PUBLIC LAW 109–118—DEC. 1, 2005 119 STAT. 2527

Public Law 109–118

109th Congress

An Act

To designate certain National Forest System land in the Commonwealth of Puerto

Rico as a component of the National Wilderness Preservation System.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of

the United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Caribbean National Forest Act

of 2005’’.

SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.

In this Act:

(1) MAP.—The term ‘‘map’’ means the map dated April

13, 2004, and entitled ‘‘El Toro Proposed Wilderness Area’’.

(2) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means the Secretary

of Agriculture.

SEC. 3. WILDERNESS DESIGNATION, CARIBBEAN NATIONAL FOREST,

PUERTO RICO.

(a) EL TORO WILDERNESS.—

(1) IN GENERAL.—In furtherance of the purposes of the

Wilderness Act (16 U.S.C. 1131 et seq.), the approximately

10,000 acres of land in the Caribbean National Forest/Luquillo

Experimental Forest in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico as

generally depicted on the map are designated as wilderness

and as a component of the National Wilderness Preservation

System.

(2) DESIGNATION.—The land designated in paragraph (1)

shall be known as the El Toro Wilderness.

(3) WILDERNESS BOUNDARIES.—The El Toro Wilderness

shall consist of the land generally depicted on the map.

(b) MAP AND BOUNDARY DESCRIPTION.—

(1) IN GENERAL.—As soon as practicable after the date

of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall—

(A) prepare a boundary description of the El Toro

Wilderness; and

(B) submit the map and the boundary description to

the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources of the

Senate and the Committee on Resources of the House of

Representatives.

(2) PUBLIC INSPECTION AND TREATMENT.—The map and

the boundary description prepared under paragraph (1)(A)—

(A) shall be on file and available for public inspection

in the office of the Chief of the Forest Service; and

16 USC 1132

note.

Caribbean

National Forest

Act of 2005.

Dec. 1, 2005

[H.R. 539]

119 STAT. 2528 PUBLIC LAW 109–118—DEC. 1, 2005

LEGISLATIVE HISTORY—H.R. 539 (S. 272):

HOUSE REPORTS: No. 109–126 (Comm. on Resources).

SENATE REPORTS: Nos. 109–34 accompanying S. 272 and 109–155 (both from

Comm. on Energy and Natural Resources).

CONGRESSIONAL RECORD, Vol. 151 (2005):

Sept. 13, considered and passed House.

Nov. 16, considered and passed Senate.

Æ

(B) shall have the same force and effect as if included

in this Act.

(3) ERRORS.—The Secretary may correct clerical and typographical errors in the map and the boundary description prepared under paragraph (1)(A).

(c) ADMINISTRATION.— (1) IN GENERAL.—Subject to valid existing rights, the Secretary shall administer the El Toro Wilderness in accordance

with the Wilderness Act (16 U.S.C. 1131 et seq.) and this

Act.

(2) EFFECTIVE DATE OF WILDERNESS ACT.—With respect

to the El Toro Wilderness, any reference in the Wilderness

Act (16 U.S.C. 1131 et seq.) to the effective date of that Act

shall be deemed to be a reference to the date of the enactment

of this Act.

(d) SPECIAL MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS.—Consistent with

the Wilderness Act (16 U.S.C. 1131 et seq.), nothing in this Act

precludes the installation and maintenance of hydrologic, meteorological, climatological, or atmospheric data collection and remote

transmission facilities, or any combination of those facilities, in

any case in which the Secretary determines that the facilities

are essential to the scientific research purposes of the Luquillo

Experimental Forest.

Approved December 1, 2005.