Visitation at Mesa Verde National Park was down 3.8 percent in December as compared to the same month in 1999, and the entire year 2000 showed a 28.2 percent drop, according to a press release from the park.

Superintendent Larry Wiese attributed much of the decline to the Bircher and Pony fires, which closed the park for two weeks during July and August.

"The Bircher and Pony fires caused park closures at our busiest time of the year in 2000," Wiese said in the release. "We are hopeful that we’ll see a return to more normal visitation patterns in 2000."

The fires burned more than 21,000 acres in the park. After they ended, Wetherill Mesa at the park remained closed, although Wiese had originally intended to reopen it.

Owners of area restaurants and motels said they experienced a major economic hit as a result of the drop in tourism.

There were 7,507 visits in December 2000 as compared to 7,802 in December 1999. For the entire year of 2000, the park saw 471,084 total visits compared to 656,023 during 1999.