I

107TH CONGRESS

1ST SESSION H. R. 944

To designate certain lands in the State of Colorado as components of the

National Wilderness Preservation System, and for other purposes.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

MARCH 8, 2001

Ms. DEGETTE (for herself and Mr. UDALL of Colorado) introduced the

following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Resources

A BILL

To designate certain lands in the State of Colorado as components of the National Wilderness Preservation System,

and for other purposes.

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 AND DEFINITIONS.

4 (a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the

5 ‘‘Colorado Wilderness Act of 2001’’.

6 (b) DEFINITIONS.—As used in this Act, the term

7 ‘‘Secretary’’ means the Secretary of the Interior or the

8 Secretary of Agriculture, as appropriate.
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1 SEC. 2. ADDITIONS TO THE WILDERNESS PRESERVATION

2 SYSTEM.

3 (a) ADDITIONS.—The following lands in the State of

4 Colorado administered by the Bureau of Land Manage5 ment or the United States Forest Service are hereby des6 ignated as wilderness and, therefore, as components of the

7 National Wilderness Preservation System:

8 (1) Certain lands in the Glenwood Springs Re9 source Area which comprise approximately 40,424

10 acres, as generally depicted on a map entitled ‘‘Roan

11 Plateau Wilderness Proposal’’ dated February 1,

12 2001, which shall be known as the Roan Plateau

13 Wilderness.

14 (2) The following areas in the Glenwood

15 Springs Resource Area and the White River Na16 tional Forest:

17 (A) Certain lands which comprise approxi18 mately 22,170 acres, as generally depicted on a

19 map entitled ‘‘Deep Creek Wilderness Pro20 posal’’, dated February 1, 2001, which shall be

21 known as the Deep Creek Wilderness.

22 (B) Certain lands which comprise approxi23 mately 13,272 acres, as generally depicted on a

24 map entitled ‘‘Flat Tops Addition Wilderness

25 Proposal’’, dated February 1, 2001, and which

26 are hereby incorporated in and shall be deemed
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1 to be a part of the Flat Tops Wilderness des2 ignated by Public Law 94–146.

3 (3) The following lands in the Grand Junction

4 Resource Area:

5 (A) Certain lands which comprise approxi6 mately 21,060 acres, as generally depicted on a

7 map entitled ‘‘Bangs Canyon Wilderness Pro8 posal’’, dated February 1, 2001, which shall be

9 known as the Bangs Canyon Wilderness.

10 (B) Certain lands which comprise approxi11 mately 25,805 acres, as generally depicted on a

12 map entitled ‘‘Demaree Canyon Wilderness Pro13 posal’’, dated February 1, 2001, which shall be

14 known as the Demaree Canyon Wilderness.

15 (C) Certain lands which comprise approxi16 mately 4,249 acres, as generally depicted on a

17 map entitled ‘‘Granite Creek Wilderness Pro18 posal’’, dated February 1, 2001, which shall be

19 known as the Granite Creek Wilderness.

20 (D) Certain lands in the Grand Junction

21 Resource Area which comprise approximately

22 14,563 acres, as generally depicted on a map

23 entitled ‘‘Hunter Canyon Wilderness Proposal’’,

24 dated February 1, 2001, which shall be known

25 as the Hunter Canyon Wilderness.
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1 (E) Certain lands which comprise approxi2 mately 29,205 acres, as generally depicted on a

3 map entitled ‘‘Little Bookcliffs Wilderness Pro4 posal’’, dated February 1, 2001, which shall be

5 known as the Little Bookcliffs Wilderness.

6 (F) Certain lands which comprise approxi7 mately 26,836 acres, as generally depicted on a

8 map entitled ‘‘The Palisade Wilderness Pro9 posal’’, dated February 1, 2001, which shall be

10 known as The Palisade Wilderness.

11 (G) Certain lands which comprise approxi12 mately 27,508 acres, as generally depicted on a

13 map entitled ‘‘South Shale Ridge Wilderness

14 Proposal’’, dated February 1, 2001, which shall

15 be known as the South Shale Ridge Wilderness.

16 (4) Certain lands in the Grand Junction and

17 Uncompahgre Resource Areas and the Uncompahgre

18 National Forest which comprise approximately

19 84,452 acres, as generally depicted on a map enti20 tled ‘‘Dominguez Canyons Wilderness Proposal’’,

21 dated February 1, 2001, which shall be known as

22 the Dominguez Canyons Wilderness.

23 (5) Certain lands in the Grand Junction Re24 source Area and the Uncompahgre National Forest

25 which comprise approximately 39,039 acres, as gen-
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1 erally depicted on a map entitled ‘‘Unaweep Wilder2 ness Proposal’’, dated February 1, 2001, which shall

3 be known as the Unaweep Wilderness.

4 (6) Certain lands in the Grand Junction Re5 source Area, the San Juan Resource Area, and the

6 Manti-LaSal National Forest which comprise ap7 proximately 30,084 acres, as generally depicted on a

8 map entitled ‘‘Sewemup Mesa Wilderness Proposal’’,

9 dated February 1, 2001, which shall be known as

10 the Sewemup Mesa Wilderness.

11 (7) Certain in the Gunnison Resource Area

12 which comprise approximately 38,560 acres, as gen13 erally depicted on a map entitled ‘‘Redcloud Peak

14 Wilderness Proposal’’, dated February 1, 2001,

15 which shall be known as the Redcloud Peak Wilder16 ness.

17 (8) Certain lands in the Gunnison Resource

18 Area and the Gunnison National Forest and Rio

19 Grande National Forest which comprise approxi20 mately 72,332 acres, as generally depicted on a map

21 entitled ‘‘Handies Peak Wilderness Proposal’’, dated

22 February 1, 2001, which shall be known as the

23 Handies Peak Wilderness.

24 (9) Certain lands in the Kremmling Resource

25 Area which comprise approximately 33 acres, as
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1 generally depicted on a map entitled ‘‘Platte River

2 Addition Wilderness Proposal’’, dated February 1,

3 2001, and which are hereby incorporated in and

4 shall be deemed to be part of the Platte River Addi5 tion Wilderness designated by Public Law 98–550.

6 (10) Certain lands in the Kremmling Resource

7 Area, the Arapaho National Forest, and the Routt

8 National Forest which comprise approximately

9 119,615 acres, as generally depicted on a map enti10 tled ‘‘Troublesome Wilderness Proposal’’, dated Feb11 ruary 1, 2001, which shall be known as the Trouble12 some Wilderness.

13 (11) Certain lands in the Royal Gorge Resource

14 Area and the Pike National Forest which comprise

15 approximately 24,422 acres, as generally depicted on

16 a map entitled ‘‘Browns Canyon Wilderness Pro17 posal’’, dated February 1, 2001, which shall be

18 known as the Browns Canyon Wilderness.

19 (12) Certain lands in the Uncompahgre Re20 source Area and the Grand Mesa National Forest

21 which comprise approximately 10,723 acres as gen22 erally depicted on a map entitled ‘‘Adobe Badlands

23 Wilderness Area Proposal’’, dated February 1, 2001,

24 which shall be known as the Adobe Badlands Wil25 derness.
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1 (13) Certain lands in the Uncompahgre Re2 source Area and the Uncompahgre National Forest

3 which comprise approximately 14,476 acres, as gen4 erally depicted on a map entitled ‘‘Roubideau Addi5 tion Wilderness Proposal’’, dated February 1, 2001,

6 which shall be known as the Roubideau Wilderness.

7 (14) Certain lands in the San Juan Resource

8 Area which comprise approximately 41,022 acres, as

9 generally depicted on a map entitled ‘‘Dolores River

10 Canyon Wilderness Proposal’’, dated February 1,

11 2001, which shall be known as the Dolores River

12 Canyon Wilderness.

13 (b) MAPS AND DESCRIPTIONS.—As soon as prac14 ticable after the date of enactment of this Act, the appro15 priate Secretary shall file a map and a boundary descrip16 tion of each area designated as wilderness by this Act with

17 the Committee on Resources of the United States House

18 of Representatives and the Committee on Energy and

19 Natural Resources of the United States Senate. Each map

20 and description shall have the same force and effect as

21 if included in this Act, except that the appropriate Sec22 retary is authorized to correct clerical and typographical

23 errors in such boundary descriptions and maps. Such

24 maps and boundary descriptions shall be on file and avail25 able for public inspection in the Office of the Director of
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1 the Bureau of Land Management, Department of the In2 terior, and in the Office of the Chief of the Forest Service,

3 Department of Agriculture, as appropriate.

4 (c) STATE AND PRIVATE LANDS.—Lands within the

5 exterior boundaries of any wilderness area designated

6 under this section that are owned by the State or by a

7 private entity shall be included within such wilderness area

8 if such lands are acquired by the United States. Such

9 lands may be acquired by the United States only as pro10 vided in the Wilderness Act (16 U.S.C. 1131 and fol11 lowing).

12 SEC. 3. ADMINISTRATIVE PROVISIONS.

13 (a) IN GENERAL.—Subject to valid existing rights,

14 lands designated as wilderness by this Act shall be man15 aged by the Secretary of Agriculture or the Secretary of

16 the Interior, as appropriate, in accordance with the Wil17 derness Act (16 U.S.C. 1131 et seq.) and this Act, except

18 that, with respect to any wilderness areas designated by

19 this Act, any reference in the Wilderness Act to the effec20 tive date of the Wilderness Act shall be deemed to be a

21 reference to the date of enactment of this Act.

22 (b) GRAZING.—Grazing of livestock in wilderness

23 areas designated by this Act shall be administered in ac24 cordance with the provisions of section 4(d)(4) of the Wil25 derness Act (16 U.S.C. 1133(d)(4)), as further inter-
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1 preted by section 108 of Public Law 96–560, and, the

2 guidelines set forth in Appendix A of House Report 101–

3 405 of the 101st Congress.

4 (c) STATE JURISDICTION.—As provided in section

5 4(d)(7) of the Wilderness Act (16 U.S.C. 1133(d)(7)),

6 nothing in this Act shall be construed as affecting the ju7 risdiction or responsibilities of the State of Colorado with

8 respect to wildlife and fish in Colorado.

9 (d) WATER.—(1) With respect to each wilderness

10 area designated by this Act, Congress hereby reserves a

11 quantity of water sufficient to fulfill the purposes of this

12 Act. The priority date of such reserved rights shall be the

13 date of enactment of this Act.

14 (2) The appropriate Secretary and all other officers

15 of the United States shall take steps necessary to protect

16 the rights reserved by paragraph (1), including the filing

17 by the Secretary of a claim for the quantification of such

18 rights in any present or future appropriate stream adju19 dication in the courts of the State of Colorado in which

20 the United States is or may be joined and which is con21 ducted in accordance with the McCarran Amendment (43

22 U.S.C. 666).

23 (3) Nothing in this Act shall be construed as a relin24 quishment or reduction of any water rights reserved or
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1 appropriated by the United States in the State of Colorado

2 on or before the date of enactment of this Act.

3 (4) The Federal water rights reserved by this Act are

4 specific to the wilderness areas located in the State of Col5 orado designated by this title. Nothing in this title related

6 to reserved Federal water rights shall be construed as es7 tablishing a precedent with regard to any future designa8 tions, nor shall it constitute an interpretation of any other

9 Act or any designation made pursuant thereto.

Æ