Mesa Verde Wasteland by ancoraimparo (2005)

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Description The summer of 2000 was a hot one in Mesa Verde National Park in southwestern Colorado. Not only was the weather hot and dry, but two lightning-ignited fires roared through forests of pinon pine, Utah juniper and Gambel oak, scorching 21,061 acres in the park and another 7,786 acres nearby. The Bircher Fire in the northeast corner burned from July 20 to July 29. Wetherill Mesa suffered heavy damage from the Pony Fire, which burned from Aug. 2 to Aug. 11. Luckily, the famous prehistoric cliff dwellings and pueblos suffered very little damage.Mesa Verde National Park was established in 1906 for the 'preservation ... of the sites and other works and relics of prehistoric man ... ' and is recognized as a World Heritage Site. Dwellings tucked in cliff alcoves typify the well-preserved ancient structures. Pithouses and pueblos lie spread across the mesa tops. Ancestral Puebloans thrived in this area from about 550 A.D. to 1300 A.D. More than 4,000 prehistoric sites have been identified within the park. Vegetation may still hide others.Fire is common in Mesa Verde. The Park Point fire lookout receives more lightning strikes than anywhere else except one location in Florida, according to Will Morris, chief of interpretation at Mesa Verde. Much of the vegetation in the park is Gambel oak, pinon and juniper forests. Pinon-juniper forest tends to be fire-resistant. Typically, one tree ignites, less than one acre burns, and the fire puts itself out. However, if conditions are right, the fire will spread, especially if the wind kicks up and tree crowns ignite. Interspersed Gambel oak is very flammable. Since 1906, small fires have been suppressed by humans, probably contributing to the intensity of recent fires by creating an abnormal amount of fuels such as dense forests and tall undergrowth. The park continues its 'no-burn' policy because there is only one road in the park and because of the wealth of archaeological sites. Major fires occurred in the park in 1934, 1959, 197

ancoraimparo
Member Since August 2010
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