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CHAPTER III AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT The attitude toward growth is still generally positive, but the limitations ' and impacts of growth are of greater concern than in the past. Laws governing water development are now more specific in interpretation and application than in the past. During the recent escalation of development and water demands, concern was heightened over the need for a way to develop water resources while avoiding jeopardy to endangered fishes in the Colorado River. Each State has evolved its own definition of acceptable uses of water and prioritization of use, but the trend is clearly toward a comprehensive consideration of the consequences of development for the benefit of each State. This, and all of the above statements, are made on a basinwide level and do not propose to cope with the values and conditions within a specific community or county. There are extremes of all types, but the general experience and values are as characterized above. Outside of the San Juan River drainage (which is not considered in this study), the only Indian reservation directly affected by the Colorado River or its tributaries is the Uinta-Ouray Ute Indian Reservation in Utah. While the tribe maintains direct involvement in all land use and other issues affecting ' their reservation, the portion of the reservation which would be potentially impacted, an area known as the Hill Creek extension, has been set aside as a reserve with no commercial development. The tribe is concerned about its ' water right and control over any influence on the reservation. L. Archaeological/Cultural Resources Historically, the affected area was the home of many Indian tribes. This included the Shoshone in southwestern Wyoming, the Utes in western Colorado and eastern Utah, and the Navajo, southern Paiute, and Mohave tribes in southern Utah. Fremont cultural sites are distributed throughout most of the ' Basin. Also, the Utah-Colorado border was the traditional homeland of the Anasazi culture with many archaeological sites, mainly along the Dolores River in southwestern Colorado. ' The first white contact was probably that of the Dominguez-Escalante expedition in 1776. These two friars were sent by the Catholic Church to locate an overland route from Santa Fe, New Mexico, to the California missions. The first Americans in the area were fur traders and trappers who were in Colorado and Utah by 1820. Later on, settlers began moving westward into the area in the 1840's spurred west by, among other reasons, the California gold discoveries and the Mormon migration. Many of the historical remains of this westward migration still exist in the area (e.g., trail ruts, telegraph poles, pony express stations, etc.). The Proposed Action or "No Action" alternative could affect cultural resources that exist within the area immediately adjacent to or in the proximity of the rivers that make up the Upper Colorado River Basin system. Examples of cultural resources which might be found in and adjacent to the river areas are ancient Indian burial grounds, abodes, and cliff writings; pioneer river crossings; settler homes; etc. Since flow changes, ponding, and fish hatcheries appear to be the actions with the greatest potential to create III-35