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22 km of the Black Canyon, Down as the Gunnison Gorge (Figure 1), is characterized by a <br />variety of canyon morphologies, vegetation communities, biological habitats, and recreation <br />opportunities. The Gunnison Gorge is being considered for Wild and Scenic River <br />designation and currently is managed as a Gold Medal Trout Fishery; fishing is limited to <br />flies and lures, and 'size and catch limits are stipulated. The diverse natural resources of this <br />area have become increasingly popular, and the Gunnison Gorge is receiving increased <br />pressure from different groups of users whose recreational objectives and activities often <br />overlap or conflict. The BLM has given the highest management priority to "...protecting <br />and maintaining the area's unique wilderness qualities of naturalness, and outstanding <br />opportunities for solitude and primitive, unconfined recreation," and "...recreation activities <br />that could not be accommodated outside the wilderness environment" (U.S. Bureau of Land <br />Management, 1992). This reach of the Gunnison River is downstream from three reservoirs <br />and streamflows have been regulated since 1966. Different flow regimes adversely or <br />beneficially affect different aspects of the natural environment and influence recreational <br />use. <br />o? <br />Cedar Flats ?• <br />? Fo?# <br />k Ss' ` <br />0 2 ewes fad <br />mT <br />0 4 k0m wo <br />Boulder <br />Garden <br />Ute 7' <br />Park d <br />`'Qxyo <br />Dime Gulch <br />?P <br />Big <br />cans <br />wash <br />,07"52'30' <br />X. <br />45' <br />Colorado <br />Gunnison <br />River <br />Basin <br />w station 09128000. Gunnison River <br />below Gunnison Tunnel <br />I Gunnison Gorge Study Area <br />se' <br />?o- <br />Figure 1. Location of Gunnison River basin and Gunnison Gorge study area. <br />The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has been studying the interaction between <br />streamflow, sediment supply and transport, channel maintenance, and streambed <br />characteristics in the Gunnison Gorge since 1991 (Elliott and Parker, 1992). Additional <br />dendrochronology and riparian-vegetation community studies have been conducted by <br />USES, BLM, and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Auble and others, in press) researchers. The <br />purpose of this research is to: (1) gain a better understanding of how physical and biological <br />processes interact in river canyons like the Gunnison Gorge, (2) describe hydrologic and <br />geomorphic conditions critical to existing instream and riparian biological habitats, and (3)