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A Survey of the Recreational Resources of the Colorado River Basin
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Recreational Benefits of Reservoirs
Canyon Lands of Southeastern Utah
Conservation of Recreational Resources
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A Survey of the Recreational Resources of the Colorado River Basin
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Chapter VIII:
CANYON LANDS OF SOUTHEASTERN UTAH (continued)
LANDS, OWNERSHIP, LOCATION, AND
AMOUNTS
The major portion of the Canyon Lands of southeastern Utah is unsurveyed public domain, (Pl. 7 in pocket). Private lands are concentrated in the irrigated and coal mining districts around Price, Utah, along the highways in Castle Valley, and at Green River, Moab, Blanding and Monticello. The preponderance of private land, shown on Plate 7 (in pocket), is outside of the circumferential roads previously described. Sections 2, 16, 32, and 36 of the surveyed lands in each township are State school lands. The State has a definite program for the consolidation of State lands through exchange for public domain, but so far as is known there has been no consolidation in this section of the State.
There are four national monuments within the area: Navajo National Monument in the Navajo Indian Reservation, consisting of three detached units totaling 360 gross acres; Natural Bridges National Monument, containing 2,650 gross acres, located near the head of White Canyon about 30 miles west of Blanding, Utah; Capitol Reef National Monument, 36,393 gross acres of rugged colorful scenery located east of Torrey, Utah; and Rainbow Bridge National Monument, 160 gross acres, west of Navajo Mountain, set aside to preserve the famous bridge. Bryce Canyon National Park, with 36,010 gross acres, is within the circumferential roads but at the edge of the high plateaus which form the topographic boundary of the west side of the area. The 34,250 gross acres in Arches National Monument north of Moab are just outside of the road belt. The 109,823 acres in the national park and monuments represent less than 0.9 percent of the total acreage.
The Abajo Mountain-Elk Ridge section of the La Sal National Forest, containing more than two-thirds of the total 516,768 acres (gross) in the forest, lies within the area and the La Sal Mountains section adjoins the area just east of Moab. The Manti, Fish Lake, and Dixie National Forests lie along the west edge.
All of the area south of the San Juan River and east of the Colorado River, about one-fifth of the 20,000 square miles, is part of the western and northern Navajo Indian Reservations.
All of the public domain land is included in grazing districts administered by the Bureau of Land Management.
Certain lands along the Colorado, Green, and San Juan Rivers have been withdrawn for Bureau of Reclamation water control projects. Other small scattered withdrawals have been made in connection with irrigation projects, chiefly in the section around Price, Utah. The large withdrawal on the Colorado River north of the La Sal Mountains is for the proposed Dewey Reservoir which is outside of the area under consideration.
USE OF NATURAL RESOURCES
Water.—Of primary concern to the State and the Nation is the proper utilization of the natural resources of this vast area in southeastern Utah. The Colorado, Green, and San Juan Rivers offer opportunities for great power developments. In the comprehensive plan for the development of the water resources of the Colorado River Basin consideration is given by the Bureau of Reclamation to the possibility of constructing two large hydroelectric dams on the Colorado River; one, either at the Glen Canyon site 4 miles above Lees Ferry, Ariz., or at an alternate site 15 miles above Lees Ferry, and the other at the Dark Canyon site in Cataract Canyon, 3 miles above the mouth of Dark Canyon. These two dams would impound the Colorado River from just above Lees Ferry to Moab, Utah, a distance of 279 miles, and the lower 62 miles of the Green River. Tentative plans for the Glen Canyon site indicate that a dam 414 feet high would create a reservoir which at normal water surface elevation of 3,528 feet would have a surface area of 65,000 acres and a capacity of 8,600,000 acre-feet. The slack water would extend 186 miles up the Colorado to the Dark Canyon Dam site. There conditions are reported favorable for construction of a high dam which would back water to Moab and up the Green River.
The Glen Canyon site would be accessible from United States Highway 89, 131 miles by road north of Flagstaff, Ariz. The Dark Canyon site is at present inaccessible except by boat or horseback. The nearest automobile trail is at North Wash, 18 miles downstream.
There are three power site possibilities in the San Juan River Canyon below Mexican Hat—one in the Goosenecks of the San Juan, one near the mouth of Slickhorn Canyon, and the other in the Great Bend of the river.
The potential dams and reservoirs would eliminate the thrills of boating down the untamed rivers. The depths of the river canyons would be reduced. The deadly rapids of Cataract Canyon, responsible for the tragic ending of several canyon voyages, and the sand bars and the often shallow waters of Glen Canyon, would be gone. But the Glen Canyon Reservoir would provide access to the wonders of the canyons.
The three dams on the San Juan River would have little potential recreational value and, as previously stated, would eliminate the thrills of boating down the twisting canyoned river to the Colorado. This trip has been popular in recent years under the guidance of Norman D. Nevills of Mexican Hat.
If it is eventually determined to be in the best interest of the people of the Nation to construct these large dams, the present wilderness character of the side canyons and the adjoining country can still be preserved, though the mighty rivers responsible for this wilderness will have become mill-ponds. The dams would be lost in the canyons and have little or no effect on the surrounding scenery. On the other hand, the construction camps and roads, and the transmission lines could be objectionable features, destroying the present wilderness character of limited areas if not planned and constructed in the least conspicuous locations. For instance, transmission lines located where they are silhouetted against the sky are considerably more conspicuous than when they have a background.
Other resources.—The area is large enough and varied enough to permit the continued use and development of its resources. The unusual, colorful scenery and spectacular geological features, the canyoned rivers, the wealth of archeological material, and the great open, undeveloped spaces are considered by many people as recreational resources of the highest order which, under proper management, can become major economic assets to the State and Nation. The area is used extensively for grazing cattle and sheep and this use should continue under sustained-yield management. While no extensive mineral resources have yet been discovered and there is little indication that they will be, it remains a potentiality. Oil, magnesium salt, vanadium, soft coal, and some gold have been found. The limited forest areas are important for watershed protection, recreation, and grazing, but unimportant for timber production.
Except in certain limited sections where a single use is essential to obtain the greatest benefits, these resources can be developed and used simultaneously. The need is for each interest to understand, appreciate, and recognize the multiple values of the area. The vast unfenced range with its wandering herds and cowboys and sheepherder camps have a definite appeal to the recreational visitor. The old cow camp may be developed into a camp for vacationists wishing to ride the trails, see the canyons, and visit archeological features. A new development for the accommodation of tourists may double as a headquarters for cowboys and miners. The range will not give full recreational value or the best beef and wool without limiting grazing to a conservative sustained-yield basis, which assures a good ground cover and checks erosion. Roads can be constructed to serve recreational travel and provide access to the range and mines.
Elk Ridge in the La Sal National Forest has been an important summer grazing area but it is showing signs of overuse. As the area becomes better known it is certain to be one of the major recreation centers in the Canyon Lands. It is believed to be a suitable location for lodges, camps, and possibly a landing field serving people visiting Natural Bridges, Arch Canyon, Dark Canyon, Beef Basin, Fable Valley, Gypsum Canyon, and other places of interest in the surrounding canyon lands. Eventually the recreational use of Elk Ridge may be of primary consideration, with grazing a secondary use.
Grays Pasture and Lands End are other sections of major recreational value, where grazing and other uses should be subordinate to that major value. The other centers of recreational importance Navajo Mountain, Rainbow Bridge, Monument Valley, Hole in Rock, Escalante River Canyons, and The Needles—have little value except for recreation.
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| Figure 106.—The Henry Mountains from the road between Hanksville and Hite, Utah. |
Administration.—In the administration of the national forests, the Forest Service recognizes recreation as one of the important uses of forests, along with timber production, grazing, watershed protection, and wildlife production. Areas where public recreation interests are concentrated are dedicated exclusively for recreational use to protect the area and the public.
A function of the Bureau of Land Management is to plan, manage, and execute a broad conservation program for the development, protection, and restoration of the soil, water, and forage resources on the Federal range, and to regulate the grazing therein, so that the dependent livestock industry may be stabilized around a profitable, orderly use of all the resources involved.
The administration of the Federal range involves many of the same problems as the administration of the national forests. For both there are economic and nonvendible values to be considered.
This is the case in the Canyon Lands of southeastern Utah. Much of the land is primarily useful for grazing, yet it has intrinsic recreational values which should be preserved under Bureau of Land Management and Forest Service administration.
In some sections the recreational values are of sufficient importance to equal or exceed the grazing or timber values.
The two areas in the Canyon Lands of Utah outlined on Plate 9 (in pocket) contain the most outstanding scenic and recreational features not included in the Indian reservations. In the administration of the lands within these two areas it is believed that recreation should be the major use, with grazing and other uses secondary. Certain sections of these areas which contain known scenic and scientific features of national significance should be given adequate protection. These sections are shown by cross hatching on the same map. The National Park Service recommends that full public notice be given before determinations are made regarding proposals for establishing any areas for park and recreational purposes so that all interests can be heard and considered.
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Last Modified: Mon, Sep 6 2004 10:00:00 pm PDT
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