WSPC02286

• 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: 10/1/1997
• Title: General Management Plan 2-Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Monument and Curecanti National Recreation Area
• Water Supply Pro - Doc Type: Report/Study

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PURPOSE AND NEED

INTRODUCTION

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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 lunction.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.

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Black Canyon of the Gunnison has a
unique and spectacular landscape that
was formed 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.

Curecanti National Recreation Area is
composed of three reservoirs named for
corresponding dams on the Gunnison
River. The Bureau of Reclamation has
the primary management responsibilities
for the Aspinall Unit facilities. Panoramic
mesas, fjord-like reservoirs, and deep,

steep, and narrow canyons abound. Blue
Mesa Reservoir is Colorado's largest
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Salmon fishery in the United States.
Morrow Point Reservoir is the beginning
of the 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.

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 PLANNING PROCESS

The planning process builds upon the
logic established for national parks,
starting with the national park system and
all other applicable laws, regulations, and
policies, The foundation of the plan rests
on three common components-the
vision, the specific objectives, and
management prescriptions.

The vision is a short narrative that
describes the park's desired future

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