II 

116TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 1262 

To designate certain land administered by the Bureau of Land Management 

and the Forest Service in the State of Oregon as wilderness and national 

recreation areas, to withdraw certain land located in Curry County and 

Josephine County, Oregon, from all forms of entry, appropriation, or 

disposal under the public land laws, location, entry, and patent under 

the mining laws, and operation under the mineral leasing and geothermal 

leasing laws, and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

MAY 1, 2019 

Mr. WYDEN (for himself and Mr. MERKLEY) introduced the following bill; 

which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources 

A BILL 

To designate certain land administered by the Bureau of 

Land Management and the Forest Service in the State 

of Oregon as wilderness and national recreation areas, 

to withdraw certain land located in Curry County and 

Josephine County, Oregon, from all forms of entry, appropriation, or disposal under the public land laws, location, entry, and patent under the mining laws, and operation under the mineral leasing and geothermal leasing 

laws, 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, 


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1 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

2 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Oregon Recreation En3 hancement Act’’. 

4 SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 

5 In this Act: 

6 (1) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ 

7 means— 

8 (A) the Secretary of the Interior, with re9 spect to public land administered by the Sec10 retary of the Interior; or 

11 (B) the Secretary of Agriculture, with re12 spect to National Forest System land. 

13 (2) STATE.—The term ‘‘State’’ means the State 

14 of Oregon. 

15 SEC. 3. ROGUE CANYON AND MOLALLA RECREATION 

16 AREAS, OREGON. 

17 (a) DESIGNATION OF ROGUE CANYON AND MOLALLA

18 RECREATION AREAS.—For the purposes of protecting, 

19 conserving, and enhancing the unique and nationally im20 portant recreational, ecological, scenic, cultural, water21 shed, and fish and wildlife values of the areas, the fol22 lowing areas in the State are designated as recreation 

23 areas for management by the Secretary in accordance with 

24 subsection (c): 

25 (1) ROGUE CANYON RECREATION AREA.—The 

26 approximately 98,150 acres of Bureau of Land ManVerDate Sep 11 2014 22:26 May 03, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1262.IS S1262

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1 agement land within the boundary generally depicted 

2 as the ‘‘Rogue Canyon Recreation Area’’ on the map 

3 entitled ‘‘Rogue Canyon Recreation Area Wild 

4 Rogue Wilderness Additions’’ and dated October 10, 

5 2018, which is designated as the ‘‘Rogue Canyon 

6 Recreation Area’’. 

7 (2) MOLALLA RECREATION AREA.—The ap8 proximately 29,884 acres of Bureau of Land Man9 agement land within the boundary generally depicted 

10 on the map entitled ‘‘Molalla Recreation Area’’ and 

11 dated September 26, 2018, which is designated as 

12 the ‘‘Molalla Recreation Area’’. 

13 (b) MAPS AND LEGAL DESCRIPTIONS.— 

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

15 the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary 

16 shall prepare a map and legal description of each 

17 recreation area designated by subsection (a). 

18 (2) EFFECT.—The maps and legal descriptions 

19 prepared under paragraph (1) shall have the same 

20 force and effect as if included in this Act, except 

21 that the Secretary may correct any minor errors in 

22 the maps and legal descriptions. 

23 (3) PUBLIC AVAILABILITY.—The maps and 

24 legal descriptions prepared under paragraph (1) 


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1 shall be available for public inspection in the appro2 priate offices of the Bureau of Land Management. 

3 (c) ADMINISTRATION.— 

4 (1) APPLICABLE LAW.—The Secretary shall ad5 minister each recreation area designated by sub6 section (a)— 

7 (A) in a manner that conserves, protects, 

8 and enhances the purposes for which the recre9 ation area is established; and 

10 (B) in accordance with— 

11 (i) this section; 

12 (ii) the Federal Land Policy and Man13 agement Act of 1976 (43 U.S.C. 1701 et 

14 seq.); and 

15 (iii) other applicable laws. 

16 (2) USES.—The Secretary shall only allow those 

17 uses of a recreation area designated by subsection 

18 (a) that are consistent with the purposes for which 

19 the recreation area is established. 

20 (3) ROAD CONSTRUCTION.— 

21 (A) IN GENERAL.—Except as the Sec22 retary determines necessary for public safety, 

23 no new permanent or temporary roads shall be 

24 constructed (other than the repair and mainteVerDate Sep 11 2014 22:26 May 03, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1262.IS S1262

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1 nance of existing roads) within a recreation 

2 area designated by subsection (a). 

3 (B) EFFECT.—Nothing in this paragraph 

4 affects the administration by the Secretary of 

5 the Molalla Forest Road in accordance with ap6 plicable resource management plans. 

7 (4) VEGETATION MANAGEMENT.—Nothing in 

8 this section prohibits the Secretary from conducting 

9 vegetation management projects (including wildfire 

10 resiliency and forest health projects) within a recre11 ation area designated by subsection (a) to the extent 

12 consistent with the purposes of the recreation area. 

13 (5) WILDFIRE MANAGEMENT.—Nothing in this 

14 section alters the authority of the Secretary (in co15 operation with other Federal, State, and local agen16 cies, as appropriate) to conduct wildland fire oper17 ations within a recreation area designated by sub18 section (a), consistent with the purposes of this Act. 

19 (6) WITHDRAWAL.—Subject to valid existing 

20 rights, all Federal surface and subsurface land with21 in a recreation area designated by subsection (a) is 

22 withdrawn from all forms of— 

23 (A) entry, appropriation, or disposal under 

24 the public land laws; 


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1 (B) location, entry, and patent under the 

2 mining laws; and 

3 (C) disposition under all laws pertaining to 

4 mineral leasing, geothermal leasing, or mineral 

5 materials. 

6 (d) ADJACENT MANAGEMENT.—Nothing in this sec7 tion creates any protective perimeter or buffer zone 

8 around a recreation area designated by subsection (a). 

9 SEC. 4. EXPANSION OF WILD ROGUE WILDERNESS AREA. 

10 (a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

11 (1) MAP.—The term ‘‘map’’ means the map en12 titled ‘‘Rogue Canyon Recreation Area Wild Rogue 

13 Wilderness Additions’’ and dated October 10, 2018. 

14 (2) WILDERNESS ADDITIONS.—The term ‘‘Wil15 derness additions’’ means the land added to the Wild 

16 Rogue Wilderness under subsection (b)(1). 

17 (b) EXPANSION OF WILD ROGUE WILDERNESS

18 AREA.— 

19 (1) EXPANSION.—The approximately 59,512 

20 acres of Federal land in the State generally depicted 

21 on the map as ‘‘Proposed Wilderness’’ shall be 

22 added to and administered as part of the Wild 

23 Rogue Wilderness in accordance with the Endan24 gered American Wilderness Act of 1978 (16 U.S.C. 

25 1132 note; Public Law 95–237), except that— 


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1 (A) the Secretary of the Interior and the 

2 Secretary of Agriculture shall administer the 

3 Federal land under their respective jurisdiction; 

4 and 

5 (B) any reference in that Act to the Sec6 retary of Agriculture shall be considered to be 

7 a reference to the Secretary of Agriculture or 

8 the Secretary of the Interior, as applicable. 

9 (2) MAP; LEGAL DESCRIPTION.— 

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

11 after the date of enactment of this Act, the Sec12 retary shall prepare a map and legal description 

13 of the wilderness area designated by paragraph 

14 (1). 

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

16 description filed under subparagraph (A) shall 

17 have the same force and effect as if included in 

18 this section, except that the Secretary may cor19 rect typographical errors in the map and legal 

20 description. 

21 (C) PUBLIC AVAILABILITY.—The map and 

22 legal description filed under subparagraph (A) 

23 shall be on file and available for public inspec24 tion in the appropriate offices of the Bureau of 

25 Land Management and Forest Service. 


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1 (3) FIRE, INSECTS, AND DISEASE.—The Sec2 retary may take such measures within the Wilder3 ness additions as the Secretary determines to be 

4 necessary for the control of fire, insects, and disease, 

5 in accordance with section 4(d)(1) of the Wilderness 

6 Act (16 U.S.C. 1131(d)(1)). 

7 (4) WITHDRAWAL.—Subject to valid existing 

8 rights, the Wilderness additions are withdrawn from 

9 all forms of— 

10 (A) entry, appropriation, or disposal under 

11 the public land laws; 

12 (B) location, entry, and patent under the 

13 mining laws; and 

14 (C) disposition under all laws pertaining to 

15 mineral leasing, geothermal leasing, or mineral 

16 materials. 

17 (5) TRIBAL RIGHTS.—Nothing in this sub18 section alters, modifies, enlarges, diminishes, or ab19 rogates the treaty rights of any Indian Tribe. 

20 SEC. 5. WITHDRAWAL OF FEDERAL LAND, CURRY COUNTY 

21 AND JOSEPHINE COUNTY, OREGON. 

22 (a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

23 (1) ELIGIBLE FEDERAL LAND.—The term ‘‘eli24 gible Federal land’’ means— 


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1 (A) any federally owned land or interest in 

2 land depicted on the Maps as within the Hunter 

3 Creek and Pistol River Headwaters Withdrawal 

4 Proposal or the Rough and Ready and Baldface 

5 Creeks Mineral Withdrawal Proposal; or 

6 (B) any land or interest in land located 

7 within such withdrawal proposals that is ac8 quired by the Federal Government after the 

9 date of enactment of this Act. 

10 (2) MAPS.—The term ‘‘Maps’’ means— 

11 (A) the Bureau of Land Management map 

12 entitled ‘‘Hunter Creek and Pistol River Head13 waters Withdrawal Proposal’’ and dated Janu14 ary 12, 2015; and 

15 (B) the Bureau of Land Management map 

16 entitled ‘‘Rough and Ready and Baldface 

17 Creeks Mineral Withdrawal Proposal’’ and 

18 dated January 12, 2015. 

19 (b) WITHDRAWAL.—Subject to valid existing rights, 

20 the eligible Federal land is withdrawn from all forms of— 

21 (1) entry, appropriation, or disposal under the 

22 public land laws; 

23 (2) location, entry, and patent under the mining 

24 laws; and 


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1 (3) operation under the mineral leasing and 

2 geothermal leasing laws. 

3 (c) AVAILABILITY OF MAPS.—Not later than 30 days 

4 after the date of enactment of this Act, the Maps shall 

5 be made available to the public at each appropriate office 

6 of the Bureau of Land Management. 

7 (d) EXISTING USES NOT AFFECTED.—Except with 

8 respect to the withdrawal under subsection (b), nothing 

9 in this section restricts recreational uses, hunting, fishing, 

10 forest management activities, or other authorized uses al11 lowed on the date of enactment of this Act on the eligible 

12 Federal land in accordance with applicable law. 

Æ 


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