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<br />, <br />I, "'. "'., .~ ~,' ',"" <br />I:I.'~'\)II U y ... ~ <br /> <br />BlM is mandated by Congress to protect the wilderness character of the gorge until <br />Congress decides whether or not to officially designate the area as wilderness. Oil and <br />gas development is restricted. In addition, approximately 74 percent of the area is <br />withdrawn from mineral entry. General off-road-vehicle use and major utilities <br />development are also restricted. <br /> <br />175 acres referred to as the Gunnison Forks Wildlife Management Area in T14s R93w <br />Sect. 31 were purchased by the Bureau of Reclamation for public recreation purposes to <br />mitigate the loss of fish and wildlife habitat at the Blue Mesa reservoir, which is located <br />upstream within Curecanti National Recreation Area. This land was conveyed to the BlM <br />for management with assurances of unrestricted public access, fishery use, and intensive <br />habitat management for wildlife. A memorandum of agreement dated March 1979 is in <br />place between the Bureau of Reclamation and the BlM outlining the conditions for <br />managing this property which lies at the confluence of the Gunnison and North Fork <br />Rivers. <br /> <br />Most of the private lands adjacent to the GGRA are used as farm or ranch land. Where <br />water is available to irrigate, the land is used to raise crops, small grains, or hay, or as <br />irrigated pasture, Where water is not available for irrigation, the land is devoted to <br />rangeland grazing. There are no major developments adjacent to the study area except <br />for the occasional farm building or residence. At the southwest end, the study area joins <br />federally owned land presently managed by the BlM. <br /> <br />7 <br />