In this episode I have the pleasure of speaking with author and filmmaker Christopher Barns who has just released a book this month called Mesa Verde’s Secret Garden: A History of Managing the Backcountry and Wilderness of a National Park. Mesa Verde was established in 1906 and is the only park designated to protect archeological sites. In 1976 Congress declared the Wilderness Act which made managing the park challenging and today the public is not allowed to visit the wilderness area keeping it a “secret”. In this book Chris talks about the possible solutions to managing the wilderness area, much of his information coming from interviews, memos and anonymous feedback. Chris retired from the Arthur Carhart National Wilderness Training Center in 2015 and has volunteered at Mesa Verde National Park since 2017. He has co-authored many reports and law journal articles on wilderness management and wrote and directed the film American Values: American Wilderness for PBS. This Wednesday May 21st there will be a book signing and reading at Maria’s Bookshop at 6pm which is located at 960 Main Avenue. For more information you can visit their website at www.mariasbookshop.com