Today, the park protects over 4,000 known archeological sites, including 600 cliff dwellings.  The largest structure, Cliff Palace, is thought to be the largest cliff dwelling in North America.

Mesa Verde National Park is located in the Four Corners Region of Colorado.