II 

108TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 2342

To designate additional National Forest System lands in the State of Virginia 

as wilderness, to establish the Seng Mountain and Crawfish Valley Scenic 

Areas, to provide for the development of trail plans for the wilderness 

areas and scenic areas, and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

APRIL 22, 2004

Mr. WARNER introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred 

to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry 

A BILL

To designate additional National Forest System lands in 

the State of Virginia as wilderness, to establish the Seng 

Mountain and Crawfish Valley Scenic Areas, to provide 

for the development of trail plans for the wilderness 

areas and scenic areas, 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 ‘‘Virginia Ridge and 

5 Valley Wilderness and National Scenic Areas Act of 

6 2004’’. 
2

•S 2342 IS 

1 SEC. 2. DESIGNATION OF ADDITIONAL NATIONAL FOREST 

2 SYSTEM LANDS AS WILDERNESS IN VIRGINIA. 

3 Section 1 of the Act entitled ‘‘An Act to designate 

4 certain National Forest System lands in the States of Vir5 ginia and West Virginia as wilderness areas’’, approved 

6 June 7, 1988 (Public Law 100–326; 16 U.S.C. 1132 

7 note), as amended by Public Law 106–471 (114 Stat. 

8 2057), is further amended— 

9 (1) by striking ‘‘and’’ at the end of paragraph 

10 (7); 

11 (2) by striking the period at the end of para12 graph (8) and inserting a semicolon; and 

13 (3) by adding at the end the following new 

14 paragraphs: 

15 ‘‘(9) certain lands in the Jefferson National 

16 Forest, which comprise approximately 3,844 acres, 

17 as generally depicted on a map entitled ‘Brush 

18 Mountain and Brush Mountain East’, dated Feb19 ruary 12, 2004, and which shall be known as the 

20 Brush Mountain East Wilderness; 

21 ‘‘(10) certain lands in the Jefferson National 

22 Forest, which comprise approximately 4,707 acres, 

23 as generally depicted on a map entitled ‘Brush 

24 Mountain and Brush Mountain East’, dated Feb25 ruary 12, 2004, and which shall be known as the 

26 Brush Mountain Wilderness; 
3

•S 2342 IS 

1 ‘‘(11) certain lands in the Jefferson National 

2 Forest, which comprise approximately 4,384 acres, 

3 as generally depicted on a map entitled ‘Seng Moun4 tain and Raccoon Branch’, dated February 12, 

5 2004, and which shall be known as the Raccoon 

6 Branch Wilderness; 

7 ‘‘(12) certain lands in the Jefferson National 

8 Forest, which comprise approximately 3,300 acres, 

9 as generally depicted on a map entitled ‘Stone 

10 Mountain’, dated February 12, 2004, and which 

11 shall be known as the Stone Mountain Wilderness; 

12 ‘‘(13) certain lands in the Jefferson National 

13 Forest, which comprise approximately 5,573 acres, 

14 as generally depicted on a map entitled ‘Mountain 

15 Lake Additions’, dated February 12, 2004, and 

16 which are hereby incorporated in the Mountain Lake 

17 Wilderness; 

18 ‘‘(14) certain lands in the Jefferson National 

19 Forest, which comprise approximately 748 acres, as 

20 generally depicted on a map entitled ‘Lewis Fork 

21 Addition and Little Wilson Creek Additions’, dated 

22 February 12, 2004, and which are hereby incor23 porated in the Lewis Fork Wilderness; 

24 ‘‘(15) certain lands in the Jefferson National 

25 Forest, which comprise approximately 1,862 acres, 
4

•S 2342 IS 

1 as generally depicted on a map entitled ‘Lewis Fork 

2 Addition and Little Wilson Creek Additions’, dated 

3 February 12, 2004, and which are hereby incor4 porated in the Little Wilson Creek Wilderness; 

5 ‘‘(16) certain lands in the Jefferson National 

6 Forest, which comprise approximately 2,789 acres, 

7 as generally depicted on a map entitled ‘Shawvers 

8 Run Additions’, dated February 12, 2004, and 

9 which are hereby incorporated in the Shawvers Run 

10 Wilderness; and 

11 ‘‘(17) certain lands in the Jefferson National 

12 Forest, which comprise approximately 1,570 acres, 

13 as generally depicted on a map entitled ‘Peters 

14 Mountain Addition’, dated February 12, 2004, and 

15 which are hereby incorporated in the Peters Moun16 tain Wilderness.’’. 

17 SEC. 3. SENG MOUNTAIN AND CRAWFISH VALLEY SCENIC 

18 AREAS, JEFFERSON NATIONAL FOREST, VIR19 GINIA. 

20 (a) ESTABLISHMENT OF SCENIC AREAS.— 

21 (1) ESTABLISHMENT.—The following National 

22 Forest System lands in the State of Virginia are 

23 hereby designated as National Scenic Areas (in this 

24 section referred to as the ‘‘scenic areas’’): 
5

•S 2342 IS 

1 (A) Certain lands in the Jefferson Na2 tional Forest, which comprise approximately 

3 6,455 acres, as generally depicted on a map en4 titled ‘‘Seng Mountain and Raccoon Branch’’, 

5 dated February 12, 2004, and which shall be 

6 known as the Seng Mountain National Scenic 

7 Area. 

8 (B) Certain lands in the Jefferson Na9 tional Forest, which comprise approximately 

10 5,400 acres, as generally depicted on a map en11 titled ‘‘Crawfish Valley’’ dated February 12, 

12 2004, and which shall be known as the Craw13 fish Valley National Scenic Area. 

14 (2) MAPS AND DESCRIPTIONS.—As soon as 

15 practicable after the date of the enactment of this 

16 Act, the Secretary of Agriculture shall file a map 

17 and boundary description of the scenic areas with 

18 the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and For19 estry of the Senate and the Committee on Agri20 culture of the House of Representatives. The map 

21 and description shall have the same force and effect 

22 as if included in this Act, except that the Secretary 

23 may correct clerical and typographical errors in the 

24 map and description. The map and boundary de25 scription shall be on file and available for public in-
6

•S 2342 IS 

1 spection in the Office of the Chief of the Forest 

2 Service, Department of Agriculture. In the case of 

3 any discrepancy between the acreage specified in 

4 paragraph (1) and the map filed under this para5 graph, the map shall control. 

6 (b) PURPOSES OF SCENIC AREAS.—The scenic areas 

7 are established for the purposes of— 

8 (1) ensuring the protection and preservation of 

9 scenic quality, water quality, natural characteristics, 

10 and water resources; 

11 (2) protecting wildlife and fish habitat, con12 sistent with paragraph (1); 

13 (3) protecting areas that may develop charac14 teristics of old-growth forests; and 

15 (4) providing a variety of recreation opportuni16 ties, consistent with the preceding paragraphs. 

17 (c) ADMINISTRATION.— 

18 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Agriculture 

19 shall administer the scenic areas in accordance with 

20 this section and the laws and regulations generally 

21 applicable to the National Forest System. In the 

22 event of conflict between this section and other laws 

23 and regulations, this section shall take precedence. 

24 (2) CONSISTENT USE.—The Secretary shall 

25 only allow such uses of the scenic areas as the Sec-
7

•S 2342 IS 

1 retary finds will further the purposes for which the 

2 scenic areas are established. 

3 (d) MANAGEMENT PLAN.—Within two years after the 

4 date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Agri5 culture shall develop a management plan for the scenic 

6 areas consistent with this section. The management plan 

7 shall be developed as an amendment to the land and re8 source management plan for the Jefferson National For9 est, except that nothing in this section requires the Sec10 retary to revise the land and resource management plan 

11 for the Jefferson National Forest pursuant to section 6 

12 of the Forest and Rangeland Renewable Resources Plan13 ning Act of 1974 (16 U.S.C. 1604). 

14 (e) ROADS.—After the date of the enactment of this 

15 Act, no roads shall be established or constructed within 

16 the scenic areas, except that this prohibition shall not be 

17 construed to deny access to private lands or interests 

18 therein in the scenic areas. 

19 (f) VEGETATION MANAGEMENT.—No timber harvest 

20 shall be allowed within the scenic areas, except as the Sec21 retary of Agriculture finds necessary in the control of fire, 

22 insects, and diseases and to provide for public safety and 

23 trail access. Notwithstanding the preceding sentence, the 

24 Secretary may engage in vegetation manipulation prac25 tices for maintenance of existing wildlife clearings and vis-
8

•S 2342 IS 

1 ual quality. Firewood may be harvested for personal use 

2 along perimeter roads under such conditions as the Sec3 retary may impose. 

4 (g) MOTORIZED TRAVEL.—Motorized travel shall not 

5 be permitted within the scenic areas, except that the Sec6 retary of Agriculture may authorize motorized travel with7 in the scenic area— 

8 (1) as necessary for administrative use in fur9 therance of the purposes of this section; 

10 (2) in support of wildlife management projects 

11 in existence as of the date of the enactment of this 

12 Act; and 

13 (3) on Forest Development Road 9410 and 84b 

14 during deer and bear hunting seasons. 

15 (h) FIRE.—Wildfires in the scenic area shall be sup16 pressed in a manner consistent with the purposes of this 

17 section, using such means as the Secretary of Agriculture 

18 considers appropriate. 

19 (i) INSECTS AND DISEASE.—Insect and disease out20 breaks may be controlled in the scenic areas to maintain 

21 scenic quality, prevent tree mortality, reduce hazards to 

22 visitors, or protect private lands. 

23 (j) WATER.—The Secretary of Agriculture shall ad24 minister the scenic areas so as to maintain and enhance 

25 water quality. 
9

•S 2342 IS 

1 (k) MINING WITHDRAWAL.—Subject to valid existing 

2 rights, all federally owned lands in the scenic areas are 

3 withdrawn from location, entry, and patent under the min4 ing laws of the United States and from leasing claims 

5 under the mineral and geothermal leasing laws of the 

6 United States, including amendments to such laws. 

7 SEC. 4. TRAIL PLAN AND DEVELOPMENT. 

8 (a) TRAIL PLAN.—The Secretary of Agriculture shall 

9 establish, in consultation with interested parties, a trail 

10 plan for National Forest System lands described in this 

11 paragraph in order to develop the following: 

12 (1) Hiking and equestrian trails within the wil13 derness areas designated by the amendments made 

14 by section 2, in a manner consistent with the Wil15 derness Act (16 U.S.C. 1131 et seq.). 

16 (2) Nonmotorized recreation trails within the 

17 scenic areas designated by section 3. 

18 (b) IMPLEMENTATION REPORT.—Within two years 

19 after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary 

20 of Agriculture shall submit to Congress a report on the 

21 implementation of the trail plan, including the identifica22 tion of priority trails for development. 

23 (c) TRAIL AUTHORIZATION.—The Secretary of Agri24 culture is authorized to develop trails to provide a contin25 uous connection for nonmotorized travel between County 
10

•S 2342 IS 

1 Route 650 and Forest Development Road 4018 along the 

2 old Rye Valley Railroad Grade in Smyth County, Virginia, 

3 as recorded on the map entitled ‘‘Seng Mountain and Rac4 coon Branch’’ and dated February 12, 2004.

Æ