I

104TH CONGRESS

2D SESSION H. R. 3470

To enhance the conservation and protection of the Boundary Waters Canoe

Area Wilderness and the Voyageurs National Park.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

MAY 16, 1996

Mr. VENTO introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee

on Resources

A BILL

To enhance the conservation and protection of the Boundary

Waters Canoe Area Wilderness and the Voyageurs National Park.

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Minnesota National

5 Treasures Conservation and Protection Act’’.

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

7 The Congress finds that—

8 (1) Voyageurs National Park and the Boundary

9 Waters Canoe Area Wilderness are special natural

10 resources that offer a unique lakeland experience for
2

•HR 3470 IH

1 the enjoyment and inspiration of present and future

2 generations;

3 (2) Voyageurs National Park and the Boundary

4 Waters Canoe Area Wilderness are international, na5 tional, and Minnesota treasures worthy of national

6 preservation and protection as a national park and

7 a wilderness area;

8 (3) Congress has expressed overwhelming sup9 port for the protection of these resources through

10 their designation as a national park and wilderness

11 area and by providing sustained funding to imple12 ment these landmark laws;

13 (4) public acceptance and enthusiasm for the

14 Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness has estab15 lished the area as the most widely used wilderness

16 unit in the entire national wilderness preservation

17 system; and

18 (5) it is necessary and desirable to further pro19 vide for the orderly administration and management

20 of public use and enjoyment of these national areas,

21 while at the same time protecting the special quali22 ties of the areas as a natural forest-lakeland wilder23 ness ecosystem of major esthetic, cultural, scientific,

24 recreational and educational value to the Nation.
3

•HR 3470 IH

1 TITLE I—THE BOUNDARY WA2 TERS CANOE AREA WILDER3 NESS PRESERVATION

4 SEC. 101. BOUNDARY WATERS CANOE AREA WILDERNESS

5 DESIGNATION AND MAP.

6 Section 3 of Public Law 94–495 (16 U.S.C. 1132

7 note) is amended as follows—

8 (1) by amending the first sentence to read as

9 follows: ‘‘The areas generally depicted as wilderness

10 on the map entitled ‘Boundary Waters Canoe Area

11 Wilderness’ and dated 1996, comprising approxi12 mately 1,101,000 acres, are hereby designated as

13 the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (here14 inafter referred to as the ‘Wilderness’).’’;

15 (2) by striking ‘‘one year after the date of en16 actment of this Act’’ and insert ‘‘one year after the

17 enactment of the Minnesota National Treasures

18 Conservation and Protection Act’’; and

19 (3) by amending the third sentence to read as

20 follows: ‘‘Such map and description shall be filed

21 with the Committee on Resources of the House of

22 Representatives and the Committee on Energy and

23 Natural Resources of the United States Senate.’’.
4

•HR 3470 IH

1 SEC. 102. AMENDMENTS TO SECTION 4 OF PUBLIC LAW 95–

2 495.

3 Section 4 of Public Law 95–495 is amended as fol4 lows:

5 (1) In subsection (c)(1), by striking ‘‘Basswood,

6 except that portion generally north of the narrows at

7 the north end of Jackfish Bay and north of a point

8 on the international boundary between Ottawa Is9 land and Washington Island’’ and inserting in lieu

10 thereof: ‘‘Pipestone Bay of Basswood and that por11 tion of Jackfish Bay of Basswood generally south of

12 the narrows at the north end of Jackfish Bay;’’.

13 (2) In subsection (d), by striking ‘‘Loon Lake,

14 Saint Louis County; that portion of the Lac La

15 Croix, Saint Louis County, south of Snow Bay and

16 east of Wilkins Bay.’’.

17 SEC. 103. AIRSPACE RESERVATION.

18 The provisions of Executive Order 10092 shall be ap19 plicable to the areas depicted on the map referred to in

20 section 101 of this Act.

21 TITLE II—THE VOYAGEURS NA22 TIONAL PARK PRESERVATION

23 ACT

24 SEC. 201. DESIGNATION OF WILDERNESS AREA.

25 In furtherance of the purposes of the Wilderness Act

26 (16 U.S.C. 1131 et seq.), land and waters of the
5

•HR 3470 IH

1 Kabetogama Peninsula within Voyageurs National Park

2 in the State of Minnesota, which comprise approximately

3 74,114 acres, as generally depicted on a map entitled

4 ‘‘Voyaguers National Park Wilderness’’, numbered

5 lllll and dated lllll are hereby designated

6 as wilderness and shall be known as the ‘‘Voyageurs Na7 tional Park Wilderness’’.

8 SEC. 202. MAP AND LEGAL DESCRIPTION.

9 As soon as practicable after enactment of this Act,

10 a map and legal description of the wilderness area des11 ignated in section 201 shall be filed by the Secretary of

12 the Interior with the Committee on Resources of the Unit13 ed States House of Representatives and the Committee

14 on Energy and Natural Resources of the United States

15 Senate. Such map and legal description shall have the

16 same force and effect as if included in this Act, except

17 that correction of clerical and typographical errors in such

18 map and legal description may be made. Such map and

19 legal description shall be on file and available for public

20 inspection in the office of the Director of the National

21 Park Service, Department of the Interior, and in the office

22 of the Superintendent of Voyageurs National Park.

23 SEC. 203. ADMINISTRATION.

24 Subject to valid existing rights, the area designated

25 as wilderness by section 201 shall be administered by the
6

•HR 3470 IH

1 Secretary of the Interior in accordance with the applicable

2 provisions of the Wilderness Act governing areas so des3 ignated. The Secretary shall continue to provide for the

4 use of existing safety portages for snowmobiles, as de5 picted on the map referred to in section 201.

Æ