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<br />.. <br /> <br />. <br />1199 <br /> <br />River use has more t'lan dou:'led in just two seasons (19()9-197l). i)urillg <br />the. 1972 boatin~ season, over 21,O(),1 c.:J.f!l.';Jer nir,!lts ~lerc distritJut~d amonr. <br />t~c river c.:1i:1pgrounds. !liv2r ca~psitcs have been csta:>lishe:J mainly <br />througil traditional use and are located priiLl.:J.rily by logi:3ticnl, f>c:ograph- <br />ical and esthetic factors. :':ost of them lie on confined river henc'1es. <br />Host of tile estal>lis;lcd campgrowld::i contain fireplaces and tables t aJ.H.l <br />all ilBve pit toilets. Thre~ sites contain hanJ pumps in \Jells \-lith water <br />of inconsistent quality. <br /> <br />Hith few' exceptions, :leavy iluman impact 1s evident in the cstablis:1cd <br />river cam?sites. Topsoil and riveroMks arc eroded and compacted iJy <br />footsteps, 11socialll trails are eviclent, ground cover is 30nc from the <br />central sites and :'ecoming trampled in the periplleries, nnd tile areas <br />are stripped of fire"ood. :!ost ;'oaters cooperate by carrying solid <br />\o/Bste out of t:lC canyons, but some trash is tn.1ried or stre',.m about by <br />thoughtless ca:npcr3. Of greater concern to park man..1gement is the <br />problem of sanitary ',"aste clis?osal along the riv~r. In some. canpsites <br />pit toilets are esthetically disple:lsing due to heavy, constant usage. <br />There is also ti,e possibility of effluent leaching into the rivers. <br />The river canyons :lre hazardous to helicopters, so the alternative of <br />flying s!!lall sanitary vaults in and out is not feasible. \-iastes could <br />be taken out :'y river, but this would not be without risk of accident <br />~,d resultant pollution. Sanitarians have not yet made final recommend- <br />ations for future waste disposal techniques and !!lust reconcile both <br />environ!!lental and wildernes3 standards before doing so. <br /> <br />Camping and picnicking are pleasant and inviting activities during spring, <br />summer and early fall. Visitors are "elcome to picnic in all desigaated <br />areas. Camping is limited to campgrounds. <br /> <br />There are two main campgrounds at Dinosaur :-Jational ~Ionument, Split <br />:Iountain (35 sites) and Green River (100 sites) plus 23 smaller campsites <br />and picnic sites. Nost of these sites have tables, fireplaces, modern <br />comfort stations or pi t toilets, no hookups, and limited fire\'!ood. <br /> <br />The highlight of a visit to the monument is the world-famous display of <br />dinosaur fossils in the quarry visitor center, with 65 percent of total <br />monument visitation witnessed there. <br /> <br />The quarry face is actually the nort:, wall of this unusual visitor center. <br />Visitors can \.l<ltCl1 "in-place" reliefing operations as technicians use jack- <br />hammers, c:lisels, and icepicks to cut a'"ay the hard sMdstone and e>''Pose <br />the fossil bones. rrangcrs explain the origin of the deposit at frequent <br />intervals in SUli1mcr. Visitors can also look through a windO\I into tile <br />preparation lalloratory to see hm.l fossils are clenncd and preserved. In <br />the quarry visitor center are exhibi ts "hich e"'Plain the life mId extinc- <br />tion of the dinosaurs. The quarry is open daily all year. <br /> <br />SFM-9 <br />