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I ~ 4 PURPOSE AND NEED I I I I I I I I I I I INTRODUCTION Curecanti National Recreation Area and Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Monument are directly adjacent to one another and are linked ecologically as part of the larger Gunnison River Basin ecosystem. Yet each park has a very different purpose. Together, these park units contribute different resources and spectrums of recreational opportunities for the tourism that exists in the larger Grand Junction- Montrose-Delta-Gunnison-North Fork area. The region in which the parks lie is one of great elevation ranges (see Vicinity Map). Both parks are common to the Gunnison River with elevations from 6,500 feet above sea level in Black Canyon, rising above 14,000 feet on mountain peaks visible within 30 miles. The parks are approximately 250 miles southwest of Denver. Black Canyon of the Gunnison has a unique and spectacular landscape that was fonned slowly by the action of water and rock scouring down through hard Proterozoic crystalline rock. No other canyon in North America combines the narrow opening, sheer walls, and startling depths offered by the. Black Canyon of the Gunnison. The park shares its eastern boundary with Curecanti National Recreation Area. The Curecanti National Recreation Area is composed of three reservoirs named for corresponding dams on the Gunnison River. Panoramic mesas, fjord-like reservoirs, and deep, steep, and narrow canyons abound. Blue Mesa Reservoir is Colorado's largest body of water and is the largest Kokanee Salmon fishery in the United States. Morrow Point Reservoir is the beginning of the I Black Canyon of the Gunnison, and below, Crystal ReserVOIr is the site of the Gunnison Diversion Tunnel, a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark. Recently discovered dinosaur fossils, a 5,000-acre archeological district, a narrow-gauge train, and traces of 6,000-year-old dwellings further enhance the offerings of Curecanti. The purpose of this environmental assessment is to provide sufficient infonnation and analysis for detennining whether to prepare a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONS!) or filing a Notice of Intent (NOI) to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). If, based on review of the General Management Plan and the results of the public review process, the field director concludes that the plan will result in significant environmental impacts, then the project would include preparation of a draft and final EIS. This plan sets forth the basic management philosophy for both parks, managed as one integral unit, and provides strategies for addressing issues and management objectives. This document includes measures for the preservation of the area's resources, indications of the types and general intensities of development (including visitor circulation and transportation patterns, systems, and modes) associated with public enjoyment and use of each area, and the first steps in identifying visitor carrying capacities for both units. The document also discloses the potential environmental consequences, so far as can be detennined by a strategic plan, that may result from implementation of various alternatives. It documents the process used by the National Park Service in preparing a general management plan for both parks. ooil1~