ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. - High above the floor of Frijoles Canyon sits one of the most popular sites at Bandelier National Monument.
Accessible only by a series wooden ladders and steep stone steps, the kiva at the Alcove House site graces the edge of a niche some 14 stories above the canyon floor. For those daring enough to make the climb, the views are breathtaking.
That's why it was with much deliberation that park officials decided to close the site this week. Years of erosion and foot traffic by visitors have taken their toll and repairs are needed to preserve the site and make it safe again.
"It's a big deal for us to close it. We spent two full days just having discussions, reassessing and making the decision to close it because it's such an important site to Bandelier," said Rod Torrez, the chief of interpretation. "It really is an icon of this park."
Alcove House was first reconstructed in 1910, before the area was designated as a national monument. The site was further stabilized in the 1930s and then became an emblem of the monument when the Works Progress Administration created a poster featuring the Alcove House kiva.
Monument officials had been planning to make some repairs at Alcove House, but when members of the park's Vanishing Treasures team visited the site earlier this week as part of an assessment, they found the damage had become much worse.
A network of cracks has developed in the masonry, some of the stonework has been dislodged and the kiva's structure is being undercut. Officials say the kiva's roof will have to be replaced, its walls shored up and any material that has washed away over the years will need to be replaced.
"The problem is that the expense of fixing it is going to be very high because getting the materials up to that site is a major task. It's 140 feet off the canyon floor," Torrez said.
The work, which will require a system of cables and pulleys and possibly the help of a helicopter, is expected to start sometime this summer. Officials hope to get as much done as possible before being interrupted by the monsoon season and then winter.
It could cost anywhere from $100,000 to $450,000 to repair Alcove House.
Tucked into northern New Mexico's ancient canyons, Bandelier has a long human history that stretches back more than 10,000 years. Aside from Native Americans, Spanish settlers and the Civilian Conservation Corp centuries later also left their mark on the area. The park drew more than 150,000 visitors last year.
While Alcove House remains off-limits for now, the best view of the site is from a trail on the opposite mesa.
Torrez said the goal is to find the funding, work out the technical challenges of working in such a location and get the work done so Alcove House can be opened as soon as possible.
"We really want to keep it open," he said. "Even the pueblos, they have expressed that they like the fact that visitors can go up there and see the site. It's something that allows people to get in touch with and understand this place from a human perspective. That's important to not only us and the visitors, it's important to the people who come from this place. That site is special."
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