I 

111TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 6493 

To establish the boundary of the Curecanti National Recreation Area, and 

for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

DECEMBER 2, 2010 

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

Committee on Natural Resources 

A BILL 

To establish the boundary of the Curecanti National 

Recreation Area, 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 ‘‘Curecanti National 

5 Recreation Area Boundary Establishment Act of 2010’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

7 Congress finds the following: 

8 (1) Since 1965, the National Park Service has 

9 been co-managing the Curecanti National Recreation 


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1 Area under agreements with the Bureau of Reclama2 tion. 

3 (2) The Curecanti National Recreation Area 

4 has never been legislatively established. 

5 (3) Public Law 106–76 directed the National 

6 Park Service to conduct a study to assess the nat7 ural, cultural, recreational, and scenic resources 

8 within and surrounding Curecanti National Recre9 ation Area, and to identify and recommend a variety 

10 of alternatives and tools to protect those resource 

11 values and the character of the land. 

12 (4) The Curecanti National Recreation Area in13 cludes an abundance of natural, historic, and ar14 cheological features in a setting of canyons, pin15 nacles, cliffs, and mesas, offering the public opportu16 nities for recreation and reflection within its scenic 

17 landscape. 

18 (5) The National Park Service, in cooperation 

19 with the Bureau of Reclamation, completed the 

20 Curecanti Resource Protection Study/EIS, and pre21 pared a Report to Congress, October 2009, which 

22 recommends that Congress pass enabling legislation 

23 for the National Recreation Area. 

24 SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS. 

25 In this Act: 


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1 (1) MAP.—The term ‘‘map’’ means the map en2 titled ‘‘Map to Establish Curecanti National Recre3 ation Area’’, numbered 616/100485, and dated 

4 March 5, 2010. 

5 (2) NATIONAL RECREATION AREA.—The term 

6 ‘‘national recreation area’’ means the Curecanti Na7 tional Recreation Area, established in section 4. 

8 (3) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 

9 the Secretary of the Interior. 

10 SEC. 4. CURECANTI NATIONAL RECREATION AREA, COLO11 RADO. 

12 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established the 

13 Curecanti National Recreation Area in the State of Colo14 rado, as a unit of the National Park System, consisting 

15 of approximately 51,830 acres, as generally depicted on 

16 the map. 

17 (b) CONSERVATION OPPORTUNITY AREA.—There is 

18 established a conservation opportunity area, consisting of 

19 approximately 24,300 acres, as generally depicted on the 

20 map. 

21 (c) AVAILABILITY OF MAP.—The map shall be on file 

22 and available for public inspection in the appropriate of23 fices of the National Park Service. 


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1 SEC. 5. ADMINISTRATION OF NATIONAL RECREATION 

2 AREA. 

3 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall administer 

4 the national recreation area in accordance with this Act, 

5 the cooperative agreements described in this section, and 

6 with laws and regulations generally applicable to units of 

7 the National Park System, including the National Park 

8 Service Organic Act (39 Stat. 535, 16 U.S.C. 1). 

9 (b) DAM, POWER PLANT, AND RESERVOIR MANAGE10 MENT AND OPERATIONS.—Nothing in this Act shall affect 

11 or interfere with the authority of the Secretary under— 

12 (1) the National Reclamation Act (Public Law 

13 57–161; Stat. 388), as amended and supplemented, 

14 to operate the Uncompahgre Valley Reclamation 

15 Project; or 

16 (2) Public Law 84–485, as amended and sup17 plemented, to operate the Wayne N. Aspinall Unit of 

18 the Colorado River Storage Project. 

19 (c) COOPERATIVE AGREEMENTS.— 

20 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary may enter 

21 into, or modify existing, management agreements in22 volving the National Park Service, the Bureau of 

23 Reclamation, the Bureau of Land Management, or 

24 the Forest Service to manage Federal lands within 

25 the boundary of the national recreation area. 


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1 (2) STATE LANDS.—The Secretary may enter 

2 into cooperative management agreements for any 

3 lands administered by the State of Colorado that are 

4 within or adjacent to the national recreation area, 

5 pursuant to the cooperative management authority 

6 found in section 802(a) of the National Parks Omni7 bus Management Act of 1998 (Public Law 105– 

8 391). 

9 (d) RECREATIONAL ACTIVITIES.—The Secretary 

10 shall allow boating, boating-related activities, hunting, and 

11 fishing within the national recreation area in accordance 

12 with applicable Federal and State laws. The Secretary 

13 may designate zones where, and establish periods when, 

14 no boating, hunting, or fishing shall be permitted for rea15 sons of public safety. 

16 (e) CONSERVATION OPPORTUNITY AREA.—Within 

17 the boundaries of the conservation opportunity area estab18 lished under this Act, the Secretary is authorized to ac19 quire lands, or interests in lands, including conservation 

20 easements from willing sellers, and to provide technical as21 sistance to landowners in order to conserve resources and 

22 values identified as important to the national recreation 

23 area on lands that are outside but adjacent to the national 

24 recreation area. 


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1 (f) WITHDRAWAL.—Subject to valid existing rights, 

2 all Federal lands within the national recreation area are 

3 withdrawn from all forms of entry, appropriation, or dis4 posal under the public land laws; from location, entry, and 

5 patent under the mining laws; and from disposition under 

6 all laws relating to mineral and geothermal leasing, and 

7 all amendments thereto. 

8 (g) GRAZING.— 

9 (1) STATE OR PRIVATE LANDS.—On State or 

10 private lands acquired for the national recreation 

11 area on which authorized grazing is occurring on the 

12 date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary, in con13 sultation with the lessee, may allow the continuation 

14 of grazing on the land by the lessee at the time of 

15 acquisition, subject to applicable law (including reg16 ulations). 

17 (2) FEDERAL LAND.—Where grazing is allowed 

18 on land that is Federal land on the date of the en19 actment of this section and is located within the 

20 boundary of the national recreation area, the Sec21 retary is authorized to allow the continuation of 

22 such grazing unless the Secretary determines that 

23 grazing would harm the resources or values of the 

24 national recreation area. 


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1 (3) TERMINATION OF LEASES.—Nothing in this 

2 section shall prohibit the Secretary from accepting 

3 the voluntary termination of leases or permits for 

4 grazing within the national recreation area. 

5 SEC. 6. ACQUISITION OF PROPERTY AND BOUNDARY MAN6 AGEMENT. 

7 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary is authorized to ac8 quire from willing sellers lands, or interests in lands, with9 in the boundary of the national recreation area or the con10 servation opportunity area necessary for effective manage11 ment of the national recreation area. Lands acquired with12 in the conservation opportunity area shall be added to the 

13 national recreation area and the boundary of the national 

14 recreation area shall be adjusted accordingly. 

15 (b) ACQUISITION.—Lands identified in subsection (a) 

16 may be acquired by donation, purchase with donated or 

17 appropriated funds, transfer from another Federal agency, 

18 or exchange. Lands or interests in lands owned by the 

19 State of Colorado, or a political subdivision thereof, may 

20 only be acquired by donation or exchange. 

21 (c) EXCHANGES.—For purposes of management effi22 ciency and expanded recreational opportunities, the Sec23 retary is authorized to conduct land exchanges with the 

24 Secretary of Agriculture and between the National Park 

25 Service and the Bureau of Land Management. 


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1 (d) TRANSFER OF ADMINISTRATIVE JURISDIC2 TION.—The Secretary of Agriculture and the Bureau of 

3 Land Management shall transfer, without consideration, 

4 administrative jurisdiction for lands to be added to the 

5 national recreation area, as shown on the map, to the Na6 tional Park Service. The boundary of the Gunnison Na7 tional Forest shall be modified to reflect the transfer of 

8 administrative jurisdiction from the Secretary of Agri9 culture. 

10 SEC. 7. GENERAL MANAGEMENT PLAN. 

11 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 3 years after the 

12 date on which funds are made available to carry out this 

13 Act, the National Park Service, in consultation with the 

14 Bureau of Reclamation, shall prepare a general manage15 ment plan for the national recreation area. 

16 (b) INCLUSIONS.—The general management plan 

17 shall include, at a minimum— 

18 (1) measures for the preservation of the re19 sources of the national recreation area; 

20 (2) requirements for the type and extent of de21 velopment and use of the national recreation area; 

22 (3) identification of visitor carrying capacities 

23 for the national recreation area; and 

24 (4) opportunities for involvement by the Bureau 

25 of Reclamation, the Bureau of Land Management, 


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1 the Forest Service, the State of Colorado, and other 

2 local and national entities in the formulation of edu3 cational and recreational programs for the national 

4 recreation area and for developing and supporting 

5 the national recreation area. 

Æ 


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