IB 

Union Calendar No. 72 

109TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 539 

[Report No. 109–126] 

To designate certain National Forest System land in the Commonwealth 

of Puerto Rico as components of the National Wilderness Preservation 

System. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

FEBRUARY 2, 2005 

Mr. FORTUN ̃O (for himself, Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN, Mr. SERRANO, Ms. 

VELA ́ZQUEZ, and Mr. GUTIERREZ) introduced the following bill; which 

was referred to the Committee on Resources 

JUNE 14, 2005 

Reported with amendments, committed to the Committee of the Whole House 

on the State of the Union, and ordered to be printed 

[Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed in italic] 

[For text of introduced bill, see copy of bill as introduced on February 2, 2005] 

A BILL 

To designate certain National Forest System land in the 

Commonwealth of Puerto Rico as components of the 

National Wilderness Preservation System. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
2 

•HR 539 RH 

1 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

2 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Caribbean National For3 est Act of 2005’’. 

4 SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 

5 In this Act: 

6 (1) MAP.—The term ‘‘map’’ means the map 

7 dated April 13, 2004, and entitled ‘‘El Toro Proposed 

8 Wilderness Area’’. 

9 (2) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 

10 the Secretary of Agriculture. 

11 SEC. 3. WILDERNESS DESIGNATION, CARIBBEAN NATIONAL 

12 FOREST, PUERTO RICO. 

13 (a) EL TORO WILDERNESS.— 

14 (1) IN GENERAL.—In furtherance of the purposes 

15 of the Wilderness Act (16 U.S.C. 1131 et seq.), the ap16 proximately 10,000 acres of land in the Caribbean 

17 National Forest/Luquillo Experimental Forest in the 

18 Commonwealth of Puerto Rico as generally depicted 

19 on the map are designated as wilderness and as a 

20 component of the National Wilderness Preservation 

21 System. 

22 (2) DESIGNATION.—The land designated in 

23 paragraph (1) shall be known as the El Toro Wilder24 ness. 
3 

•HR 539 RH 

1 (3) WILDERNESS BOUNDARIES.—The El Toro 

2 Wilderness shall consist of the land generally depicted 

3 on the map. 

4 (b) MAP AND BOUNDARY DESCRIPTION.— 

5 (1) IN GENERAL.—As soon as practicable after 

6 the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary 

7 shall— 

8 (A) prepare a boundary description of the 

9 El Toro Wilderness; and 

10 (B) submit the map and the boundary de11 scription to the Committee on Energy and Nat12 ural Resources of the Senate and the Committee 

13 on Resources of the House of Representatives. 

14 (2) PUBLIC INSPECTION AND TREATMENT.—The 

15 map and the boundary description prepared under 

16 paragraph (1)(A)— 

17 (A) shall be on file and available for public 

18 inspection in the office of the Chief of the Forest 

19 Service; and 

20 (B) shall have the same force and effect as 

21 if included in this Act. 

22 (3) ERRORS.—The Secretary may correct clerical 

23 and typographical errors in the map and the bound24 ary description prepared under paragraph (1)(A). 

25 (c) ADMINISTRATION.— 
4 

•HR 539 RH 

1 (1) IN GENERAL.—Subject to valid existing 

2 rights, the Secretary shall administer the El Toro 

3 Wilderness in accordance with the Wilderness Act (16 

4 U.S.C. 1131 et seq.) and this Act. 

5 (2) EFFECTIVE DATE OF WILDERNESS ACT.— 

6 With respect to the El Toro Wilderness, any reference 

7 in the Wilderness Act (16 U.S.C. 1131 et seq.) to the 

8 effective date of that Act shall be deemed to be a ref9 erence to the date of the enactment of this Act. 

10 (d) SPECIAL MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS.—Con11 sistent with the Wilderness Act (16 U.S.C. 1131 et seq.), 

12 nothing in this Act precludes the installation and mainte13 nance of hydrologic, meteorological, climatological, or at14 mospheric data collection and remote transmission facili15 ties, or any combination of those facilities, in any case in 

16 which the Secretary determines that the facilities are essen17 tial to the scientific research purposes of the Luquillo Ex18 perimental Forest. 

Amend the title so as to read: ‘‘A bill to designate 

certain National Forest System land in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico as a component of the National 

Wilderness Preservation System.’’. 

Union Calendar No. 72 

109TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 539 

[Report No. 109–126] 

A BILL 

To designate certain National Forest System land 

System. nents of the National Wilderness Preservation in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico as compoJUNE 14, 2005 

Reported with amendments, committed to the Committee 

dered to be printed of the Whole House on the State of the Union, and or-