The only road to Yucca House National Monument will remain open for public use after a public hearing on Monday.
County Road 20.5 has provided access to the monument through a 1.4-mile easement across adjacent private land since 1936.
The monument was established in 1919 and features a large unexcavated Ancestral Puebloan village dating to 1150. It is managed by Mesa Verde National Park and has fewer than 1,000 visitors a year.
The permanent easement for access goes with the deed of the adjacent private property, which has changed hands over time.
In August, current landowners Joe Keesee and Larry Pickens, of Box Bar Ranch, requested that the Montezuma County commission vacate Road 20.5 crossing their property, saying that visitation was negatively impacting farming operations.
But it was decided that legally Road 20.5 has to stay open until an alternative route is worked out.
“I don’t think (the commissioners) can vacate the road without making sure an alternate easement to go to Yucca House is in place first,” said county attorney John Baxter.
After a one-hour hearing attended by 30 people, including national park staff, commissioner Larry Don Suckla moved to keep Road 20.5 open until “negotiations can be worked out for access to Yucca House.” The measure passed 3-0.
According to the easement language, the road and easement cannot be closed or abandoned unless an alternative access has been constructed across the property.
“The property owners have to provide the easement for access,” said Cliff Spencer, superintendent of Mesa Verde National Park. “They have discretion on the placement of the easement, but another route has not be designated.”
Spencer explained that even if vacated by the county, Road 20.5 would still be considered legal public access to the monument under the easement agreement.
“It has been the only road to the monument for 78 years,” Spencer said.
An alternative route was discussed. Landowner Bernard Karwick has signed a letter of intent to donate his adjacent property to the national monument.
One possible alternative is to redirect a portion of the access road across the northern boundary of Karwick’s land, once it’s donated, in order to better avoid Pickens’ farm operations.
“It is the best solution for the county, my neighbors and for myself,” Pickens said. “I don’t want to prevent access, so a compromise makes sense.”
It won’t happen overnight. Spencer said it would be at least a year before the property was acquired and a boundary adjustment completed to expand the monument.
At that point, a new access point could be considered that would approach the monument from the south, and may involve a parking lot, shade structures, new road, and perhaps a trail.
“The land acquisition has to go on the federal register for public notice and is handled from the Washington office,” he said. “Because the land is a donation, it does not need approval from Congress.”
Karwick pointed out that keeping the alternative road access on the Box Bar Ranch is part of the permanent easement agreement and would involve less government bureaucracy.
“Rerouting the road access on the private land would save time and avoid environmental studies,” he said.
A new route would cross Navajo Wash and likely involve archaeological studies and mitigation if it is built on newly acquired monument land.
Meanwhile, access to the monument will continue along Road 20.5, which is accessed off County Road B. Visitors are asked to respect private property and to park next to log barriers near the monument entrance.
jmimiaga@cortezjournal.com
