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<br />" <br /> <br />~ <br /> <br />12.10' <br /> <br />elk, mountain lion, mountain sheep, and other small mammals; many species <br />of birds and fish also inhabit the monument. Feral horses inhabit the <br />Zenobia Basin and Douglas Mountain area, which is cut off from the remainder <br />of the monument by the Green and Yampa Canyons. <br /> <br />Geological resources of the area include perhaps the world's most remarkable <br />dinosaurian outcropping and attendant exhibits at the quarry. Today, over <br />six decades after discovery of the dinosaur remains, the process of uncovering <br />the remaining deposit continues, presenting an interesting demonstration of the <br />techniques of paleontology. These remains lie in the unique plateau and <br />canyon terrain that displays a geologic timetable from the Tertiary Period <br />(2 to 15 million years ago) back to the Precambrian (600 million years ago <br />and beyond). The geological story is a unique one of deposition, movement, <br />and erosion. It may be readily studied by geologists the world over. <br /> <br />The archeological values of the area are of national significance. Mantle <br />Cave near the Mantle Ranch on the Yampa is an outstanding example of the <br />Fremont Culture (400 to 800 A.D.). People of eve~ greater antiquity are known <br />to have lived in Hells Canyon, perhaps as early as 6,000 B.C. Known sites <br />relating to the Fremont people and the Shoshone Indians who occupied an area <br />to the north and the Ute Indians who occupied an area to the south, occur <br />in numerous locations on the monument. <br /> <br />The first Europeans to visit the monument area were Fathers Dominquez and <br />Escalante in 1776, followed by William Ashley and his trappers in 1825, <br />Antoine Robidoux in 1832, Mormon settlers in 1861, cattlemen, outLaws such <br />as the "Wild Bunch" and Butch Cassidy, Major John Wesley Powell's explora- <br />tions of the Green and Colorado Rivers in 1869 and 1871, and Professor Earl <br />O. Douglas of the Carnegie Museum who discovered the dinosaur-fossil <br />outcrop in 1909. <br /> <br />The rivers are a popular recreational resource 'for float trips through <br />rapids within scenic canyons. The Green and Yampa Rivers are currently <br />being studied for inclusion within the Wild and Scenic River System <br />designations. The Yampa is at present the only remaining unmodified <br />tributary of the entire Colorado River System. <br /> <br />Recreational uses of Dinosaur National Monument are basically sightseeing <br />by automobile, shuttle-bus tours, river running, or simple nature walks or <br />horseback tours. The monument is currently involved in a comprehensive <br />River Management Plan development and is attempting to further develop <br />backcountry uses to entice more use of the backcountry portion of the <br />monument without detriment to the environment or wilderness recommendation <br />currently before Congress. <br /> <br />SFM-2 <br />