Most people come to these places to see and learn about the ancestral Puebloans and where they use to live, but when it comes to the natural world, Mesa Verde and Yucca House are a slice of the Rockies. They host wildlife and plant species such as elk and deer, black bears, mountain lions, golden eagles, ancient juniper-pinyon woodlands, and shrub and grasslands. These natural resources play an integral part in the park’s pre-history and current and future management and conservation. Paul Morey, Chief of Natural Resources of Mesa Verde National Park and Yucca House National Monument, will share how the park service manages, conserves, and researches it’s natural resources, and why this is important to the mission of the National Park Service and these special park units.