Mesa Verde |  |
The following Incident Reports were extracted from the NPS Morning Reports/Coalition Reports from 1989-2025. They are not a complete record of all incidents which occurred in this park during this timeframe. INCIDENTS | |
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Thursday, July 6, 1989 A fire broke out in a small concessioner facility on Wetherill Mesa late on the morning of July 1st. There were firefighters on the mesa at the time suppressing wildfires, and their quick response limited the damage to the ARA-owned snack bar to between $500 and $700. The fire was caused by gas leaking from the regulator of a gas-powered refrigerator, which was ignited by the refrigerator's pilot light. (Telephone report from RAD/RMRO).
A Cessna 421 with a family of five on board crashed into the mesa's north escarpment near Kruger Point just outside the park during a snow storm late on the morning of March 29th. Everyone on board was killed. The plane disappeared during a second attempt to land at the airport in Cortez, and it appears that the pilot banked in the wrong direction after the first pass and flew into the escarpment, hitting it at the 7,700-foot level. A search was begun when contact with the aircraft was lost, and the wreckage was spotted about four hours later by a CAP pilot. Attempts were made to reach the aircraft by descending from the mesa; although the park opened the road to Wetherill Mesa and the recovery team employed ATV's in an attempt to reach the rim, the deep snow (drifts of up to six feet were reported) made progress impossible. A second team finally reached the site by climbing from below. On the 30th, the park brought in a helicopter to airlift equipment to that team, then airlifted the bodies and recovery team out and ferried NTSB and FAA investigators to the scene. [UPI report, 3/30, and telephone report from Howard Dimont, CR, MEVE, 4/2]
Earlier this year, R.F., 52, of Aspen, Colorado, was issued a filming permit to film park ruins from the air for a sequence in a coming series on the Discovery Channel. R.F. violated the conditions of the permit by flying beyond the permit's expiration date, flying in areas that were off limits, flying below 500 feet, and at times flying within 40 feet of sites which were occupied by park visitors. The park is in the process of issuing citations to R.F. for the infractions. Chaco Canyon has reported similar problems with R.F.. R.F. flies a 1956 single-engine, high-wing, fixed-landing-gear Cessna 180, FAA number N4926A. He may be applying for filming permits in other parks. If you would like more information on this matter, call Howard Dimont at 303-529-4461. [Howard Dimont, CR, MEVE, via telefax from Jim Reilly, RAD/RMRO, 3/12]
P.C., 40, of Grand Rapids, Michigan, lost control of his motorcycle on the Cliff Palace loop on June 28th and suffered serious head injuries in the subsequent accident. He was taken to a local hospital, then to a regional trauma center in New Mexico. He is not expected to survive. Although P.C. had a helmet with him, it's not known whether he was wearing it at the time of the accident. [Howard Dimont, CR, MEVE, 7/7]
The park was closed on January 8th due to power outages and 18 inches of new snow. No further details are available. [Richard Kohen, RAD/RMRO, 1/8]
On the afternoon of March 12th, a Dodge mini-van with a family of five on board was heading out of the park near mile three on the main park road when it was struck by two large boulders which had exfoliated from a sandstone cliff face about 100 feet above the road. The rocks which broke loose were about 20 feet high and 40 to 50 feet across, and came down in pieces in various sizes up to six by six feet. The vehicle was struck on the driver's side in the middle and rear, knocking it into the guard rail. The vehicle then spun around and ended up on its roof in the inbound lane facing in the opposite direction. All the occupants - two adults and three children ranging in age from nine to 17 - were injured. The most serious injury was to a nine-year-old girl, who received multiple skull fractures, two broken arms and a broken leg; she was taken by ambulance to a hospital in Cortez, then flown to Farmington, New Mexico. Although still in a coma and in critical condition, she is expected to recover. The other four were taken to the hospital in Cortez, treated and released. Nobody was wearing a seatbelt except the 11-year-old boy, which probably contributed to the seriousness of the injuries. The rockfall has been attributed to natural weathering and this winter's heavy rainfall. [Howard Dimont, CR, MEVE, 3/14]
A school group from Vidor, Texas, was having lunch in the picnic area on Chapin Mesa on July 10th when two instructors decided to play a joke on the group by pretending to push H.M., 48, into Spruce Canyon. H.M. jumped onto a ledge, lost his balance, then fell 35 feet into the canyon. H.M. suffered a fractured left hip, humerus and shoulder, a dislocated right shoulder, and closed head injuries. He was carried from the canyon, driven by park ambulance to Far View, then transported by helicopter to a hospital in Farmington, New Mexico. He is in intensive care but in stable condition. [Denise Fuller, Dispatch, MEVE]
The manager of Far View Terrace called the park's emergency number just after 4 a.m. on August 15th to report that she was working in the office of the gift shop and that someone was breaking into the building. Rangers Zack Rogers and Jeremy Cords arrived shortly thereafter, and Rogers soon came upon a person - subsequently identified as 29-year-old M.T. - behind the building. When Rogers ordered M.T. to stop, she threw down the rug she was carrying and ran off. Rogers pursued and eventually tackled her. Eight Navajo rugs were found hidden in a bush and another six were stacked next to the door through which she'd entered the building. Four more remain missing. Total valuation of the rugs has been placed at over $16,000. Felony second degree burglary and theft charges have been filed against her; other charges are pending. M.T. is to be arraigned on September 14th. She is presently out on a $10,000 unsecured bond. Other rangers who assisted in the investigation were Philip Arnold, Melissa Cobern, Ben Wardlow, and Jim O'Sickey, the chief investigator. [Denise Fuller, Dispatch, MEVE]
Park dispatch received a call that a woman was in labor at Far View Lodge just after noon on August 11th. Concession employee E.B. had gone into labor while cleaning a room. Ranger Alicia Russell arrived within ten minutes and found that E.B. was having contractions that were less than a minute apart. Russell and the park ambulance crew, which arrived at the same time as the baby, assisted in the delivery. Both mother and child are doing fine. The park visitors who were staying in the room apparently never knew what had occurred there while they were out visiting the park. [Denise Fuller, Dispatch, MEVE]
Two young adult males attempted to rob the Morefield campground gas station at 6 p.m. on August 24th. While one of the pair threw attendant S.D. against some shelves and kicked him, the other attempted to break into the cash register. S.D. fought back, and his assailants fled on foot. An extensive search was made of the campground and surrounding area, but the two men were not found. S.D. received minor injuries from kicks to his head, wrist and ribs. [Denise Fuller, MEVE]
On July 31st, rangers responded to a report of two juveniles missing from an "at risk" youth group staying at the park's campground. They had taken their packs with them and hadn't been seen since the previous night. Since one of the missing persons had a serious medical condition and did not have his medication with him, a search was begun within the park and the surrounding area, and Civil Air Patrol and dog teams were called in. Before they arrived, however, the park received a call from their parents, saying that the two were in Chinle, Arizona, about 150 miles from the park. [D. Fuller, Dispatch, MEVE]
Ranger Zack Rogers responded to a report of an assault at Far View Terrace on July 17th. A concession employee had attacked another employee when he was asked to assist with clearing tables. A.Y. struck H.J. with his fist, beat him with a long-handled squeegee, then left the area. H.J. sustained cuts to his head, nose and hands. An extensive search was conducted, but no sign of A.Y. was found. A summons has been issued to A.Y., who lives in nearby Cortez, Colorado. [D. Fuller, Dispatch, MEVE]
A ranger on patrol on the afternoon of October 2nd came upon an unoccupied vehicle in a pullout near the Far View area of the park. Since access to the park's backcountry is restricted, she began to look for the occupants along the fireline leading away from the pullout. She heard two people talking in the woods and instructed them to return to the fireline area. The two - subsequently identified as A.W., 18, and J.E., 21 - emerged from the woods shortly thereafter. J.E. was carrying what appeared to be a small caliber rifle. The ranger twice told him to drop the rifle and began to draw her service revolver before he finally complied. The weapon was found to be a BB gun. A.W. was armed with a large hunting knife, which she willingly surrendered to the ranger. The ranger then called for backup and walked the couple to the pullout. Neither A.W. nor J.E. was carrying identification, but they gave the ranger their correct names and dates of birth. Dispatch advised that the registered owners of the vehicle they were driving were listed as missing and endangered in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, then that A.W. and J.E. had outstanding homicide warrants against them in Georgia and should be considered extremely dangerous. Three other rangers soon arrived on the scene. A.W. and J.E. were taken into custody and the vehicle was sealed and impounded. Within ten minutes of confirming the warrants, dispatch received calls from the FBI, Georgia Bureau of Investigation, and the sheriff's offices in Morgan County, Georgia, and Oklahoma City. A.W. and J.E. are suspected in the kidnapping and beating deaths of an elderly woman from North Carolina and an elderly couple in Oklahoma City. The body of the first victim was found in Georgia; the bodies of the other two had been found in Texas. Due to the nature of the case, media interest has been very high, and the names of the rangers involved in the incident have not been released. Local FBI agents have been assisting with the investigation. Georgia law enforcement authorities returned the pair to that state on October 9th to face charges of homicide in that state. [Brian Barrell, MEVE]
On Monday, July 14th, a park visitor spotted a mountain lion along the Park Point fire lookout trail and advised fire lookout Bob Erner. Erner immediately evacuated visitors from the area. As he was escorting them down the trail to the parking lot, the lion attacked and injured one of the visitors, a four-year-old boy from France. The boy and his two older brothers were walking ahead of their parents toward the parking lot when they saw the lion along the trail. The young boy screamed and ran, prompting the animal to pursue him. The lion grabbed the boy by the head and moved toward the brush, but dropped him when family members screamed and ran toward it. The boy received first aid from rangers and was then transported to Southwest Memorial Hospital, where he was treated for face, neck and ear lacerations. The lion was subsequently shot and killed by rangers. An assessment of the animal will be done through the Montezuma Department of Public Health to determine if the lion had rabies. The Park Point area had just reopened on Monday for daytime use (8 a.m. to 5 p.m.) following previous lion activity in the area, which had been reported during early morning and evening hours. A mountain lion had last been spotted at Park Point on the previous Friday. It is uncertain if this lion is the same animal as was involved in the earlier incident. [Jane Anderson, PIO, MEVE, 7/14]
A park visitor found papers, clothing items and $1,000 in travelers' checks in the Mesa Verde entrance parking lot on September 13th. The items belonged to 67-year-old L.P. of Aberdeen, Idaho. Efforts were made to find her via phone calls and NCIC checks, but proved fruitless. Four days later, a California Highway Patrol officer stopped L.P.'s 1991 Mazda pickup near Oceanside, California. The driver, Christopher Paul, a fugitive parolee from Arizona, shot the officer, who returned fire and wounded Paul. During the subsequent interrogation, Paul admitted to shooting L.P. near Mesa Verde. A search was conducted and her body was found the following day just outside the park near a roadside rest area. Paul said he'd killed her on the afternoon of September 12th, that he'd stayed in Cortez that night, and that he'd planned to rob either the park's entrance station or a gas station the next day. He returned to the murder scene on the 13th, then drove on to the park. Paul found that there were too many cars waiting in line at the entrance station, so he disposed of L.P.'s possessions in the parking lot and drove off. An entrance receipt from Grand Canyon NP was found in the vehicle, indicating that Pauls visited there on September 13th on his way to California and that he entered the park at 5 p.m. Both Paul and the officer are recovering from their wounds. Paul is being extradited to Montezuma County, Colorado, to face murder charges. [Charlie Peterson, CR, MEVE, 9/20]
New Jersey visitors E.L., 35 and C.P., 37, became lost while hiking in the Cliff Palace area on January 10th. Rangers noticed their rental car parked in an area which is closed at dusk. A hasty search was conducted, but no sign of the occupants was found. Rangers began an extensive search the next morning which involved park staff, search dogs, Civil Air Patrol aircraft and local search units. E.L. and C.P. were found out of the primary search area five miles north of the point last seen after they built a signal fire on January 13th. They were mobile during most of the search and had covered about nine miles of rugged canyon terrain. Both suffered from cold and dehydration; they were flown out by air ambulance but not hospitalized. [Charlie Peterson, CR, MEVE, 1/13]
First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton visited Mesa Verde NP on May 21st and 22nd. During her stay, she toured the park, hosted a luncheon for park supporters, and stayed overnight in the park's lodge. She was the keynote speaker for the White House Millennium Council's "Save America's Treasures" tour, during which the White House announced $3 million in donations and federal grants to stabilize and protect the park's backcountry cliff dwellings. Director Stanton was also present. The event was managed by an all-risk team (Divine/Collins) and supported by Intermountain Region staff and a special events team. NPS staff worked closely with White House and Secret Service teams. The event went smoothly and was attended by 2,000 visitors. Regional media interest was high. There were no significant incidents during the visit. [Charlie Peterson, CR, MEVE, 5/25]
Park firefighter Eddie Garcia was overcome by hydrogen sulfide gas while fighting a wildland fire in southern Colorado on June 30th. Garcia, crew boss of the San Juan Interagency Type II crew, was securing a fireline on the Valencia Canyon fire on the Southern Ute Indian Reservation when he collapsed from exposure to hydrogen sulfide gas. Hydrogen sulfide occurs naturally from coal bed vents located in the area where the fire was burning. Firefighters were briefed on hazardous gases in the area and were wearing belt gas detectors. Garcia reported smelling gas; at the same time, gas detectors being worn by other firefighters began to beep. The fireline was evacuated and Garcia, who was semi-conscious, was flown to Mercy Hospital in Durango. Garcia and one Forest Service employee were treated for hydrogen sulfide gas poisoning and released the next day. Both are expected to fully recover. The incident is being investigated by a local interagency team. Hydrogen sulfide is an extremely toxic gas often found near oil fields and coal deposits. [Charlie Peterson, CR, MEVE, 7/2]
S.K.M. was arrested in Durango, Colorado, on August 25th for false impersonation of a federal officer (18 USC 912) and producing false federal identification (18 USC 1028). The arrest and subsequent search warrant execution were conducted by NPS special agents, rangers from Mesa Verde NP, FBI agents, Forest Service officers, U.S. Marshals and deputies from the La Plata County Sheriff's Office. S.K.M., who worked as a seasonal ranger for the NPS, was using a forged NPS commission, wearing a uniform, and driving three different, fully-equipped personal law enforcement vehicles. On several occasions, he "badged" people in Arizona, identifying himself as an NPS ranger. He was carrying a concealed weapon at the time. On August 28th, he was released on a $10,000 bond. S.K.M. is facing the possibility of up to 36 years in prison for his offenses. If you have any information on S.K.M., please contact either SA Dan Wirth or SA Susan Morton. [Dan Wirth, SA, SOAR, 8/28]
On October 24, seasonal fee collector Steve Lucero plead guilty to theft of government money (18 USC 641) from the park's entrance station. Entrance station road audits indicated a problem with Lucero's occasional failure to issue cash register receipts to visitors. This prompted a further investigation, which found discrepancies between credit card and cash register receipts when Lucero was on duty. A full investigation involving Intermountain Region special agents and park staff was begun that led to the discovery of criminal theft of fees. The case was presented to the U.S. Attorney's Office, and Lucero was charged with the theft of government money. During the investigation, Lucero admitted to taking fee receipts while on duty. Indications are that he stole more than $1,000. Lucero's employment was terminated; sentencing is scheduled for January. [Submitted by Charlie Peterson, Chief Ranger]
On the morning of August 26th, rangers were called to a domestic
dispute at Morefield campground. The reporting party told rangers that a
40-year-old woman who was on the medication Prozac had "rammed" a car
into her husband's pickup. The husband, G.G., also told the
rangers that she had a loaded firearm in the car. While rangers were en
route, she left the campground and continued southbound further into the
park. The vehicle and driver were subsequently found at the Moccasin
Mesa turnoff and a felony vehicle stop was made. The driver, B.G.,
refused to comply with the instructions of the ranger who first
arrived on scene and had her at gunpoint. B.G. refused to make her
hands visible and repeatedly screamed at the ranger to go ahead and
shoot her and save her the trouble of doing so. The ranger attempted to
talk to her and calm her down, but with no success. B.G. was finally
talked into getting out of the car. Although she didn't have a weapon in
her hands, she continued asking the ranger to shoot her, saying that she
did not care if she died. Other rangers arrived on scene and assisted
with negotiations. After further attempts to make B.G. comply with
instructions, an opportunity presented itself whereby the first ranger
on scene was able to move to the front of his vehicle, run at B.G.
without her seeing him, then tackle her and take her to the ground. The
other rangers quickly assisted and B.G. was subdued and taken into
custody. Neither she nor the rangers were injured. A loaded .22 caliber
pistol was found underneath the driver's seat in B.G.'s car.
Investigation revealed that B.G. had attempted to run over her husband
on two occasions. On one of these occasions, she backed her vehicle into
his pickup, which was carrying their two children, ages four and nine.
B.G. also told her husband that she was going to kill him, the kids and
then herself. She was taken to Mercy Medical Center for medical and
psychiatric evaluation and screened positive for methamphetamine. She
was charged with attempted murder, felony menacing, assault with a
dangerous weapon, and resisting a federal officer.
Mesa Verde rangers responded to a reported domestic dispute occurring at the Morefield campground on August 26, 2004. The reporting party said that a 40-year old woman had "rammed" her vehicle into her husband's vehicle. The husband also reported that she had a loaded firearm in her possession. The vehicle and driver were subsequently located in the park and a felony vehicle stop was made. The driver refused to comply with the instructions of the ranger who first arrived on scene; she soon became very non-compliant, refusing to follow all instructions. She repeatedly yelled at the ranger to go ahead and shoot her and save her the trouble of doing it. She then got out of her car, continuing to ask the ranger to shoot her because she did not care if she died. Rangers subsequently tackled and subdued her and took her into custody, with no injuries sustained by any of the involved parties. A loaded .22 caliber pistol was found underneath the driver's seat in her car. Further investigation revealed that she had attempted to run over her husband with her vehicle on three occasions. On one of these occasions, she backed her vehicle into her husband's pickup, which was carrying their children, aged four and nine years old. She also told her husband that she was going to kill him, the kids and herself. The woman was taken to Mercy Medical Center for medical and psychiatric evaluation, where she screened positive for methamphetamine use. On December 2nd, she pleaded guilty to two counts of assault with a dangerous weapon and one count of resisting a federal officer. The federal judge sentenced her to 24 months of federal prison (15 months served so far), three years of supervised probation, and placement into an institution of mental health while incarcerated. [Jessie Farias Jr., Chief Ranger]
First Lady Laura Bush visited Mesa Verde National Park from May 23rd to May 26th to help the park celebrate its centennial and to vacation in the park with her close friends. The official event took place in Long House, the park's second largest cliff dwelling. Approximately 200 invitees attended. The event celebrated Mesa Verde's livelihood, its placement as the first cultural national park in the nation, and its place in education and protecting and interpreting Native American culture and heritage. The First Lady and her companions enjoyed the park by visiting several pristine cliff dwellings and hiking in the backcountry. Tours of the park's research center and library were also organized for the First Lady and her friends. The National Park Service was tasked with assisting the Secret Service and the White House Communications Agency during the visit. An in-park incident management team was established to run the event. Approximately 45 people were assigned to the event, including 15 law enforcement rangers and eight members of Intermountain Region's special events team. In reality, though, every employee in the park had a hand in making the First Lady's visit a complete success. [Jessie Farias Jr., Chief Ranger]
On December 9th, the park hosted the grand finale of its year-long centennial celebration, with several thousand park visitors and guests attending the evening's special events. Around 7 p.m., a park employee noticed smoke and flames emanating from the engine compartment of a Ford Taurus parked in the main visitor center parking lot. Responding park personnel found that the fire was deep-seated and that the two chemical extinguishers they used on it had little effect in suppressing the flames. The Far View Visitor Center parking area was nearly full to capacity at the time and there was heavy pedestrian traffic throughout the area. A Vizsla short-haired pointer trapped inside a vehicle directly threatened by the fire was released by rangers. When the park's structural fire brigade arrived on scene, the Taurus was fully involved and the fire had moved to the engine compartment of an F-250 pickup truck. The fires in both vehicles were quickly extinguished and their spread checked. There were no injuries. The cause of the fire is under investigation. [Scott Jacobs, Park Ranger, and Jessie Farias, Jr., Chief Ranger]
On February 6th, N.R., owner and operator of Imagine Tours out of Davis, California, pled guilty in federal court to illegally engaging in business in the park and to entering a designated fee area without paying the required fees or possessing applicable permits. Last August, N.R., whose online company touts affordable outdoor adventures, was found to be operating a for-profit bicycle touring business in the park without a permit. She'd also failed to pay the established commercial tour fee required for such a venture. The rangers who came upon the activity conducted an investigation. They found that Imagine Tours has been in business for 18 years and that N.R. has organized and lead tours to local, state, federal and overseas locations for more than 27 years. During her initial appearance, N.R. pled guilty to both charges and was sentenced to pay a fine of $3,000 on the first count and a fine of $5,000 suspended for one year on the second count. She was also placed under unsupervised probation for that period of time. Organized bicycle groups are prohibited on all park roads in Mesa Verde National Park due to the narrow nature of the road, lack of road shoulders, poor condition of the pavement, and heavy vehicular traffic. [Jessie Farias Jr., Chief Ranger]
On a Saturday last July, rangers were alerted to the possibility of a commercial tour company operating illegally in the museum area. Four visitors were contacted and told rangers that they'd paid for a tour provided by Scott Sorenson of Ranger Led Tours LLC. Sorenson had a luxury limousine certificate, which he said allowed him to conduct tours for hire throughout Colorado. He also clamed to have been a park ranger at the Grand Canyon and said that he was unaware of any permits needed to conduct business within the park. Investigation revealed that Sorenson hoped to make over $35,000 through bookings on his website, RangerLedTours.com, which stated that "each tour is Ranger Led and each guide has over 20 years of experience in National Park tours, guiding, and customer service." Rangers also determined that Sorenson was both the company's owner and its sole employee, that the tours he was leading originated within the park, where funds exchanged hands, and that he'd never been a park ranger, was using his National Parks Passport to gain commercial entry to the park, and did not have a concessioner contract, as required. On Friday, December 21st, Sorenson pled guilty to failing to pay required fees, engaging in business operations in park areas without a contract, and providing false information in his claim of having been a National Park Service ranger. Sorenson was sentenced to sixty days in jail, suspended, with conditions; banned from Mesa Verde for three years and all other NPS areas for one year; ordered to write a letter to the local Cortez Journal, explaining what he had done at the park; complete twenty hours of community serve at the local Red Cross chapter; and personally deliver a copy of the judgment to the Verde Valley (Arizona) justice court (Sorenson was under probation and deferred prosecution in Arizona for criminal damage, endangerment, and disorderly conduct). Had Sorenson's scheme succeeded, he stood to make about a thousand dollars per day during the four month summer season. This was the second illegal commercial use case prosecuted by the park in as many years. In both cases, tour operators made extensive use of internet web sites to advertise and book illegal tours. [Glenn Yanagi, Park Ranger]
While investigating an unrelated case involving employees of Kirkland Construction, which had been engaged in a park repaving project under Federal Highways oversight, rangers learned through a confidential informant that one of the company's employees had been collecting and removing artifacts from locations near the construction site. The informant reported that R.G., a truck driver for Kirkland, had been seen with a bread bag full of pot sherds, and that R.G. had been overheard talking about how he'd taken the sherds and an artifact described as a "grinding stone" from the park. Based on the description of the grinding stone, rangers had reason to believe that R.G. had taken a mano and metate. A search warrant was issued by the federal magistrate's office in Durango and executed by park rangers with assistance from a BLM ranger, a BLM special agent and Cortez Police Department officers. A total of 252 items were found and recovered, including pot sherds, flake lithics, rocks, paleontological specimens, stone tools and a mano and metate that together weighed about 50 pounds. Cortez officers also found and seized drug paraphernalia. R.G. was interviewed and reported that he'd taken the items from the park over a month-long period. He said that he would walk through the woods near the site, collecting items, during his down time at the construction site. The day after the warrant was served, R.G. met with rangers and a park archeologist and took them to the location where he'd removed the metate. The area was a known and previously surveyed archeological site. On January 8th, R.G. pled guilty to ARPA charges and was sentenced by the federal magistrate. He was ordered to pay a $2,000 fine and $1,000 in restitution to the park, banned from entering all NPS areas for three years, and required to write a letter to the local newspaper explaining his crime and how it hurt the national parks and describing the sentence he'd received. [Scott Fischer, Park Ranger]
On June 17th, C.L. of Colorado Springs pled guilty to one misdemeanor count of violating the Archaeological Resource Protection Act (16 USC 470 ee (b)) following his arrest for numerous ARPA violation in NPS, BLM and other areas. An investigation into C.L.'s activities was begun in 2005 when his ex wife reported his looting to NPS and BLM special agents. She was concerned that he was passing down his illegal activities to their son, who was 12 at the time. She reported that her son came home from a vacation trip to Glen Canyon with C.L. and his grandmother and reported that his father had hunted for and taken numerous pot sherds, stone points, pieces of petrified wood, dinosaur bones, and mineral resources such as "Moki marbles" (iron oxide concretions) from the Defiance House and Rincon areas of Lake Powell. Investigators subsequently determined that C.L. had also taken a pot and a large metate from Mesa Verde, vertebrate fossils from BLM lands, and dinosaur remains from Badlands. These items and others that were seized during the execution of two search warrants in the Colorado Springs and Woodland Park areas will be forfeited to the government as part of the plea agreement, including three large sifting screens that C.L. used to find artifacts. C.L., who had been a Park County Sheriff's Office deputy and an investigator for the Colorado Division of Gaming, will receive six months unsupervised probation as part of the plea agreement. The investigation was a joint effort by BLM, NPS, DOI OIG and Forest Service special agents. [Beth Shott, Special Agent]
On the morning of Wednesday, August 12th, a park concession employee walked out to the Mancos Overlook, three miles from the entrance of the park, and discovered a man's body on the ground. The concession employee, a retired veterinarian, said that the man appeared to have died from a self-inflected gunshot wound, but that he was not able to see any firearm at the scene. Responding rangers closed the overlook to public access and found the firearm just below the overlook, where the victim had dropped it after shooting himself. The victim was identified as a 67-year-old man from Dolores, Colorado. A suicide note was found in his vehicle, which was in the overlook parking lot. The overlook was closed for approximately four hours until the investigation was completed. [Jessie Farias Jr., Chief Ranger]
On Saturday, July 27th, park staff responded to a report of a 71-year-old man who had collapsed in the Cliff Palace parking lot. Two teenage visitors who happen to be lifeguards with CPR training immediately began to administer effective CPR. A park medic and rangers arrived on the scene eight minutes after the call was received and took over patient care. Rangers used an HYPERLINK "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Automated_external_defibrillator" AED and delivered four shocks. The park medic was also able to administer medications to the patient via an HYPERLINK "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intraosseous_infusion" intraosseus infusion (IO). After they worked on the man for 10 minutes, his pulse returned and he was able to breathe on his own. The man was transported to an ICU via helicopter by Tri-State Care Flight personnel out of Mercy Regional Medical Center in Durango, Colorado. The attending flight nurse later contacted park staff and congratulated them for doing a "fabulous job" in handling the incident. A successful chain of survival requires early and effective CPR, early AED use, and quick transport to definitive medical care. In this situation every step in the chain was met and the ultimate outcome was very good. The park is planning to recognize the young visitors who stepped in immediately and put their lifeguard CPR training to excellent use. According to the Tri-State flight medic, the actions taken by park staff definitely saved the man's life. [Jessie Farias, Chief Ranger]
Below are short follow-ups on incidents previously reported in this newsletter. Mesa Verde NP — Last Thursday, search and rescue crews found human remains in the park. They are believed to be those of Mitchell Stehling of Texas, who disappeared on June 9, 2013. Stehling had gone on a solo hike to Spruce Tree House; when he failed to return after two hours, his wife alerted the park, kicking off what would be a massive search. Investigators determined that Stehling had taken the Petroglyph Point Trail, a longer path that connects to the Spruce Tree House trail and has some more difficult hiking terrain. He was reportedly seen by a group at the petroglyph panel. He then left and was never seen again. The body was located after the park received an anonymous tip that his remains were in a remote section of the park. The cause of death has not been determined. Source: Jonathan Romeo, Durango Herald.
On July 22, a dry lightning storm started the Long, Moccasin, and Soda Fires. The Mesa Verde Engine Crew was able to containe the Moccasin Fire at 0.1 acres. The Soda Fire consists of a single tree in an inaccessible area, so the park is monitoring it for growth. Two single-engine air tankers laid retardant around the Long Fire and a helicopter dropped water to prevent spread. On July 23-24, a helicopter shuttled firefighters from Mesa Verde and San Juan National Forest to the Long Fire, and between their work and some rain on July 24, it is now 100% contained at 24 acres. Source: Mesa Verde National Park
On September 24, the park successfully captured a band of 16 feral/trespass horses, utilizing "low-stress capture and handling methods." The herd had been conditioned for eventual capture through offering them food and water for almost three years. The livestock are currently being cared for by park staff and veterinarians and they will be available for future adoption through the National Mustang Association Colorado Chapter. Source: Mesa Verde National Park December 14, 2022 On November 26, a 20-foot double axle pull-behind trailer was stolen from the main park roadway near the entrance. It belonged to Rocky Mountain Sprayliners, the contracting company that was clearing hazardous rocks from the road. A black pickup truck was captured on camera entering the park at 2:48am, then leaving the park with the trailer at 3:25am. The park announced it was looking for any information the public could provide, and several tips came in that helped law enforcement locate the trailer on Highway 491 south of Cortez on December 1. The contents of the trailer, consisting of two Honda generators and other equipment valued around $40,000, were missing. The landowner knew the trailer was there, but did not know it was stolen and is not considered a suspect. Law enforcement have stated that the the investigation is ongoing and the suspect is being sought. The trailer was returned to the contractor. The Journal, Durango Herald February 22, 2023 On February 14, the park closed due to a significant storm in the forecast. It remained closed February 15-16 to clear over a foot of snow from key roadways and was able to reopen on February 17. Source: OutThere Colorado
A 73-year-old went missing after being last seen hiking on the Petroglyph Point Trail on January 15. On January 16, the individual's cellphone was turned into the park's museum. The individual has "cognitive impairment" and may be without necessary medication. Responders from the NPS, local law enforcement, and search and rescue teams, have been conducting a search. As of January 23, the individual had not been found. Source: KJCT8, Idaho Statesman
On July 26, the North Face Fire was observed on the north side of Park Point. Park Point Overlook and Main Road pullouts were closed temporarily for fire operations, and reopened on July 29. As of July 31, the fire was 22 acres and 70% contained. Source: Mesa Verde National Park, Mesa Verde National Park Facebook page On August 4, a new fire started in Morefield Canyon, south of the campground. An initial attack stopped its growth at 109 acres. Source: Mesa Verde National Park Facebook page
The 73-year-old that went missing in January 2024 (see 1/24/25 Coalition Report) was found deceased. The park had conducted an intensive 10-day search when the individual first went missing, then conducted occasional searches in the area over the course of the past year. On February 28, during an off-trail grid search, a human remains detection canine located the individual's body. They were located in the original search area. Source: Mesa Verde National Park | |