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<br />\,:; <br /> <br />Rivers System, would be managed to protect such values regardless of congressional <br />action to formally designate the area as wilderness or as part of the Wild and Scenic <br />Rivers System and would be under NPS administration. This alternative would place the <br />entire 26 miles of the wild and scenic river under the management of one Federal Agency, <br />the National Park Service. <br /> <br />Land Tenure. Under NPS administration, the private lands included in the alternative <br />could be acquired through donation, exchange, or purchase. The NPS would place a <br />high priority on acquiring private lands within the boundary where on-going or proposed <br />use would pose a threat to park resources or visitor use and enjoyment. Those of high <br />priority would include lands that block or make visitor access unreasonably difficult or <br />those which, if developed, would create dominant, negative visual impacts that would <br />detract from the visitors' experience and the natural setting. In cases where scenic or <br />access easements would be adequate, such options would be considered. The Federal <br />Government would also be required to make just and fair compensation for all lands <br />acquired. The NPS is committed to overseeing efforts to insure long-term protection of <br />the resources as well as considering the interest of individual landowners within and <br />adjacent to NPS administered lands. Acquisition of the private lands involved under this <br />alternative would also have a very slight impact on the county tax base. <br /> <br />Cultural. The paleontological and archeological resources will be protected, preserved <br />and developed for public enjoyment, interpretation, and scientific research in accordance <br />with park management objectives and approved resource management plans. Research <br />by the academic community will be encouraged and facilitated under the terms of a <br />research permit, providing it meets certain requirements as identified in the NPS <br />Management Policies. <br /> <br />Grazing. Alternative 1 would include portions of grazing allotment numbers 4017, 5001, <br />5002, 5007, 5008, 5017, 5020, 5022, and 5023. These allotments represent a total of <br />6,413 animal unit months (AUMs). Should Alternative 1 be implemented and grazing <br />ultimately phased out, such actions would reduce the total acreage of public land <br />represented in the above allotments (96,235) by 17,685 acres. This would reduce Federal <br />revenues by $973.00 The value of such AUMs to ranchers would be $15,660. Refer to <br />Appendix D. <br /> <br />Wildlife. A majority of the area included in this alternative contains winter habitat for elk, <br />mule deer, and bald eagles. A portion of the area, approximately 10-15 percent, <br />represents "critical winter range" for mule deer. Cessation of hunting for this species may <br />reduce the ability to control wildlife numbers, resulting in damage to adjacent private <br />lands, The Colorado Division of Wildlife is currently responsible for reimbursing <br />landowners for such damage and for controlling length of seasons and bag limits that <br />have a great effect on game numbers and associated impacts. <br /> <br />Emphasis would be placed on minimizing human impacts on natural population dynamics <br />within the area. <br /> <br />Sixty bighorn sheep were introduced into the area with plans to place 20 additional sheep <br /> <br />22 <br />