89–010 

Calendar No. 282 

111TH CONGRESS REPORT " ! SENATE 2d Session 111–132 

ALPINE LAKES WILDERNESS ADDITIONS AND PRATT AND 

MIDDLE FORK SNOQUALMIE RIVERS PROTECTION ACT 

MARCH 2, 2010.—Ordered to be printed 

Mr. BINGAMAN, from the Committee on Energy and Natural 

Resources, submitted the following 

R E P O R T 

[To accompany S. 721] 

The Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, to which was 

referred the bill (S. 721) 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 with 

amendment and recommends that the bill, as amended, do pass. 

The amendment is as follows: 

Strike all after the enacting clause and insert the following: 

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Alpine Lakes Wilderness Additions and Pratt and 

Middle Fork Snoqualmie Rivers Protection Act’’. 

SEC. 2. EXPANSION OF ALPINE LAKES WILDERNESS. 

(a) IN GENERAL.—There is designated as wilderness and as a component of the 

National Wilderness Preservation System certain Federal land in the Mount BakerSnoqualmie National Forest in the State of Washington comprising approximately 

22,173 acres that is within the Proposed Alpine Lakes Wilderness Additions Boundary, as generally depicted on the map entitled ‘‘Proposed Alpine Lakes Wilderness 

Additions’’ and dated December 3, 2009, which is incorporated in and shall be considered to be a part of the Alpine Lakes Wilderness. 

(b) ADMINISTRATION.— (1) MANAGEMENT.—Subject to valid existing rights, the land designated as 

wilderness by subsection (a) shall be administered by the Secretary of Agriculture (referred to in this section as the ‘‘Secretary’’), in accordance with the 

Wilderness Act (16 U.S.C. 1131 et seq.), except that any reference in that Act 

to the effective date of that Act shall be considered to be a reference to the date 

of enactment of this Act. 

(2) MAP AND DESCRIPTION.— 

(A) IN GENERAL.—As soon as practicable after the date of enactment of 

this Act, the Secretary shall file a map and a legal description of the land 

designated as wilderness by subsection (a) with— 


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(i) the Committee on Natural Resources of the House of Representatives; and 

(ii) the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources of the Senate. 

(B) FORCE OF LAW.—A map and legal description filed under subparagraph (A) shall have the same force and effect as if included in this Act, 

except that the Secretary may correct minor errors in the map and legal 

description. 

(C) PUBLIC AVAILABILITY.—The map and legal description filed under subparagraph (A) shall be filed and made available for public inspection in the 

appropriate office of the Forest Service. 

(c) INCORPORATION OF ACQUIRED LAND AND INTERESTS IN LAND.—Any land or interests in land within the Proposed Alpine Lakes Wilderness Additions Boundary, 

as generally depicted on the map entitled ‘‘Proposed Alpine Lakes Wilderness Additions’’ and dated December 3, 2009, that is acquired by the United States shall— 

(1) become part of the wilderness area; and 

(2) be managed in accordance with subsection (b)(1). 

SEC. 3. WILD AND SCENIC RIVER DESIGNATIONS. 

Section 3(a) of the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act (16 U.S.C. 1274(a)) is amended by 

adding at the end the following: 

‘‘(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 Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest, 

to be administered by the Secretary of Agriculture as a wild river.’’. 

PURPOSE

The purpose of S. 721 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 River 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. 721 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 included in the proposed addition 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. 721 also would designate two rivers as components of the Wild 

and Scenic River System. In 1990, the Forest Service recommended 

both the Middle Fork Snoqualmie River and the Pratt River for 


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designation under the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act, noting their outstanding recreational, fisheries, wildlife, geological, and ecological 

values. 

LEGISLATIVE HISTORY

S. 721 was introduced by Senators Murray and Cantwell on 

March 26, 2009. The Subcommittee on Public Lands and Forests 

held a hearing on the bill on October 29, 2009. At its business 

meeting on December 16, 2009, the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources ordered S. 721 favorably reported with an amendment in the nature of a substitute. 

COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION

The Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, in open business session on December 16, 2009, by a voice vote of a quorum 

present, recommends that the Senate pass S. 721, if amended as 

described herein. 

COMMITTEE AMENDMENT

During its consideration of S. 721, the Committee adopted an 

amendment in the nature of a substitute. The Committee amendment makes several modifications to the bill, including a number 

of changes in response to concerns raised by the Administration at 

the hearing on October 29, 2009. 

Several adjustments to the boundary of the wilderness addition 

were included to improve the administration of the wilderness and 

protection of the watershed, all of which are reflected on the map. 

The boundary of the wilderness adjacent to the Goldmyer Hot 

Springs property was set back 200 feet from the National Forest 

boundary. The boundary of the wilderness also was set back to provide greater flexibility in managing the Middle Fork Snoqualmie 

River Trail (#1003), which runs parallel to the wilderness outside 

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

The Department of Agriculture also expressed concern with the inclusion of the Pratt River Trail (#1035) within the wilderness 

boundary. However, the Committee retained that trail within the 

wilderness boundary, as the wilderness designation does not preclude the Forest Service from undertaking maintenance and reconstruction work on the trail in accordance with the Wilderness Act 

and the agency’s wilderness management policies. 

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. 

The Committee amendment is further explained in the sectionby-section analysis below. 


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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 

an addition to the Alpine Lakes Wilderness, to be administered in 

accordance with the Wilderness Act. Subsection (c) provides that 

any land or interests in land that are acquired within the boundary 

of the wilderness addition 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 

River 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.’’ 

COST AND BUDGETARY CONSIDERATIONS

The following estimate of costs of this measure has been provided 

by the Congressional Budget Office: 

S. 721—Alpine Lakes Wilderness Additions and Pratt and Middle 

Fork Snoqualmie Rivers Protection Act 

S. 721 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 waters 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. 721 would have no significant effect on the federal 

budget. Enacting the legislation would not affect revenues or direct 

spending. 

The acreage and waterways to be added 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 no 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 be minimal 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 produce no 

income and are not expected to in the future. 

The bill 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 Deborah Reis. 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 


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of the regulatory impact which would be incurred in carrying out 

S. 721. 

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. 721, as ordered reported. 

CONGRESSIONALLY DIRECTED SPENDING

S. 721, 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 a hearing on S. 721 on October 29, 

2009, which is provided below. 

STATEMENT OF JOEL HOLTROP, DEPUTY CHIEF, NATIONAL

FOREST SYSTEM, FOREST SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF AGRI- CULTURE

Mr. Chairman and members of the Subcommittee, thank 

you for the opportunity to provide the views of the Department of Agriculture on S. 721. 

This legislation would designate approximately 22,100 

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 however, while we have completed 

suitability studies for the wild and scenic rivers, we have 

not completed a wilderness evaluation of the area designated under this bill. For the area that would be designated wilderness, management direction under the Land 

and Resource Management Plan is aligned with wilderness 

values with the majority of the land being managed as 

Late Successional Reserve under the Northwest Forest 

Plan. We thank the delegation for its collaborative approach and local involvement that have contributed to this 

bill. 

ALPINE LAKES WILDERNESS

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 naVerDate Nov 24 2008 23:52 Mar 03, 2010 Jkt 089010 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6659 Sfmt 6969 E:\HR\OC\SR132.XXX SR132

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tive 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 

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. 

We would like to work with the subcommittee to address 

some technical aspects of the bill. These include: • The Middle Fork Snoqualmie River Trail #1003 is popular among mountain bicyclists. The Department’s concern 

is that the trail is immediately adjacent to the proposed 

wilderness, not allowing sufficient room for reconstruction 

or relocation if needed as a result of likely future events 

such as flooding or landslides. We suggest a modification 

of the proposed wilderness boundary to allow for reconstruction or for relocation. • 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 scheduled for 

major reconstruction work beginning this fiscal year. The 

Department suggests that the wilderness boundary be 

drawn to exclude approximately three miles of this trail to 

allow this continued recreation opportunity and future reconstruction if needed. This change would not alter the 

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

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

costs along this segment of the Pratt River Trail as motorized equipment could 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. 

WILD AND SCENIC RIVERS

This legislation would also 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. The Pratt 

River has outstandingly remarkable recreation, fisheries, 

wildlife and ecological values. The corridor provides important hiking and fishing opportunities in an undeveloped 


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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 lowelevation 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 it high-quality 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 15% complete, and construction is planned for 2011 or 2012. The Federal Highway Administration has already expended approximately $3 million to date on the project. We would like to work with the 

committee to ensure timely completion of the project. 

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. 

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

* * * * * * * 

Æ 


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