ABSTRACT
The Bryce Canyon case is precedent setting in that it marks the first unsuitability petition filed under the provisions of the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977. The 1980 BCNP Visitor Survey was designed to elicit information in three areas: the travel and recreation behavior of visitors to Bryce Canyon National Park (BCNP); their socioeconomic characteristics; and their views about potential changes in the view from Yovimpa Point if surface mining were to take place. The petitioners claimed that mining could damage the aesthetic values and natural system of the park and Dixie National Forest by scarring scenic vistas, reducing visibility, degrading air quality, threatening the geologic formations in BCNP, damaging the area's ecological system, diminishing the area's recreational value, and disrupting essential wildlife habitat. They also argued that mining in the petition area would damage the hydrology of arid lands and injure crop and pastureland by excessive withdrawal of groundwater.
