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Mesa Verde National Park Says It Could Take 5 Years To Remove 12 Cattle, 80 Horses

In the latter part of the 19th century, cattle drives from Texas to Dodge City, Kansas, might involve upwards of 2,000 head of cattle and last two or three months. At Mesa Verde National Park, where a dozen cattle and 80 horses have been "trespassing" on park property, officials say it would take five years to remove them. And that it could take a decade to improve fencing along the park's boundaries to prevent livestock from returning to the park.

Traveler Special Report: Closing The National Park System's Maintenance Backlog

Some of the world’s greatest wonders exist in America’s National Park System, from the Grand Canyon and Old Faithful to Mammoth Cave and the Everglades. But the system also features ailing wastewater treatment facilities, rotting buildings, and even the risk of demolition by neglect. Many parking lots are crumbling, some communications systems are antiquated, dams and levees are in serious condition, and employee housing in some parks is shabby.

Colorado Man Wants To Divert Water From Green River Above Dinosaur National Monument

In years past there have been schemes to divert water out of the Yampa River, the last major undammed tributary in the Colorado River system, for use on Colorado's Front Range. None has ever been approved. Now, however, a Colorado man is seeking approval to divert 55,000 acre-feet of water a year from the Green River just upstream of Dinosaur National Monument to the Front Range.
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