WSP00531

• File Number: 8200.766
• Description: Gunnison River General
• State: CO
• Basin: Gunnison
• Water Division: 4
• Date: 8/1/1987
• Author: BLM
• Title: Gunnison Basin and the American Flats-Silverton Wilderness - Final Environmental Impact Statement
• Water Supply Pro - Doc Type: Report/Study

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CHAPTER 2

ALTERNATIVES INCLUDING THE PROPOSED ACTION

This EIS deals with five different
wilderness study areas and examines from
three to five alternatives for each. With
the exception of the No Wilderness
(No-Action) Alternative for each WSA, all
a1 ternathes propose recommendi ng to
Congress some lands as additions to the
National Wilderness Preservation System.
If designated. Bill Hare Gulch. Larson
Creek, and American Flats would become part
of the adjacent Big Blue Wilderness Area.
Redc10ud Peak and Handies Peak would become
separate wilderness areas (see Map 1-2).

If designated by Congress, these additions
to the National Wilderness Preservation
System would be managed according to
provisions of the 1964 Wilderness Act, the
1976 Federal Land Policy and Management
Act, and BLM's Final Wilderness Management
Pol icy of September 24, 1981. These Acts
and management policy direct the
administering agency to be respcnsib1e for
preservi ng the wil derness character of the
area. Secti on 4 of the 1964 Wil derness
Act, which deals with use in wilderness
areas, states that they shall be devoted to
the public purposes of recreation, scenic,
scientific, educational, conservation, and
historical use.

ALTERNATIVES CONSIDERED

Since the pattern of future actions within
the WSAs cannot be predicted with
certainty, assumptions were made to allow
the analysis of impacts under the various
alternatives. These assumptions are the
basis for impacts identified in this EIS.
They are not to be considered as management
plans or proposals, but rather as
representi ng feasi b1 e patterns of
activities which could occur under the
alternatives considered.

Discussions of future management actions
are restricted to mineral development and

recreation. Management actions related to
these two acti vities wou1 d change with the
various a lternati ves. Although management
directions exist for activities such as
wildlife. fisheries, range and fire, as
described below, these are not expected to
change from one alternative to the next.

Wildlife management direction within the
Gunni son Basi n and American Fl ats Pl anni ng
Unit calls for the allocation of sufficient
forage for elk, deer and bighorn sheep.
Since winter range is the constraining
factor for these populati ons, assuri ng
adequate forage is not a problem.
Consequently, no special management actions
that would be affected by wilderness
designation are proposed. Similarily no
projects or specific management actions are
proposed for the fisheries resource that
would be affected by wilderness designation.

Management of the range resources is
di rected toward optimi zi ng 11 vestock forage
production on a sustained basis while
improving the range condition and trend.
Grazing in this area is restricted almost
totally to sheep. As such no project
developments are requi red and as a result
range management direction would not be
affected by wilderness designation.

Given the primiti ve nature of the resource
in these WSAs fire management techniques
are restricted to those that will minimize
di sturbance of the natural envi ronment.
These wou1 d not be expected to change
significantly with designation.

With the exception of the Red Mountain
alunite deposit, few site specific mineral
evaluations have been conducted in any of
the WSAs. The projected mineral
developments identified in each of the
a 1 ternati ves are for the purposes of
analysis only. These predictions are based

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