You are here

Who Are Those Masked Men At Colorado National Monument?

Share

Stone masons are wearing new insect hoods with micro netting to thwart biting gnats at Colorado National Monument. NPS photo

If you visit Colorado National Monument this summer and drive the park's scenic Rim Rock Drive, you may encounter a group of masked men along the way. Fear not, Jesse James and his gang haven't been reincarnated, but this bunch certainly qualifies as "tough guys."

These masked men are members of a highly skilled team working to restore the historic stone walls along the Rim Rock Drive. The work is part of a two-year project to rehabilitate and stabilize 4,000 square feet of historic stone guard walls and replace deteriorated concrete foundations at the base of the walls, which were originally constructed decades ago by Civilian Conservation Corp crews.

Work on this project is being accomplished by stone masons from Bandelier National Monument and members of the maintenance staff from Colorado National Monument. The Bandelier stone masons are part of the NPS Division of Historic Preservation based at Bandelier.

But why the masks? It's not just the dust you might expect from stone work.

According to the park, "In the spring and summer, nearly invisible biting gnats make outdoor work extremely uncomfortable in Colorado National Monument." These gnats "particularly like to bite at the hairline and around the eyes, ears and nose." That's an annoyance for anyone, but when you're working on a rock ledge and your hands are busy with heavy tools and stones, such insects can become a major issue.

In response to the problem, the park experimenting with new micro-netting insect hoods to thwart the biting gnats, and the effect, as shown in the above photo, is a bit of a Darth Vader look. We hope the masks are proving effective, because this crew deserves all the help they can get to make their work just a bit less difficult. Biting bugs aren't the only challenge on this job.

A park spokesman notes, "Adding to the discomfort of this work is the 100 plus degree days spent on hot rocks and asphalt, high desert sun exposure, precarious stone ledges and adjacent traffic that all create an exceptionally challenging work environment." That more than meets the "tough guys" label in my book, and it sounds like this crew deserves a segment on one of those TV shows that feature heavy duty jobs.

The park staff is making a major effort to promote safety in this difficult work environment by providing shade shelters and lots of water, and by requiring frequent breaks. The park has also hired additional seasonal staff and trained them as flaggers to control traffic and provide an additional safety margin for the masked masons working on the rock ledges.

A spokesperson for the park notes, "The work is not for the faint of heart. The park is grateful to all of these employees for their attention to safety and their can-do attitudes while working in such harsh conditions. They are carrying on the traditions begun by the original stone masons who constructed the walls during the CCC era under similar harsh conditions but without the modern day detailed attention to employee safety."

Comments

I want one of those!
We had the worst gnats this year at PA state Park, French Creek. We were trying to play frisbee golf (they have a nice course), and the gnats were brutal! We had to quit.


Y'know, rangers seem to get all the credit when it comes to our parks, but the people who REALLY keep them going are guys like these. It's a shame there is so little honor paid to the men and women who are out there every day mucking around in sewage plants, pumping outhouses, standing on hot asphalt, cleaning up litter, just making sure everything is clean and safe, or any of the literally thousands of other tasks needed to keep our treasures in good shape.

We really need a special effort to recognize and appreciate all those who proudly wear the arrowhead on their shoulders, but don't have a gold badge on their chests.


Three cheers for the work that these unsung heroes perform for our National Parks and National Monuments. These stone masons definitely deserve all the appreciation we can show them. Those of you in cars, please slow down for the flaggers who are safe guarding these brave men that are working to restore the historic stone walls.


Stone Masons Rock! Kudos to the team doing that restoration work under extermely difficult conditions. I do hope those insect hoods work well without getting in the way. I'd like to find a full body suit that covers head to toe with netting. Keep safe guys!


Add comment

CAPTCHA

This question is for testing whether or not you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions.

Image CAPTCHA
Enter the characters shown in the image.

The Essential RVing Guide

The Essential RVing Guide to the National Parks

The National Parks RVing Guide, aka the Essential RVing Guide To The National Parks, is the definitive guide for RVers seeking information on campgrounds in the National Park System where they can park their rigs. It's available for free for both iPhones and Android models.

This app is packed with RVing specific details on more than 250 campgrounds in more than 70 parks.

You'll also find stories about RVing in the parks, some tips if you've just recently turned into an RVer, and some planning suggestions. A bonus that wasn't in the previous eBook or PDF versions of this guide are feeds of Traveler content: you'll find our latest stories as well as our most recent podcasts just a click away.

So whether you have an iPhone or an Android, download this app and start exploring the campgrounds in the National Park System where you can park your rig.