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<br />A. ~I (i"'~ ~~ r) <br /> <br />INTRODUCTION <br /> <br />PURPOSE OF STUDY <br /> <br />The NPS, in accordance with report language from the Interior Appropriations Act (Pl <br />100-445, 102 Stat. 1174) approved on September 27, 1988, and supporting Congressional <br />Record, was directed to conduct a study of lands adjacent to Black Canyon of the <br />Gunnison National Monument. Refer to Figure 1 for the location of the general area <br />studied. The primary purpose of the study was to (1) assess the subject area to <br />determine if it included significant natural, cultural, and recreational resources related to <br />the purpose of the monument, (2) determine if the study area or portion thereof would fill <br />a management or administrative need for resource protection and public use in relation <br />to the existing monument, (3) evaluate existing and other alternatives for managing the <br />resources determined to be significant, and (4) determine if BlCA would qualify for <br />national park status were any or all of the study area added to the existing monument. <br /> <br />COMPLIANCE <br /> <br />This study has been determined to be among those actions designated as categorical <br />exclusions, exempt from the requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act; <br />therefore, a formal environmental assessment of the study of alternatives will not be <br />required. This decision is based on the guidelines contained in 516 OM 6 Appendix 7.4 <br />B(10), which covers the .Preparation of internal reports, plans, studies, and other <br />documents containing recommendations for action, which NPS develops preliminary to <br />the process of preparing a specific service proposal or set of alternatives for decision.. <br /> <br />STUDY AREA AND ZONE OF INFLUENCE <br /> <br />As referenced in Figure 1, the area evaluated is located in southwestern Colorado on the <br />west slope of the Rockies in the counties of Montrose and Delta. The nearest towns are <br />Montrose, Delta, Olathe, Hotchkiss, Crawford, and Paonia, Colorado. The area evaluated <br />is located in the Third Congressional District. <br /> <br />The primary area of concern, as indicated in the House Report language, is an area <br />referred to as the lower Gunnison Gorge, which is situated between the west boundary <br />of BlCA and the confluence of the North Fork and the Gunnison Rivers. However, since <br />BlM identified the lower gorge as a part of the GGRA in their management plans, it was <br />logical to expand the study to include the larger area in the evaluation of alternatives. <br /> <br />Within a day's drive are four major metropolitan areas: (1) the Colorado Front Range, <br />including Fort Collins, Denver, Colorado Springs, and Pueblo; (2) the Wasatch Front in <br />Utah, including Salt lake City, Provo and Ogden; (3) the Grand Junction/Grand Valley <br />area; and (4) the Santa Fe/Albuquerque area of New Mexico. The total population for <br />these areas exceeds four million (Refer to Figure 2). <br /> <br />3 <br /> <br />\' <br />