I 

116TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 999 

To provide for the designation of the Devil’s Staircase Wilderness Area 

in the State of Oregon, to designate segments of Wasson and Franklin 

Creeks in the State of Oregon as wild or recreation rivers, and for 

other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

FEBRUARY 6, 2019 

Mr. DEFAZIO introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 

Committee on Natural Resources 

A BILL 

To provide for the designation of the Devil’s Staircase Wilderness Area in the State of Oregon, to designate segments of Wasson and Franklin Creeks in the State of 

Oregon as wild or recreation rivers, 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 ‘‘Devil’s Staircase Wil5 derness Act of 2019’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. DESIGNATION OF WILDERNESS AREA, DEVIL’S 

2 STAIRCASE WILDERNESS, OREGON. 

3 (a) DEVIL’S STAIRCASE WILDERNESS.— 

4 (1) DEFINITIONS.—In this subsection: 

5 (A) MAP.—The term ‘‘map’’ means the 

6 map entitled ‘‘Devil’s Staircase Wilderness Pro7 posal’’ and dated July 26, 2018. 

8 (B) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ 

9 means— 

10 (i) the Secretary, with respect to pub11 lic land administered by the Secretary; or 

12 (ii) the Secretary of Agriculture, with 

13 respect to National Forest System land. 

14 (C) STATE.—The term ‘‘State’’ means the 

15 State of Oregon. 

16 (D) WILDERNESS.—The term ‘‘Wilder17 ness’’ means the Devil’s Staircase Wilderness 

18 designated by paragraph (2). 

19 (2) DESIGNATION.—In accordance with the 

20 Wilderness Act (16 U.S.C. 1131 et seq.), the ap21 proximately 30,621 acres of Forest Service land and 

22 Bureau of Land Management land in the State, as 

23 generally depicted on the map, is designated as wil24 derness and as a component of the National Wilder25 ness Preservation System, to be known as the ‘‘Dev26 il’s Staircase Wilderness’’. 


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1 (3) MAP; LEGAL DESCRIPTION.— 

2 (A) IN GENERAL.—As soon as practicable 

3 after the date of enactment of this Act, the Sec4 retary shall prepare a map and legal description 

5 of the Wilderness. 

6 (B) FORCE OF LAW.—The map and legal 

7 description prepared under subparagraph (A) 

8 shall have the same force and effect as if in9 cluded in this subsection, except that the Sec10 retary may correct clerical and typographical 

11 errors in the map and legal description. 

12 (C) AVAILABILITY.—The map and legal 

13 description prepared under subparagraph (A) 

14 shall be on file and available for public inspec15 tion in the appropriate offices of the Forest 

16 Service and Bureau of Land Management. 

17 (4) ADMINISTRATION.—Subject to valid existing 

18 rights, the area designated as wilderness by this sub19 section shall be administered by the Secretary in ac20 cordance with the Wilderness Act (16 U.S.C. 1131 

21 et seq.), except that— 

22 (A) any reference in that Act to the effec23 tive date shall be considered to be a reference 

24 to the date of enactment of this Act; and 


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1 (B) any reference in that Act to the Sec2 retary of Agriculture shall be considered to be 

3 a reference to the Secretary that has jurisdic4 tion over the land within the Wilderness. 

5 (5) FISH AND WILDLIFE.—Nothing in this sub6 section affects the jurisdiction or responsibilities of 

7 the State with respect to fish and wildlife in the 

8 State. 

9 (6) ADJACENT MANAGEMENT.— 

10 (A) IN GENERAL.—Nothing in this sub11 section creates any protective perimeter or buff12 er zone around the Wilderness. 

13 (B) ACTIVITIES OUTSIDE WILDERNESS.— 

14 The fact that a nonwilderness activity or use on 

15 land outside the Wilderness can be seen or 

16 heard within the Wilderness shall not preclude 

17 the activity or use outside the boundary of the 

18 Wilderness. 

19 (7) PROTECTION OF TRIBAL RIGHTS.—Nothing 

20 in this subsection diminishes any treaty rights of an 

21 Indian Tribe. 

22 (8) TRANSFER OF ADMINISTRATIVE JURISDIC23 TION.— 

24 (A) IN GENERAL.—Administrative jurisdic25 tion over the approximately 49 acres of Bureau 


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1 of Land Management land north of the Ump2 qua River in T. 21 S., R. 11 W., sec. 32, is 

3 transferred from the Bureau of Land Manage4 ment to the Forest Service. 

5 (B) ADMINISTRATION.—The Secretary 

6 shall administer the land transferred by sub7 paragraph (A) in accordance with— 

8 (i) the Act of March 1, 1911 (com9 monly known as the ‘‘Weeks Law’’) (16 

10 U.S.C. 480 et seq.); and 

11 (ii) any laws (including regulations) 

12 applicable to the National Forest System. 

13 (b) WILD AND SCENIC RIVER DESIGNATIONS, 

14 WASSON CREEK AND FRANKLIN CREEK, OREGON.—Sec15 tion 3(a) of the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act (16 U.S.C. 

16 1274(a)) is amended by adding at the end the following: 

17 ‘‘(214) FRANKLIN CREEK, OREGON.—The 4.5- 

18 mile segment from its headwaters to the private land 

19 boundary in sec. 8, to be administered by the Sec20 retary of Agriculture as a wild river. 

21 ‘‘(215) WASSON CREEK, OREGON.—The 10.1- 

22 mile segment in the following classes: 

23 ‘‘(A) The 4.2-mile segment from the east24 ern boundary of T. 21 S., R. 9 W., sec. 17, 

25 downstream to the western boundary of T. 21 


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1 S., R. 10 W., sec. 12, to be administered by the 

2 Secretary of the Interior as a wild river. 

3 ‘‘(B) The 5.9-mile segment from the west4 ern boundary of T. 21 S., R. 10 W., sec. 12, 

5 downstream to the eastern boundary of the 

6 northwest quarter of T. 21 S., R. 10 W., sec. 

7 22, to be administered by the Secretary of Agri8 culture as a wild river.’’. 

Æ 


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