Mesa Verde National Park

Background | Criteria | Northwest Colorado | Northeast Colorado
Southwest Colorado | Southeast Colorado

Mesa Verde National Park
Montezuma County

Size: 52,000 acres

Elevation: 6500 - 8000 feet

Habitats: Primary – coniferous woods

Secondary – shrub/scrub, cliff/rock

Ownership: Federal (U.S. National Park Service)

Land Use: Primary – off limits to public

Secondary – recreation/tourism

IBA Criterion:1

Site description

Location: Mesa Verde National Park is located between the towns of Cortez and Durango in southwestern Colorado.

Vegetative/natural features: The site is dominated by pinyons and junipers, with significant ponderosa pine and Douglas-fir. Common brush species include scrub oak and serviceberry. The terrain is rough, with several canyons cutting through the park. Annual precipitation in the area is less than 20 inches a year.

Historic features: Mesa Verde National Park was established by Congress in 1906 as the first cultural park in the National Park System, and was designated as a World Cultural Heritage Site in 1978 by UNESCO, a United Nations organization. It contains numerous cliff dwellings and mesa top villages built by Pueblo people between 600 and 1300 AD.

Ornithological Importance

This site provides breeding habitat for Mexican Spotted Owls and Peregrine Falcons. It supports solid populations of several pinyon-juniper species, including Plumbeous Vireo, Black-throated Gray Warbler, Virginia’s Warbler, and Ash-throated Flycatcher.

Breeding species:	Average #	Maximum #
Mexican Spotted Owl		2-4 pairs
Peregrine Falcon		3-5 pairs

Wintering species:	Average #	Maximum #
Mexican Spotted Owl		2-4 pairs

Conservation/Management Issues

Local threat:
1. fire suppression and subsequent build-up of fuel.

Potential threats:
1. natural pests/disease;
2. inadequate funding.

Management details:
Major fires occurred in Mesa Verde Park during the summer of 2000. Fires at this and other sites around the West have triggered a nationwide debate over fire management practices, the outcome of which will presumably affect national park management in the future.