19–010 

Calendar No. 270 

112TH CONGRESS REPORT " ! SENATE 2d Session 112–108 

ALPINE LAKES WILDERNESS ADDITIONS AND PRATT AND 

MIDDLE FORK SNOQUALMIE RIVERS PROTECTION ACT 

JANUARY 13, 2012.—Ordered to be printed 

Filed, under authority of the order of the Senate of December 17, 2011 

Mr. BINGAMAN, from the Committee on Energy and Natural 

Resources, submitted the following 

R E P O R T 

[To accompany S. 322] 

The Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, to which was 

referred the bill (S. 322) to expand the Alpine Lakes Wilderness in 

the State of Washington, to designate the Middle Fork Snoqualmie 

River and Pratt River as wild and scenic rivers, and for other purposes, having considered the same, reports favorably thereon without amendment and recommends that the bill do pass. 

PURPOSE

The purpose of S. 322 is to designate certain Federal land in the 

Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest in the State of Washington as wilderness and to designate a segment of the Middle 

Fork Snoqualmie River and the entire length of the Pratt River as 

components of the Wild and Scenic Rivers System. 

BACKGROUND AND NEED

In 1976, Congress enacted the Alpine Lakes Area Management 

Act (Public Law 94–357), which established the Alpine Lakes Wilderness. S. 322 would add approximately 22,173 acres to the approximately 390,000-acre Alpine Lakes Wilderness, providing protection for low-elevation forests. Unlike the higher-elevation lands 

currently in the Alpine Lakes Wilderness, these lower-elevation 

lands are snow-free much of the year, providing important wildlife 

habitat when the high country is covered in snow. The valleys inVerDate Mar 15 2010 05:41 Jan 14, 2012 Jkt 019010 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6659 Sfmt 6602 E:\HR\OC\SR108.XXX SR108

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cluded in the proposed additions are home to deer and elk populations, as well as cougars and bears. 

Located a short distance from Seattle, the Alpine Lakes Wilderness is among the most visited wilderness areas in the Nation, 

with over 100,000 visits annually. The area is a popular destination for hiking, camping, horseback riding, wildlife viewing, river 

rafting, and other recreational activities. 

S. 322 also would designate two rivers as components of the Wild 

and Scenic Rivers System. In 1990, the Forest Service recommended both the Middle Fork Snoqualmie River and the Pratt 

River for designation under the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act, noting 

their outstanding recreational, fisheries, wildlife, geological, and ecological values. 

LEGISLATIVE HISTORY

S. 322 was introduced by Senators Murray and Cantwell on February 10, 2011. The Subcommittee on Public Lands and Forests 

held a hearing on the bill on May 18, 2011 (S. Hrg. 112–39). At 

its business meeting on November 10, 2011, the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources ordered S. 322 favorably reported 

without amendment. The Committee reported an identical bill (S. 

721, as amended) by voice vote in the 111th Congress. 

COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION

The Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, in open business session on November 10, 2011, by a voice vote of a quorum 

present, recommends that the Senate pass S. 322. Senators Lee 

and Paul asked to be recorded as opposing the measure. 

SECTION-BY-SECTION ANALYSIS

Section 1 provides the short title for the bill. 

Section 2 designates approximately 22,173 acres of Federal land 

in the Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest in Washington as 

additions to the Alpine Lakes Wilderness. The boundaries of the 

wilderness additions are generally depicted on the referenced map, 

including a 200-foot set-back from the National Forest boundary 

adjacent to the Goldmyer Hot Springs property. The boundary of 

the wilderness also is set-back to provide greater flexibility in managing the Middle Fork Snoqualmie River Trail, which runs parallel 

to the wilderness outside its boundary, as was suggested by the Department of Agriculture. 

Subsection (b) provides for the management of the wilderness additions in accordance with the Wilderness Act and directs the Secretary of Agriculture to prepare and file official maps and legal descriptions of the wilderness additions. 

Subsection (c) provides that any land or interests in land that 

are acquired within the boundary of the wilderness additions shall 

become part of the Alpine Lakes Wilderness. 

Section 3 amends the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act to designate a 

27.4-mile segment of the Middle Fork Snoqualmie River and the 

entirety of the Pratt River as additions to the Wild and Scenic Rivers System. This section would designate the Pratt River and 6.4 

miles of the Middle Fork Snoqualmie River as ‘‘wild’’ and would 

designate the remainder of the Pratt River as ‘‘scenic.’’ 


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The Committee is aware of the Forest Service’s current plans to 

improve the Middle Fork Snoqualmie River Road, a portion of 

which runs along the segment of the Middle Fork Snoqualmie 

River that would be designated as a component of the Wild and 

Scenic Rivers System by section 3 of the bill. The Forest Service 

has managed the river corridor to protect its wild and scenic values 

under the applicable forest plan since 1990, so the designation of 

the corridor under the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act should not substantively impact the planned improvements to the road or the 

agency’s ability to maintain access to campgrounds and private 

property in accordance with applicable law. 

COST AND BUDGETARY CONSIDERATIONS

The following estimate of costs of this measure has been provided 

by the Congressional Budget Office: 

S. 322—Alpine Lakes Wilderness Additions and Pratt and Middle 

Fork Snoqualmie Rivers Protection Act 

S. 322 would add more than 22,000 acres of public land in the 

state of Washington to the Alpine Lakes Wilderness. The bill also 

would designate about 27 miles of waterways in the area as wild 

or scenic rivers. Based on information provided by the Forest Service, which administers most of the affected land, CBO estimates 

that implementing S. 322 would have no significant impact on the 

federal budget. Enacting the legislation would not affect revenues 

or direct spending; therefore, pay-as-you-go procedures do not 

apply. 

The acreage and waterways to be added by the legislation to the 

National Wilderness Preservation System and the Wild and Scenic 

Rivers System are currently administered by the Forest Service or 

owned by the state. CBO estimates that minimal additional resources would be required to manage the affected areas as a result 

of the new designations. We expect that any costs to revise brochures, maps, and signs would not be significant because most such 

revisions would take place in conjunction with scheduled reprinting 

and routine maintenance. 

Finally, we estimate that enacting the legislation would have no 

effect on offsetting receipts because the affected lands, which are 

already managed for conservation purposes, currently generate no 

receipts, and CBO expects that they would not generate receipts 

over the next 10 years. 

S. 322 contains no intergovernmental or private-sector mandates 

as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act and would impose no costs on state, local, or tribal governments. 

The CBO staff contact for this estimate is Jeff LaFave. The estimate was approved by Theresa Gullo, Deputy Assistant Director 

for Budget Analysis. 

REGULATORY IMPACT EVALUATION

In compliance with paragraph 11(b) of rule XXVI of the Standing 

Rules of the Senate, the Committee makes the following evaluation 

of the regulatory impact which would be incurred in carrying out 

S. 322. 


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The bill is not a regulatory measure in the sense of imposing 

Government-established standards or significant economic responsibilities on private individuals and businesses. 

No personal information would be collected in administering the 

program. Therefore, there would be no impact on personal privacy. 

Little, if any, additional paperwork would result from the enactment of S. 322, as ordered reported. 

CONGRESSIONALLY DIRECTED SPENDING

S. 322, as reported, does not contain any congressionally directed 

spending items, limited tax benefits, or limited tariff benefits as defined in rule XLIV of the Standing Rules of the Senate. 

EXECUTIVE COMMUNICATIONS

The views of the Administration were included in testimony received by the Committee at the May 18, 2011 hearing (S. Hrg. 112– 

39), which is provided below. 

STATEMENT OF MARY WAGNER, ASSOCIATE CHIEF, FOREST

SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Mr. Chairman and members of the Subcommittee, I am 

Mary Wagner, Associate Chief of the Forest Service. 

Thank you for the opportunity to provide the views of the 

Department of Agriculture on S. 322, the Alpine Lakes 

Wilderness Additions and Pratt and Middle Fork 

Snoqualmie Rivers Protection Act. 

This legislation would designate approximately 22,173 

acres as a component of the National Wilderness System 

and approximately 37 miles of river as components the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System on the Mt. BakerSnoqualmie National Forest in the State of Washington. 

The Department supports this legislation in concept and 

we would like to work with the Committee to address some 

technical issues as outlined below. 

We would also like the Committee to be aware that although we have completed suitability studies for the wild 

and scenic rivers, we have not completed a wilderness 

evaluation of the area to be designated under this bill. The 

area that would be designated wilderness is currently 

managed in an undeveloped manner as late Successional 

Reserve under the Northwest Forest Plan. A wilderness 

designation would be compatible in this area. We thank 

the delegation for its collaborative approach and local involvement that have contributed to this bill. 

The proposed additions to the Alpine Lakes Wilderness 

lie in the valleys of the Pratt River, the Middle and South 

Forks of the Snoqualmie River. The existing 394,000 acre 

Alpine Lakes Wilderness is one of the jewels of our wilderness system, encompassing rugged ice carved peaks, over 

700 lakes, and tumbling rivers. The lower valleys include 

stands of old growth forest next to winding rivers with native fish populations. The area is located within minutes of 

the Seattle metro area. Trails accessing the area are 

among the most heavily used in the Northwest as they 


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lead to some exceptionally accessible and beautiful destinations. The proposed additions to the Alpine Lakes Wilderness would expand this area to include the entire heavily forested Pratt River valley and trail approaches to 

lakes in the wilderness area in the Interstate 90 corridor. 

These lands have not been analyzed as part of the forest 

plan to determine their suitability to be designated wilderness. However, the Forest Service would support their designation with a few technical adjustments. 

We would like to work with the subcommittee to address 

some technical aspects of the bill. These include: 

• The entire Pratt River Trail #1035 is included within 

the boundary of the proposed wilderness. The first mile of 

this trail currently is used by large numbers of people and 

groups. The trail, which would be a primary access corridor for the newly designated wilderness, is currently undergoing reconstruction by contract and volunteer crews. 

The Department suggests that the wilderness boundary be 

drawn to exclude approximately three miles of this trail so 

that wilderness use limitations relating to solitude do not 

factor into future management concerns that may limit 

public access to this area. This change would not alter the 

wilderness proposal significantly, but would allow the current recreation opportunities for high-use and large groups 

along this stretch of the Middle Fork Snoqualmie to continue. This adjustment also would reduce operation and 

maintenance costs along this segment of the Pratt River 

Trail as it would ease any future reconstruction efforts and 

allow for motorized equipment to be used in its maintenance. 

• The northwestern boundary of the wilderness proposal 

includes two segments of Washington State Department of 

Natural Resources lands totaling about 300 acres. We recommend that the boundary of the proposed wilderness be 

adjusted so that only National Forest System lands are included, as the legislation does not include authority for 

these lands to be acquired from the State of Washington. 

• In T.23 N, R.10 E, Section 24, there are two Forest 

Development Roads proposed for decommissioning. It is 

likely that the decommissioning project will require the 

use of motorized equipment to help restore the wilderness 

setting. We anticipate analyzing the use of motorized 

equipment under the Forest Service’s minimum requirements analysis process. 

S. 322 also would designate two rivers as additions to 

the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System: approximately 9.5 miles of the Pratt River from its headwaters to 

its confluence with the Middle Fork Snoqualmie River; and 

approximately 27.4 miles of the Middle Fork Snoqualmie 

River from its headwaters to within 1⁄2 mile of the Mt. 

Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest boundary. Each river 

was studied in the Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest 

Plan and determined to be a suitable addition to the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System. 


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The Pratt River has outstandingly remarkable recreation, fisheries, wildlife and ecological values. The corridor 

provides important hiking and fishing opportunities in an 

undeveloped setting. The river supports resident cutthroat 

trout and its corridor contains extensive deer and mountain goat winter range and excellent riparian habitat. Its 

corridor retains a diverse riparian forest, including remnant stands of low-elevation old-growth. 

The Middle Fork Snoqualmie River also has outstandingly remarkable recreation, wildlife and fisheries values. 

The river is within an easy driving distance from Seattle 

and attracts many visitors. It provides important whitewater boating, fishing, hiking and dispersed recreation opportunities. The river corridor contains extensive deer winter range and excellent riparian habitat for numerous 

wildlife species. This is the premier recreational inlandfishing location on the National Forest due to its highquality resident cutthroat and rainbow trout populations. 

Adding these rivers to the National Wild and Scenic Rivers 

System will protect their free-flowing condition, water 

quality and outstandingly remarkable values. Designation 

also promotes partnerships among landowners, river users, 

tribal nations and all levels of government to provide for 

their stewardship. We therefore support the designation of 

these rivers into the National Wild and Scenic River System. 

The Department has one concern with the wild and scenic river designations relating to the management of the 

Middle Fork Snoqualmie River Road. We are currently in 

the process of improving this road and feel that this work 

is needed to protect the wild and scenic values associated 

with this river while improving visitor safety and watershed health. Approximately 20 years ago, the U.S. Forest 

Service submitted the Middle Fork Road to the Federal 

Highway Administration for reconstruction via their enhancement program. The project has been approved, design work is approximately 30% complete, and construction is planned for 2013 or 2014. The Federal Highway Administration has already expended approximately $3.2 million to date on the project. We would like to work with the 

committee to ensure timely completion of the project and 

assure long-term maintenance of the road. 

This concludes my prepared statement and I would be 

pleased to answer any questions you may have. 

CHANGES IN EXISTING LAW

In compliance with paragraph 12 of rule XXVI of the Standing 

Rules of the Senate, changes in existing law made by the bill S. 

322, as ordered reported, are shown as follows (existing law proposed to be omitted is enclosed in black brackets, new matter is 

printed in italic, existing law in which no change is proposed is 

shown in roman): 


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WILD AND SCENIC RIVERS ACT 

(Public Law 90–542; Approved October 2, 1968) 

(16 U.S.C. 1271 et seq.) 

AN ACT To provide a National Wild and Scenic Rivers System, and for other 

purposes. 

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 

United States of America in Congress assembled, That (a) this Act 

be cited as the ‘‘Wild and Scenic Rivers Act’’. 

* * * * * * * 

SEC. 3(a) The following rivers and the land adjacent thereto are 

hereby designated as components of the national wild and scenic 

rivers system: 

* * * * * * * 

(208) MIDDLE FORK SNOQUALMIE, WASHINGTON.—The 27.4- 

mile segment from the headwaters of the Middle Fork 

Snoqualmie River near La Bohn Gap in NE 1/4 sec. 20, T. 24 

N., R. 13 E., to the northern boundary of sec. 11, T. 23 N., R. 

9 E., to be administered by the Secretary of Agriculture in the 

following classifications: 

(A) The approximately 6.4-mile segment from the headwaters of the Middle Fork Snoqualmie River near La Bohn 

Gap in NE 1/4 sec. 20, T. 24 N., R. 13 E., to the west section line of sec. 3, T. 23 N., R. 12 E., as a wild river. 

(B) The approximately 21-mile segment from the west section line of sec. 3, T. 23 N., R. 12 E., to the northern boundary of sec. 11, T. 23 N., R. 9 E., as a scenic river. 

(209) PRATT RIVER, WASHINGTON.—The entirety of the Pratt 

River in the State of Washington, located in the Mount BakerSnoqualmie National Forest, to be administered by the Secretary of Agriculture as a wild river. 

* * * * * * * 

Æ 


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