WSPC01202

• File Number: 8210.761.09
• Description: Colorado River-Federal Agencies-US NPS-Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Monument
• State: CO
• Basin: Colorado Mainstem
• Water Division: 5
• Date: 1/1/3000
• Title: General Management Plan 1-Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Monument and Curecanti National Recreation Area
• Water Supply Pro - Doc Type: Report/Study

opportunities that are critical to providing
quality visitor experiences.

Conditions to be attained:

I) Viewsheds remain generally natural and
undeveloped.

2) Waysides are provided to interpret the resource
and provide orientation for visitors.

Issue-Specific Objectives

· FUTURE DEVELOPMENT
SURROUNDING THE PARK - Parks
contain both tangible and intangible
resources. Tangible natural and cultural
features include animals, plants, waters,
geologic features, paleontological resources,
historic buildings and monuments, and
archeological sites. Intangible qualities
include natural quiet, solitude, space,
scenery, scenic vistas, a sense of history,
sounds of nature, and clear night skies.
These attributes are important both to the
conservation of resources and to their use
and enjoyment by the public. There are two
areas of special concern that could be
impacted by inappropriate development of
surrounding lands-water quality and
aesthetics.

Conditions to be attained:

1) A strategy for a local community baseline
information system has been developed to
provide a beuer understanding of the physical
and ecological processes that shape and
contribute to the evolution of Curecanti and the
Gunnison Basin.

2) Viewsheds remain generally natural and
undeveloped as seen from within the park.

3) A cooperative strategy for any appropriate
private land development adjacent to Curecanti
has been developed with land management
agencies, private landowners, county planning
entities, and transportation agencies so that
water quality and aesthetic quality of the park
experience are not adversely impacted.

18 . .

Black Canyon of the Gunnison
National Monument

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The following resource- and geographic-
specific objectives apply to the Black Canyon
of the Gunnison National Monument.

Prime Resource

Prime resource lands are defined as those
resources that made a direct contribution to
establishing the park as a unit of the national
park system and are related to the park's
purpose and significance. Other lands within
the monument are also important to
protecting and supporting the prime
resource, but are not considered to be the
prime resource.

Prime resource lands for the monument are
those lands from the canyon edge to the
Gunnison River below, mostly known as the
Inner Canyon. The Inner Canyon and the
majority of the westernmost upland,
consisting of 11,180 acres, is wilderness
designated under Public Law 94-567
(October 20, 1976). These lands are
managed as part of the National Wilderness
Preservation System, designated by Congress
and legally protected as wilderness in
perpetuity. The Wilderness Act defines
wilderness as follows: "generally appears to
have been affected primarily by the forces of
nature, with the imprint of man's work
substantially unnoticeable." Wilderness
areas are managed for the use and enjoyment
of the American people in such manner as
will leave the areas unimpaired for future use
and enjoyment as wilderness. Management
includes the protection of these areas, the
preservation of their wilderness character,
and the gathering and dissemination of
information regarding their use and
enjoyment as wilderness. Public purposes of
wildemess include recreation, scenic

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