Laserfiche WebLink
<br />0006Gl <br /> <br />. I <br />~l <br /> <br />P<>g'4 <br /> <br /> <br />T1i~ N';1I;v.wl Parle S(n';a pro'saw'J <br />urum{'<J;rrdr1rtfWlurCJ/<u,,/cuiru,...1 <br />,nourct'J"rrdl",I""Jojrilt'"urimul/ <br />,,,,rk J)'jlf'm/orl"t'("jO.~""rtll. <br />"du,'miNt: lI1W j'~p'rr"jon vf IhiJ <br />wr'/fur"n.'s""':"oJti(I'I5. <br /> <br />.10 C01I5t'n'l' tilt' !i('i'111'ry <br />and ihe nat/lrtlllllldhisroric <br /> <br />objects and tile wildl{(e <br /> <br />lherill." <br /> <br /> <br />W{l[..,-I>.~lt'd ,....,...lllnm is <br />f'''l'ularmr'htlhrurl''Su'I'o;", <br />tmJ /h( n,.il"l fading than <br /> <br />c..u..n R...", P.1uo.. ~ <br /> <br />Ptapol.t twi tig~ (cau.) <br /> <br />;"ide for irrigation. flood conlCol. hy- <br />drodectric.pli\.\t'r. tish and wildlife. and <br />recreation.. Construction of the thret:. <br />Aspinall Unil dams. Blue :>'lcsa. Mor- <br />row Poinl and Cl)'slal. began in 196:! <br />and wa" completed in 1978. Two of the. <br />dams, Morrow Point and Cryslal. have a <br />unique doubk l'tlf'\'.1ture. thin-arch. de- <br />c;lgn. <br /> <br />Blue Mesa Resef\'oir is the l3f'gest in <br />Color.ldo. O"Ind one of the large!>t high- <br />altitude tx>t.Iie,,; of water in tlk United <br />States. It provides an exciting Jivt'~iIY <br />of wall'r fl.-crealion. treating wimJs~er.>. <br />~ail1;loatC'Th. and wBt.er-"kiC'n.. The three <br />. reservoirs provide one o( the ~st ~'Old- <br />water fishcries in Colorado. attracting <br />. .:nthusiast.<; from.throughout the'n:uion <br />and offering it diversity of.game fish. <br /> <br />(2) Gt'oloJ::ical. I'aleollfol~ical, and <br />Of her !'lalur-.II Re!;()urc~s. The rock <br />'(omtations and can.yonlt of Curoc:mti. <br />which include the upper R-'OChes of the <br />Black Canyon or the Gunniwn. lell a <br />SIOI)' of geolOgiC change Ihat occurred <br />over lhe l.1:ll!n;e of 1 billion years. Viu- <br />Jen! vok-auk a<;ti\'ity an'-! ...rosion are <br />today re\'ealed in the inspiring pinna- <br />..:I...... cliffs, anJ mo:S3$ of the feCR'::aliOll <br />=a. <br /> <br />Exposure~ of the M,?rriwn FormatiOn <br />contain fO'...,,11 ...\'id...nc... of the M...sozoic <br />Em: Dinosaur bones ha\4 b<<-n found in- <br />the Curecanti :u-ea. and th...re is e,idenr.:... <br />Ihat musk 0)(. caw lions. and chec-tah <br />rQamo:d Blut' ~1e."during the ic... ages. <br /> <br />TIlt' scenic \'alues of the canyon. the <br />ile...dles. the pinnacles. and th... r(s...r. <br />\'oirs provide dramatic alOtr3..'I. whirh <br />cauM-s \isilOrs to slow oo\\-n. pau!ol.'. and <br />rella':t on the din:rsit\' 01 the land:wapc <br />and its spaciousn....ss. . Hiking provide~ <br />the opponunity 10.> e'plon: and enjoy <br />the~ pristine and r...moi~ lands. <br /> <br />Curec:mti prO'liides fo:eding and roosting <br />ppportunilies and prott'{.'"ts. existing and <br />potential breeding hat>itat for St'nsiti\'t' spe- <br />de!'.. !>uch as-the bald eagk and peregrine <br />falcon. Other specks of concern depc~d- . <br />em on Curecanti resources include golden <br />eagle. grcal blu~ heron, Gwmison sa~ <br />grou<>e, and numerous other migr:Jtory <br />birds. Curecami provides critical winter <br />range es~enLi31 (Of the long-lerm ~'iabilif)' <br />of elk. detr, and bighorn, <br /> <br />Curec:anti hosts a si~ificant K(ikanee <br />"oalmon fishe('\.' in Blue Me;;a. Habit3t <br />wilhin an.! adjacem to Cureunt( provides' <br />(he 'opponunilY to retntroduce and estab- <br />lish breeding populations of native Colo- <br />rado Ri\er cutthroal trout. <br /> <br />(J) I'n.hbtoric and 1I~loric lIuman Cul~ <br />tun'. The, storie" of human culture In the <br />Cur~anl.i are3 are recorded in the'trnces' <br />'and !racks Icfl by an:'haic peoples. Nati\'e <br />AmericanS: early military expediLions. <br />minefi'>.railroaders.-ranchers anJ dam <br />huilderS. Th... stories map a cootinuum of <br />human s'mlea\'or from prehistoric tim...s to <br />'modem times. Thest' sigm document not <br />only the human suuge1es to."un.'i\"t'. ~UI <br />also how changing human value S)'stcllK <br />economic, soda!. and technoJogil'al' . <br />changes. and the importance of water ha~'e <br />snaped the ust' and ~haraeter 01 the land <br />and it" pt.'(lple. <br /> <br />Cultural hi"lory containi'> areheologic31 <br />exampiC''' 01 !'Ome of-tho: oldest \'illa"g...s <br />fOllnJ in North AnJ('riea., p~daring the <br />huilding of the pyramid". The narm". <br />gauge rnilroad exhihilel:t in Cimarron <br />. gr.aphically portrays the stol)' of lechnol. <br />ogy'" ...neel!> of "haping people and using <br />land_ The ihree dams which ha\'e lTeated <br />the reser"'oi~ of Cu~anti. and Ihe diver. <br />sion'dam at Ea.,t Ponal. are e\'idence of <br />ffi{xJcm-day ingenuity that has impro\ed <br />Ihe quallty..of life in the n-gion due to en- <br />hanced agriculture. Ulety. powo:r gen...rn- <br />tion.and recreation, <br />