I 

108TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 5231

To designate the Piedras Blancas Light Station and the surrounding public 

land as an Outstanding Natural Area to be administered as a part 

of the National Landscape Conservation System, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

OCTOBER 6, 2004

Mrs. CAPPS introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee 

on Resources 

A BILL

To designate the Piedras Blancas Light Station and the 

surrounding public land as an Outstanding Natural Area 

to be administered as a part of the National Landscape 

Conservation System, 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; DEFINITIONS. 

4 (a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the 

5 ‘‘Piedras Blancas Historic Light Station Outstanding 

6 Natural Area Act of 2004’’. 

7 (b) DEFINITIONS.—For the purposes of this Act, the 

8 following definitions apply: 
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1 (1) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 

2 the Secretary of the Interior. 

3 (2) LIGHT STATION.—The term ‘‘Light Sta4 tion’’ means Piedras Blancas Light Station. 

5 (3) PUBLIC LANDS.—The term ‘‘public lands’’ 

6 has the meaning stated in section 103(e) of the Fed7 eral Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 (43 

8 U.S.C. 1703(e)). 

9 (4) OUTSTANDING NATURAL AREA.—The term 

10 ‘‘Outstanding Natural Area’’ means the Piedras 

11 Blancas Historic Light Station Outstanding Natural 

12 Area established pursuant to section 3. 

13 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

14 Congress finds as follows: 

15 (1) The publicly owned Piedras Blancas Light 

16 Station has nationally recognized historical struc17 tures that should be preserved for present and fu18 ture generations. 

19 (2) The coastline adjacent to the Light Station 

20 is internationally recognized as having significant 

21 wildlife and marine habitat that provides critical in22 formation to research institutions throughout the 

23 world. 

24 (3) The Light Station tells an important story 

25 about California’s coastal prehistory and history in 
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1 the context of the surrounding region and commu2 nities. 

3 (4) The coastal area surrounding the Light Sta4 tion was traditionally used by Indian people, includ5 ing the Chumash and Salinan Indian tribes. 

6 (5) The Light Station is historically associated 

7 with the nearby world-famous Hearst Castle (Hearst 

8 San Simeon State Historical Monument), now ad9 ministered by the State of California. 

10 (6) The Light Station represents a model part11 nership where future management can be success12 fully accomplished among the Federal Government, 

13 the State of California, San Luis Obispo County, 

14 local communities, and private groups. 

15 (7) Piedras Blancas Historic Light Station 

16 Outstanding Natural Area would make a significant 

17 addition to the National Landscape Conservation 

18 System administered by the Department of the Inte19 rior’s Bureau of Land Management. 

20 (8) Statutory protection is needed for the Light 

21 Station and its surrounding Federal lands to ensure 

22 that it remains a part of our historic, cultural, and 

23 natural heritage and to be a source of inspiration for 

24 the people of the United States. 
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1 SEC. 3. DESIGNATION OF THE PIEDRAS BLANCAS HISTORIC 

2 LIGHT STATION OUTSTANDING NATURAL 

3 AREA. 

4 (a) IN GENERAL.—In order to protect, conserve, and 

5 enhance for the benefit and enjoyment of present and fu6 ture generations the unique and nationally important his7 torical, natural, cultural, scientific, educational, scenic, 

8 and recreational values of certain lands in and around the 

9 Piedras Blancas Light Station, in San Luis Obispo Coun10 ty, California, while allowing certain recreational and re11 search activities to continue, there is established, subject 

12 to valid existing rights, the Piedras Blancas Historic Light 

13 Station Outstanding Natural Area. 

14 (b) MAPS AND LEGAL DESCRIPTIONS.—The bound15 aries of the Outstanding Natural Area as those shown on 

16 the map entitled ‘‘Piedras Blancas Historic Light Station: 

17 Outstanding Natural Area’’, dated May 5, 2004, which 

18 shall be on file and available for public inspection in the 

19 Office of the Director, Bureau of Land Management, 

20 United States Department of the Interior, and the State 

21 office of the Bureau of Land Management in the State 

22 of California. 

23 (c) BASIS OF MANAGEMENT.—The Secretary shall 

24 manage the Outstanding Natural Area as part of the Na25 tional Landscape Conservation System to protect the re26 sources of the area, and shall allow only those uses that 
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1 further the purposes for the establishment of the Out2 standing Natural Area, the Federal Land Policy and Man3 agement Act of 1976 (43 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.), and other 

4 applicable laws. 

5 (d) WITHDRAWAL.—Subject to valid existing rights, 

6 and in accordance with the existing withdrawal as set 

7 forth in Public Land Order 7501 (Oct. 12, 2001, Vol. 66, 

8 No. 198, Federal Register 52149), the Federal lands and 

9 interests in lands included within the Outstanding Natural 

10 Area are hereby withdrawn from—

11 (1) all forms of entry, appropriation, or disposal 

12 under the public land laws; 

13 (2) location, entry, and patent under the public 

14 land mining laws; and 

15 (3) operation of the mineral leasing and geo16 thermal leasing laws and the mineral materials laws. 

17 SEC. 4. MANAGEMENT OF THE PIEDRAS BLANCAS HIS18 TORIC LIGHT STATION OUTSTANDING NAT19 URAL AREA. 

20 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall manage the 

21 Outstanding Natural Area in a manner that conserves, 

22 protects, and enhances the unique and nationally impor23 tant historical, natural, cultural, scientific, educational, 

24 scenic, and recreational values of that area, including an 
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1 emphasis on preserving and restoring the Light Station 

2 facilities, consistent with the requirements section 3(c). 

3 (b) USES.—Subject to valid existing rights, the Sec4 retary shall only allow such uses of the Outstanding Nat5 ural Area as the Secretary finds are likely to further the 

6 purposes for which the Outstanding Natural Area is estab7 lished as set forth in section 3(a). 

8 (c) MANAGEMENT PLAN.—Not later than 3 years 

9 after of the date of the enactment of this Act, the Sec10 retary shall complete a comprehensive management plan 

11 consistent with the requirements of section 202 of the 

12 Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 (43 

13 U.S.C. 1712) to provide long-term management guidance 

14 for the public lands within the Outstanding Natural Area 

15 and fulfill the purposes for which it is established, as set 

16 forth in section 3(a). The management plan shall be devel17 oped in consultation with appropriate Federal, State, and 

18 local government agencies, with full public participation, 

19 and the contents shall include—

20 (1) provisions designed to ensure the protection 

21 of the resources and values described in section 3(a); 

22 (2) objectives to restore the historic Light Sta23 tion and ancillary buildings; 

24 (3) an implementation plan for a continuing 

25 program of interpretation and public education 
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1 about the Light Station and its importance to the 

2 surrounding community; 

3 (4) a proposal for minimal administrative and 

4 public facilities to be developed or improved at a 

5 level compatible with achieving the resources objec6 tives for the Outstanding Natural Area as described 

7 in subsection (a) and with other proposed manage8 ment activities to accommodate visitors and re9 searchers to the Outstanding Natural Area; and 

10 (5) cultural resources management strategies 

11 for the Outstanding Natural Area, prepared in con12 sultation with appropriate departments of the State 

13 of California, with emphasis on the preservation of 

14 the resources of the Outstanding Natural Area and 

15 the interpretive, education, and long-term scientific 

16 uses of the resources, giving priority to the enforce17 ment of the Archaeological Resources Protection Act 

18 of 1979 (16 U.S.C. 470aa et seq.) and the National 

19 Historic Preservation Act (16 U.S.C. 470 et seq.) 

20 within the Outstanding Natural Area. 

21 (d) COOPERATIVE AGREEMENTS.—In order to better 

22 implement the management plan and to continue the suc23 cessful partnerships with the local communities and the 

24 Hearst San Simeon State Historical Monument, adminis25 tered by the California Department of Parks and Recre-
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1 ation, the Secretary may enter into cooperative agree2 ments with the appropriate Federal, State, and local agen3 cies pursuant to section 307(b) of the Federal Land Man4 agement Policy and Management Act of 1976 (43 U.S.C. 

5 1737(b)). 

6 (e) RESEARCH ACTIVITIES.—In order to continue the 

7 successful partnership with research organizations and 

8 agencies and to assist in the development and implementa9 tion of the management plan, the Secretary may authorize 

10 within the Outstanding Natural Area appropriate research 

11 activities for the purposes identified in section 3(a) and 

12 pursuant to section 307(a) of the Federal Land Policy and 

13 Management Act of 1976 (43 U.S.C. 1737(a)). 

14 (f) ACQUISITION.—State and privately held lands or 

15 interests in lands adjacent to the Outstanding Natural 

16 Area and identified as appropriate for acquisition in the 

17 management plan may be acquired by the Secretary as 

18 part of the Outstanding Natural Area only by—

19 (1) donation; 

20 (2) exchange with a willing party; or 

21 (3) purchase from a willing seller. 

22 (g) ADDITIONS TO THE OUTSTANDING NATURAL

23 AREA.—Any lands or interest in lands adjacent to the 

24 Outstanding Natural Area acquired by the United States 

25 after the date of the enactment of this Act shall be added 
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1 to and administered as part of the Outstanding Natural 

2 Area. 

3 (h) OVERFLIGHTS.—Nothing in this Act or the man4 agement plan shall be construed to—

5 (1) restrict or preclude overflights, including 

6 low level overflights, military, commercial, and gen7 eral aviation overflights that can be seen or heard 

8 within the Outstanding Natural Area; 

9 (2) restrict or preclude the designation or cre10 ation of new units of special use airspace or the es11 tablishment of military flight training routes over 

12 the Outstanding Natural Area; or 

13 (3) modify regulations governing low-level over14 flights above the adjacent Monterey Bay National 

15 Marine Sanctuary. 

16 (i) LAW ENFORCEMENT ACTIVITIES.—Nothing in 

17 this Act shall be construed to preclude or otherwise affect 

18 coastal border security operations or other law enforce19 ment activities by the Coast Guard or other agencies with20 in the Department of Homeland Security, the Department 

21 of Justice, or any other Federal, State, and local law en22 forcement agencies within the Outstanding Natural Area. 

23 (j) NATIVE AMERICAN USES AND INTERESTS.—In 

24 recognition of the past use of the Outstanding Natural 

25 Area by Indians and Indian tribes for traditional cultural 
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1 and religious purposes, the Secretary shall ensure access 

2 to the Outstanding Natural Area by Indians and Indian 

3 tribes for such traditional cultural and religious purposes. 

4 In implementing this section, the Secretary, upon the re5 quest of an Indian tribe or Indian religious community, 

6 shall temporarily close to the general public use of one 

7 or more specific portions of the Outstanding Natural Area 

8 in order to protect the privacy of traditional cultural and 

9 religious activities in such areas by the Indian tribe or In10 dian religious community. Any such closure shall be made 

11 to affect the smallest practicable area for the minimum 

12 period necessary for such purposes. Such access shall be 

13 consistent with the purpose and intent of Public Law 95–

14 341 (42 U.S.C. 1996 et seq.; commonly referred to as the 

15 ‘‘American Indian Religious Freedom Act’’). 

16 (k) NO BUFFER ZONES.—The designation of the 

17 Outstanding Natural Area is not intended to lead to the 

18 creation of protective perimeters or buffer zones around 

19 area. The fact that activities outside the Outstanding Nat20 ural Area and not consistent with the purposes of this Act 

21 can be seen or heard within the Outstanding Natural Area 

22 shall not, of itself, preclude such activities or uses up to 

23 the boundary of the Outstanding Natural Area. 
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1 SEC. 5. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 

2 There are authorized to be appropriated such sums 

3 as are necessary to carry out this Act.

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