I

103D CONGRESS

1ST SESSION H. R. 1500

To designate certain Federal lands in the State of Utah as wilderness,

and for other purposes.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

MARCH 25, 1993

Mr. HINCHEY (for himself, Mr. HOAGLAND, Mr. MURTHA, Mr. VALENTINE,

Mr. BROWN of California, Mr. MCHALE, Mr. STARK, Mr. EVANS, Mr.

TOWNS, Mr. MACHTLEY, Ms. SLAUGHTER, Mr. NEAL of Massachusetts,

Mr. MCDERMOTT, Mr. GILCHREST, Mr. SMITH of New Jersey, and Mr.

WAXMAN) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Natural Resources

A BILL

To designate certain Federal lands in the State of Utah

as wilderness, 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.

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Utah BLM Wilderness

5 Act of 1993’’.

6 SEC. 2. GENERAL PROVISIONS.

7 (a) NAME.—Each wilderness area named in a table

8 contained in title I shall be—
2

•HR 1500 IH

1 (1) the area referenced in the table, as gen2 erally depicted on the map entitled ‘‘Utah BLM Wil3 derness Proposed by H.R. 1500, 102d Congress’’;

4 and

5 (2) known by the name given to it in that table.

6 (b) MAP AND DESCRIPTION.—As soon as practicable

7 after enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall file a map

8 and a legal description of each wilderness area designated

9 under this Act with the Committee on Natural Resources

10 of the House of Representatives and with the Committee

11 on Energy and Natural Resources of the Senate. Each

12 such map and description shall have the same force and

13 effect as if included in this Act, except that correction of

14 clerical and typographical errors in such legal description

15 and map may be made. Each such map and legal descrip16 tion shall be on file and available for public inspection in

17 the Office of the Director of the Bureau of Land Manage18 ment, Department of the Interior.

19 (c) SECRETARY.—For the purposes of this Act, the

20 term ‘‘Secretary’’ means the Secretary of the Interior.

21 TITLE I—DESIGNATION OF

22 WILDERNESS

23 SEC. 101. GREAT BASIN WILDERNESS AREAS.

24 (a) FINDINGS.—The Congress finds that the Great

25 Basin region of western Utah is comprised of starkly beau-
3

•HR 1500 IH

1 tiful mountain ranges which rise as islands from the desert

2 floor. Some, like Wah Wah Mountains, are arid and aus3 tere, with massive cliff faces and leathery slopes speckled

4 with pinyon and juniper. Others, like the Deep Creek and

5 Stansbury Mountains, are high enough to draw moisture

6 from passing clouds and support ecosystems found no7 where else on earth. From bristlecone pine, the world’s

8 oldest living thing, to newly flowered mountain meadows,

9 these islands of nature support remarkable biological di10 versity and provide opportunities to experience the colossal

11 silence of the Great Basin.

12 (b) DESIGNATION.—In order to protect and manage

13 so as to preserve the natural conditions of the Great Basin

14 wilderness areas in western Utah and in furtherance of

15 the purposes of the Wilderness Act (16 U.S.C. 1131 et

16 seq.), the following lands in the State of Utah are hereby

17 designated as wilderness and therefore as components of

18 the National Wilderness Preservation System:

Approximate

Name of Wilderness Area Acreage

Cedar Mountains Wilderness ............................................ 62,100

Conger Mountain Wilderness ............................................ 20,400

Deep Creek Mountains Wilderness ................................... 90,200

Dugway Mountains Wilderness ......................................... 23,100

Fish Springs Range Wilderness ........................................ 55,200

Granite Peak Wilderness .................................................. 16,000

House Range Wilderness .................................................. 139,400

King Top Wilderness ........................................................ 78,800

Little Goose Creek Wilderness .......................................... 1,300

Newfoundland Mountains Wilderness ............................... 23,300

Rockwell Wilderness .......................................................... 13,400

Silver Island Mountains Wilderness ................................. 27,200

Stansbury Mountains Wilderness ..................................... 22,500

Wah Wah Mountains Wilderness ...................................... 109,700

White Rock Range Wilderness .......................................... 3,900
4

•HR 1500 IH

1 SEC. 102. ZION AND MOJAVE DESERT WILDERNESS AREAS.

2 (a) FINDINGS.—The Congress finds that Zion Na3 tional Park’s renowned landscape of soaring cliff walls,

4 forested plateaus, and deep narrow gorges extends beyond

5 the boundaries of the park onto surrounding public lands

6 managed by the Secretary through the Bureau of Land

7 Management. From the pink sand dunes of Moquith

8 Mountain to the golden pools of Beaver Dam Wash, the

9 Zion and Mojave Desert wilderness areas encompass three

10 major provinces of the Southwest: the sculpted canyon

11 country of the Colorado Plateau, the Mojave Desert, and

12 portions of the Great Basin—a rich mosaic of biological,

13 archeological, and scenic diversity. One of the last remain14 ing populations of endangered desert tortoise is found

15 within this wilderness.

16 (b) DESIGNATION.—In order to protect and manage

17 so as to preserve the natural conditions of the Zion and

18 Mojave Desert wilderness areas of Utah and in further19 ance of the purposes of the Wilderness Act (16 U.S.C.

20 1131 et seq.), the following lands in the State of Utah

21 are hereby designated as wilderness and therefore as com22 ponents of the National Wilderness Preservation System:

Approximate

Name of Wilderness Area and Unit Acreage

Beaver Dam Slopes Wilderness:

Beaver Dam Wash .................................................... 24,900

Joshua Tree .............................................................. 13,500

Cottonwood Canyon Wilderness ................................ 11,500

Cougar Creek-Docs Pass Wilderness ........................ 29,400

Upper Kanab Creek Wilderness ................................ 42,200
5

•HR 1500 IH

Moquith Mountain Wilderness .................................. 26,500

Red Mountain Wilderness ......................................... 18,500

Zion Wilderness:

Beartrap Canyon ....................................................... 40

Black Ridge ............................................................... 21,800

Canaan Mountain ...................................................... 52,100

Deep Creek ................................................................ 7,100

Goose Creek ............................................................... 89

LaVerkin Creek ......................................................... 567

Orderville Canyon ...................................................... 6,500

North Fork Virgin River ........................................... 1,040

Parunuweap Canyon ................................................. 37,700

Red Butte .................................................................. 804

Spring Canyon ........................................................... 4,400

Taylor Creek Canyon ................................................ 35

The Watchman .......................................................... 600

1 SEC. 103. GRAND STAIRCASE AND KAIPAROWITS PLATEAU

2 WILDERNESS AREAS.

3 (a) GRAND STAIRCASE.—

4 (1) FINDINGS.—The Congress finds that the

5 area known as the Grand Staircase rises more than

6 6,000 feet in a series of great cliffs and plateaus

7 from the depths of the Grand Canyon to the forested

8 rim of Bryce Canyon. It spans six major life zones,

9 from the lower Sonoran Desert to alpine forest, and

10 encompasses geologic formations which display

11 3,000,000,000 years of earth history. Wildlands,

12 managed by the Secretary through the Bureau of

13 Land Management, line the intricate canyon system

14 of the Paria River and form a vital wilderness cor15 ridor connection to the deserts and forests of these

16 national parks.

17 (2) DESIGNATION.—In order to protect and

18 manage so as to preserve the natural conditions of
6

•HR 1500 IH

1 the wilderness area known as the Great Staircase

2 and in furtherance of the purposes of the Wilderness

3 Act (16 U.S.C. 1131 et seq.), the following lands in

4 the State of Utah are hereby designated as wilder5 ness and therefore as components of the National

6 Wilderness Preservation System:

Approximate

Name of Wilderness Area and Unit Acreage

Grand Staircase Wilderness:

Box Canyon ................................................... 2,300

Cockscomb ..................................................... 10,300

East of Bryce ................................................. 900

Mud Spring Canyon ....................................... 55,100

Paria-Hackberry ............................................ 158,700

Squaw and Willis Creek ................................. 22,300

The Blues-Table Cliff .................................... 18,700

7 (b) KAIPAROWITS PLATEAU.—

8 (1) FINDINGS.—The Congress finds that east

9 of the Paria River lies the Kaiparowitz Plateau, one

10 of the most rugged and isolated wilderness regions

11 in the United States, a lonely, windswept land of

12 harsh beauty, distant vistas, and a remarkable vari13 ety of plant and animal species. Ancient forests,

14 abundant big game animals, and 22 species of

15 raptors thrive undisturbed on its grassland mesa

16 tops.

17 (2) DESIGNATION.—In order to protect and

18 manage so as to preserve the Kaiparowitz Plateau

19 and in furtherance of the purposes of the Wilderness

20 Act (16 U.S.C. 1131 et seq.), the following lands in
7

•HR 1500 IH

1 the State of Utah are hereby designated as wilder2 ness and therefore as components of the National

3 Wilderness Preservation System:

Approximate

Name of Wilderness Area and Unit Acreage

Kaiparowits Wilderness:

Burning Hills ................................................. 68,400

Carcass Canyon ............................................. 72,600

Cave Point ..................................................... 4,800

Fiftymile Bench ............................................. 11,100

Fiftymile Mountain ........................................ 173,900

Horse Spring Canyon .................................... 27,900

Nipple Bench ................................................. 31,600

Squaw Canyon ............................................... 11,200

Wahweap-Paradise Canyon ........................... 228,000

Warm Creek ................................................... 21,000

4 SEC. 104. ESCALANTE CANYONS WILDERNESS AREAS.

5 (a) FINDINGS.—The Congress finds that enchanting

6 glens and coves carved in massive sandstone cliffs, spring7 watered hanging gardens, and the silence of ancient

8 Anasazi ruins are exemplary of the unique features that

9 entice hikers, campers, and sightseers from around the

10 world to Escalante Canyon. This wilderness links the

11 spruce fir forests of the 11,000 foot Aquarius Plateau with

12 winding slickrock canyons that flow into Lake Powell. It

13 protects critical habitat for deer, elk, and wild bighorn

14 sheep, as well as the scenic integrity of one of Utah’s most

15 popular natural areas.

16 (b) DESIGNATION.—In order to protect and manage

17 so as to preserve Escalante Canyon wilderness areas and

18 in furtherance of the purposes of the Wilderness Act (16

19 U.S.C. 1131 et seq.), the following lands in the State of
8

•HR 1500 IH

1 Utah are hereby designated as wilderness and therefore

2 as components of the National Wilderness Preservation

3 System:

Approximate

Name of Wilderness Area Acreage

Colt Mesa .......................................................................... 23,500

Dogwater Creek ................................................................ 3,500

Fortymile Gulch ................................................................ 640

Fremont Gorge .................................................................. 19,400

Hurricane Wash ................................................................ 4,300

Long Canyon ..................................................................... 16,400

North Escalante Canyons ................................................. 144,000

Notom Bench .................................................................... 8,400

Phipps-Death Hollow ........................................................ 43,500

Scorpion ............................................................................ 38,100

Steep Creek ....................................................................... 34,400

Studhorse Peaks ............................................................... 9,500

4 SEC. 105. HENRY MOUNTAINS WILDERNESS AREAS.

5 (a) FINDINGS.—The Congress finds that the last

6 mountain range to be discovered and named by early ex7 plorers in the contiguous United States, the Henry Moun8 tains, still retains its wild and mysterious character.

9 Fluted badlands adorn the flanks of 11,000 foot Mount

10 Ellen and Mount Pennell, containing islands of critical

11 habitat for mule deer and the largest herd of free-roaming

12 buffalo in the Nation. Despite their relative accessibility,

13 the Henry Mountains remain one of the wildest, least14 known ranges in the United States.

15 (b) DESIGNATION.—In order to protect and manage

16 so as to preserve the Henry Mountains and in furtherance

17 of the purposes of the Wilderness Act (16 U.S.C. 1131

18 et seq.), the following lands in the State of Utah are here-
9

•HR 1500 IH

1 by designated as wilderness and therefore as components

2 of the National Wilderness Preservation System:

Approximate

Name of Wilderness Area and Unit Acreage

Henry Mountains Wilderness:

Bull Mountain ........................................................... 12,400

Bullfrog Creek ........................................................... 36,900

Mount Ellen-Blue Hills ............................................. 116,900

Mount Hillers ............................................................ 18,600

Mount Pennell ........................................................... 141,200

Ragged Mountain ...................................................... 23,300

3 SEC. 106. DIRTY DEVIL RIVER WILDERNESS AREAS.

4 (a) FINDINGS.—The Congress finds that the Dirty

5 Devil River, once the fortress hideout of outlaw Butch

6 Cassidy’s Wild Bunch, has sculpted a maze of slickrock

7 canyons through an imposing landscape of monoliths and

8 inaccessible mesas. This isolated and remote area, long a

9 barrier to civilization and would-be colonists, now beckons

10 a different type of explorer, the modern recreationist, who

11 seeks to experience solitude and isolation amid spectacular

12 beauty.

13 (b) DESIGNATION.—In order to protect and manage

14 so as to preserve the Dirty Devil River wilderness areas

15 in southeast Utah and in furtherance of the purposes of

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

17 lands in the State of Utah are hereby designated as wilder18 ness and therefore as components of the National Wilder19 ness Preservation System:

Approximate

Name of Wilderness Area and Unit Acreage

Dirty Devil Wilderness:

Dirty Devil-French Springs ...................................... 175,300

Fiddler Butte ............................................................ 88,200
10

•HR 1500 IH

1 SEC. 107. CEDAR MESA WILDERNESS AREAS.

2 (a) FINDINGS.—The Congress finds that over a thou3 sand years ago, the Anasazi Indian culture flourished in

4 the slickrock canyons and on the pinyon-covered mesas of

5 southeastern Utah. Evidence of their ancient presence per6 vades the Cedar Mesa area where haunting cliff dwellings,

7 rock art, and ceremonial kivas embellish sandstone over8 hangs and isolated benchlands. This area cries out for pro9 tection from the vandalism and theft of these unique cul10 tural resources. These wilderness areas are drawn to pro11 tect both the Nation’s archaeological heritage and extraor12 dinary wilderness scenic and ecological values.

13 (b) DESIGNATION.—In order to protect and manage

14 so as to preserve the Cedar Mesa wilderness areas and

15 in furtherance of the purposes of the Wilderness Act (16

16 U.S.C. 1131 et seq.), the following lands in the State of

17 Utah are hereby designated as wilderness and therefore

18 as components of the National Wilderness Preservation

19 System:

Approximate

Name of Wilderness Area and Unit Acreage

White Canyon Wilderness:

Gravel and Long Canyon .......................................... 35,000

Cheesebox Canyon ..................................................... 28,500

Harmony Flat ........................................................... 9,100

Fortknocker Canyon .................................................. 12,400

San Juan-Anasazi Wilderness:

Arch and Mule Canyon ............................................. 15,300

Comb Ridge ............................................................... 15,000

Fish and Owl Creek .................................................. 59,000

Grand Gulch .............................................................. 139,800

Nokai dome ............................................................... 93,400

Road Canyon ............................................................. 60,100
11

•HR 1500 IH

San Juan River ......................................................... 13,200

Squaw and Cross Canyons Wilderness:

Squaw and Papoose Canyons .................................... 6,580

Cross Canyon ............................................................ 1,000

Dark Canyon Wilderness:

Dark Canyon ............................................................. 126,500

Sheep Canyon ............................................................ 3,700

Glen Canyon Wilderness:

Mancos Mesa ............................................................. 108,700

Little Rockies ............................................................ 60,000

1 SEC. 108. CANYONLANDS WILDERNESS AREAS.

2 (a) FINDINGS.—The Congress finds that Arches and

3 Canyonlands National Parks safeguard only a small por4 tion of the extraordinary red-hued, cliff-walled canyonland

5 region of the Colorado Plateau. Canyons with rushing pe6 rennial streams, natural arches, bridges, and towers, and

7 the gorges of the Green, Colorado, and Dolores Rivers lie

8 on adjacent wildlands managed by the Secretary through

9 the Bureau of Land Management. Designation of this wil10 derness achieves a wholeness of protection for this

11 erosional masterpiece of nature and the rich pockets of

12 wildlife found within its expanded boundaries.

13 (b) DESIGNATION.—In order to protect and manage

14 so as to preserve the canyonland wilderness areas near

15 Arches and Canyonlands National Parks and in further16 ance of the purposes of the Wilderness Act (16 U.S.C.

17 1131 et seq.), the following lands in the State of Utah

18 are hereby designated as wilderness and therefore as com19 ponents of the National Wilderness Preservation System:

Approximate
12

•HR 1500 IH

Name of Wilderness Area and Unit Acreage

Canyonlands Basin Wilderness:

Bridger Jack Mesa .................................................... 32,700

Butler Wash .............................................................. 28,300

Goose Neck ................................................................ 8,300

Harts Point ............................................................... 62,800

Indian Creek .............................................................. 27,000

Shafer Canyon ........................................................... 3,000

Labyrinth Wilderness:

Labyrinth Canyon ..................................................... 120,000

Horseshoe Canyon ..................................................... 51,700

Arches-Lost Spring Wilderness ................................. 16,900

La Sal Canyons Wilderness:

Beaver Creek ............................................................. 28,200

Fisher Towers ........................................................... 15,100

Granite Creek ............................................................ 5,100

Mary Jane Canyon .................................................... 24,200

Mill Creek .................................................................. 15,700

Negro Bill Canyon ..................................................... 20,600

Seweump Mesa .......................................................... 600

Behind-The-Rocks Wilderness:

Hunter Canyon .......................................................... 4,000

Goldbar Canyon ......................................................... 12,500

Hatch Wash .............................................................. 14,300

Behind-The-Rocks ..................................................... 20,300

Westwater Wilderness:

Black Ridge ............................................................... 5,100

Westwater Canyon ..................................................... 32,500

1 SEC. 109. SAN RAFAEL SWELL WILDERNESS AREAS.

2 (a) FINDINGS.—The Congress finds that the San

3 Rafael Swell towers above the desert like a wilderness cas4 tle, ringed by thousand-foot ramparts of Navajo Sand5 stone. Its highlands have been fractured by uplift and

6 scooped hollow by erosion over countless millennia, leaving

7 a tremendous basin punctuated by mesas, buttes, and can8 yons and traversed by sediment-laden desert streams.

9 Among other places, the San Rafael wilderness offers ex10 ceptional back country opportunities in the colorful Wild

11 Horse Badlands, the monoliths of North Caineville Mesa,

12 the rock towers of Cliff Wash, and the dark volcanic
13

•HR 1500 IH

1 mountains bordering Capitol Reef National Park. The

2 mountains within this wilderness are among Utah’s most

3 productive habitat for Desert Bighorn Sheep.

4 (b) DESIGNATION.—In order to protect and manage

5 so as to preserve the San Rafael Swell wilderness areas

6 and in furtherance of the purposes of the Wilderness Act

7 (16 U.S.C. 1131 et seq.), the following lands in the State

8 of Utah are hereby designated as wilderness and therefore

9 as components of the National Wilderness Preservation

10 System:

Approximate

Name of Wilderness Area and Unit Acreage

San Rafael Wilderness:

Cedar Mountain ................................................................ 14,500

Devils Canyon ................................................................... 21,500

Hondu Country ................................................................. 18,900

Jones Bench ...................................................................... 2,800

Limestone Cliffs ................................................................ 21,300

Mexican Mountain ............................................................. 102,600

Muddy Creek ..................................................................... 246,300

Mussentuchit Badlands ..................................................... 23,000

Red Desert ........................................................................ 36,800

San Rafael Reef ................................................................ 95,000

Sids Mountain ................................................................... 95,800

Upper Muddy Creek .......................................................... 17,000

Wild Horse Mesa .............................................................. 57,400

11 SEC. 110. BOOK CLIFFS AND UINTA BASIN WILDERNESS

12 AREAS.

13 (a) FINDINGS.—The Congress finds that the Book

14 Cliffs and Uinta Basin wilderness areas offer a unique

15 quality of wilderness big game hunting opportunities in

16 verdant high-plateau forests, multi-day float trips down

17 the Green River in Desolation Canyon, and opportunity

18 for calm water canoe weekends on the White River. The
14

•HR 1500 IH

1 long rampart of the Book Cliffs bounds the area on the

2 south, while seldom-visited uplands, dissected by the rivers

3 and streams, slope away to the north into the Uinta Basin.

4 Bighorn sheep, elk, mule deer, bear, and cougar all flour5 ish in the back country of the Book Cliffs.

6 (b) DESIGNATION.—In order to protect and manage

7 so as to preserve the Book Cliffs area and in furtherance

8 of the purposes of the Wilderness Act (16 U.S.C. 1131

9 et seq.), the following lands in the State of Utah are here10 by designated as wilderness and therefore as components

11 of the National Wilderness Preservation System:

Approximate

Name of Wilderness Area and Unit Acreage

Desolation Canyon Wilderness:

Eastern Book Cliffs ................................................... 154,600

Desolation Canyon .................................................... 527,100

Turtle Canyon ........................................................... 36,900

White River Wilderness ............................................. 9,700

Greater Dinosaur Wilderness:

Bull Canyon ............................................................... 500

Diamond Breaks ....................................................... 7,800

Daniels Canyon ......................................................... 5,300

Moonshine Draw ....................................................... 3,500

Cold Springs Mountain ............................................. 3,400

Wild Mountain ........................................................... 600

12 TITLE II—ADMINISTRATIVE

13 PROVISIONS

14 SEC. 201. ADMINISTRATION.

15 Subject to valid existing rights, the wilderness areas

16 designated under this Act shall be administered by the

17 Secretary in accordance with section 603 of the Federal

18 Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 (43 U.S.C.
15

•HR 1500 IH

1 1782) and the provisions of the Wilderness Act governing

2 areas designated by that Act as wilderness.

3 SEC. 202. WATER.

4 (a) RESERVATION.—(1) With respect to each wilder5 ness area designated by this Act, Congress hereby reserves

6 a quantity of water sufficient to fulfill the purposes of this

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

8 date of enactment of this Act.

9 (2) The Secretary and all other officers of the United

10 States shall take all steps necessary to protect the rights

11 reserved by paragraph (1), including the filing by the Sec12 retary of a claim for the quantification of such rights in

13 any present or future appropriate stream adjudication in

14 the courts of the State of Utah in which the United States

15 is or may be joined and which is conducted in accordance

16 with section 208 of the Act of July 10, 1952 (66 Stat.

17 56; 44 U.S.C. 666, commonly referred to as the

18 ‘‘McCarran Act’’).

19 (b) PRIOR RIGHTS NOT AFFECTED.—Nothing in this

20 Act shall be construed as a relinquishment or reduction

21 of any water rights reserved or appropriated by the United

22 States in the State of Utah on or before the date of enact23 ment of this Act.

24 (c) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—The Federal water

25 rights reserved by this Act are specific to the wilderness
16

•HR 1500 IH

1 areas located in the State of Utah designated by this Act.

2 Nothing in this Act related to reserved Federal water shall

3 be construed as establishing a precedent with regard to

4 any future designations, nor shall it constitute an interpre5 tation of any other Act or any designation made pursuant

6 thereto.

Æ

HR 1500 IH——2