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NATIONAL PARK SERVICE REPORT There appears to be no reason to believe that the exteni ed pro,ieat: operation of the reservoir will affect items or areas of archeological interest or importance. However, it is recognized that the pro,iect area, especially from the vicinity of Bayfield south along the Pine River to the confluence with the San Juan involves important sections of a Colorado-New Mexico area which is rich in archeological sites, notably for pit house types and early pueblo sites, according to National Park Service Archeologist Jesse Nusbaum. Dr. Frank H. H. Roberts, Jr., Associate Chief, Bureau of American Ethnology, Smithsonian Institution, surveyed this valley archeologically ani is familiar with the archeological significanc~ of this area. Mr. Frank B. Morse, a local resident, among others, has excavated sites in the Valley, and has contributed important artifacts therefrom to the museum at Mesa Verde National Park. The Vallecito Reservoir, most significant reQreational feature of the Pine River Project, lies wholly within the San Juan National Forest. In accordance with the current agreement between the U. S. Forest Service and the Bureau of Reclamation the former service will administer lands which are not used in connection with reclamation works, including recrea- tional developments. On this basis the Forest Service will be primarily responsible for coordinating and developing public recreational features for the reservoir area. Except for the former construction camp, now concessioner operated, resorts and recreational facilities have been made available to the public almost exclusively by private enterprise. It is no longer 'melieved that it wou::Ld be feasible to arrange complete public control of the area by extensive purchase of the private, National Forest "inholdings" which occur near the reservoir. In the circumstances the services being rendered to the public by private operators should be recognized, and it is recommended that con- sideration be given to the provision of suitable public developments and facilities which will advantageously supplement those now available to the public, rather than be unnecessarily competitive with them. It is also recommended that an effort be made to encourage private cabin and resort owners and operators to form an association which can effectively coordinate and direct private developments and general resort policies in a manner that will operate in the common interest and which will redound to the economic advantage of the general area and increase it s recreational appeal and the economic stability of individual ent erpris e. Under the administrative superv~s~on of the Forest Service it should be possible to evolve a land utilization program for the Vallecito Reser- voir from which the greatest benefits, including, importantly, those attributable to recreational use, can be realized in the public intGrest. 3 " f ~~ ~~ ., ~ r.~ l: :> S,' < i:A ~, i.' ~~ . I' ;~~ :f-' ;':-" 0, r ~! ~.. ::<' f.,