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<br />OOO~87 <br />PURPOSE OF AND NEED FOR ACTION <br /> <br />. The prehistoric and historic stories of human culture in the Curecanti area are recorded in the <br />traces and tracks left by Native Americans, miners, railroaders, and ranchers. The signs <br />document not only the human struggles to survive but also how changing human value systems; <br />economic, social, and technological changes; and the importance of water have shaped the use <br />and character of the land and its people. Cultural history contains archeological examples of <br />some of the oldest villages found in North America, predating the building of the pyramids. <br /> <br />. The narrow-gauge railroad exhibit in Cimarron graphically portrays the story of technology's <br />effects of shaping people and using land; the agony and difficulties of building track in narrow <br />canyons in the winter where the sun seldom shined; and of taking the hard way instead of the <br />easy trail. Examples of a locomotive, tender, and caboose used on the railroad are on exhibit at <br />Cimarron. <br /> <br />. Curecanti will preserve, protect, and interpret the tremendous collection of nationally <br />significant, diverse natural and cultural resources balanced with the provision of outstanding <br />recreational opportunities. <br /> <br />The park's mission statement is as follows: "Curecanti National Recreational Area will preserve, protect, <br />and interpret the tremendous collection of nationally significant, diverse natural and cultural resources <br />balanced with the provision of outstanding recreational opportunities." <br /> <br />BACKGROUND <br /> <br />NPS ORGANIC ACT AND MANAGEMENT POLICIES <br /> <br />By enacting the National Park Service Organic Act of 1916, Congress directed the National Park Service <br />to manage units under its jurisdiction "to conserve the scenery and the natural and historic objects and the <br />wildlife therein and to provide for the enjoyment of the same in such manner and by such means as will <br />leave them unimpaired for the enjoyment of future generations" (16 USC I). Congress reiterated this <br />mandate in the Redwood National Park Expansion Act of 1978 by stating that the National Park Service <br />must conduct its actions in a manner Ihat will ensure no "derogation oflhe values and purposes for which <br />these various areas have been established, except as may have been or shall be directly and specifically <br />provided by Congress" (16 USC ] a-I). <br /> <br />Despile these mandates, the Organic Act and its amendments afford the National Park Service latitude <br />when making resource decisions that balance visitor recreation and resource preservation. By these acts <br />Congress "empowered the National Park Service with the authority to detennine what uses of park <br />resources are proper and what proportion of the parks resources are available for each use" (Bicycle Trails <br />Council of Marin v. Babbitt, 82 F.3d 1445,1453 (9th Cir. 1996)). <br /> <br />Yet, courts consistently interpreted the Organic Act and its amendments to elevate resource conservation <br />above visitor recreation. Michigan United Conservation Clubs v. Lujan, 949 F.2d 202, 206 (6th Cir. 1991) <br />states, "Congress placed specific emphasis on conservation." The National Rifle Ass 'n of America v. <br />Potier, 628 F.Supp. 903, 909 (DD.C. 1986) states, "In the Organic Act Congress speaks of but a single <br />purpose, namely, conservation." The NPS Management Policies also recognize that resource conservation <br />takes precedence over visitor recreation. The policy dictates "when there is a conflict between conserving <br />resources and values and providing for enjoyment of them, conservation is to be predominant" (NPS <br />Management Policies 2001, sec. 1.4.3). <br /> <br />6 <br />