I

103D CONGRESS

1ST SESSION H. R. 2473

To designate certain National Forest lands in the State of Montana as

wilderness, to release other National Forest lands in the State of Montana for multiple use management, and for other purposes.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

JUNE 18, 1993

Mr. WILLIAMS introduced the following bill; which was referred jointly to the

Committees on Agriculture and Natural Resources

A BILL

To designate certain National Forest lands in the State

of Montana as wilderness, to release other National Forest lands in the State of Montana for multiple use management, 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 referred to as the ‘‘Round 16 of

5 the Montana Wilderness Act 1993’’.

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSES.

7 (a) FINDINGS.—The Congress finds that—
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1 (1) Many areas of undeveloped National Forest

2 System lands in the State of Montana possess out3 standing natural characteristics which give them

4 high value as wilderness and will, if properly pre5 served, contribute as an enduring resource of wild

6 land for the benefit of the American people.

7 (2) The existing Department of Agriculture

8 Land and Resource Management Plans for Forest

9 System lands in the State of Montana have identi10 fied areas which, on the basis of their land form,

11 ecosystem, associated wildlife, and location will help

12 to fulfill the National Forest System’s share of a

13 quality National Wilderness Preservation System.

14 (3) The existing Department of Agriculture

15 Land and Resource Management Plans for National

16 Forest System lands in the State of Montana and

17 the related congressional review of such lands have

18 also identified areas that do not possess outstanding

19 wilderness attributes or possess outstanding energy,

20 mineral, timber, grazing, dispersed recreation, or

21 other values. Such areas should not be designated as

22 components of the National Wilderness Preservation

23 System but should be available for multiple uses

24 under the land management planning process and

25 other applicable law.
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1 (4) Montanans and those interested in Mon2 tana’s wildlands have been fully involved in the for3 mulation of this wilderness proposal. That the wil4 derness designations recommended in this legislation

5 have been developed with the support of Montana

6 wilderness advocates and is therefore the product of

7 years of negotiations.

8 (b) PURPOSES.—The purposes of this Act are to—

9 (1) designate certain National Forest System

10 lands in the State of Montana as components of the

11 National Wilderness Preservation System, in fur12 therance of the purposes of the Wilderness Act (16

13 U.S.C. 1131 et seq.), in order to preserve the wilder14 ness character of the land and to protect watersheds

15 and wildlife habitat, preserve scenic and historic re16 sources, and promote scientific research, primitive

17 recreation, solitude, and physical and mental chal18 lenge; and

19 (2) ensure that certain other National Forest

20 System lands in the State of Montana will be man21 aged under the national forest land and resource

22 management plans.

23 SEC. 3. WILDERNESS DESIGNATIONS.

24 (a) DESIGNATION.—In furtherance of the purposes of

25 the Wilderness Act of 1964, the following lands in the
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1 State of Montana are designated as wilderness and, there2 fore, as components of the National Wilderness Preserva3 tion System:

4 (1) Certain lands in the Beaverhead, Bitterroot,

5 and Deerlodge National Forests, which comprise ap6 proximately 31,660 acres, as generally depicted on a

7 map entitled ‘‘Anaconda-Pintler Wilderness Addi8 tions—Proposed’’ (North Big Hole, Storm Lake,

9 Upper East Fork), dated June 1993, and which are

10 hereby incorporated in and shall be deemed to be a

11 part of the Anaconda-Pintler Wilderness.

12 (2) Certain lands in the Beaverhead National

13 Forest, which comprise approximately 29,200 acres,

14 as generally depicted on a map entitled ‘‘Italian

15 Peaks Wilderness—Proposed’’, dated June 1993,

16 and which shall be known as the Italian Peaks Unit

17 of the Great Divide Wilderness.

18 (3) Certain lands in the Beaverhead National

19 Forest, which comprise approximately 79,600 acres,

20 as generally depicted on a map entitled ‘‘East Pio21 neer Wilderness—Proposed’’, dated June 1993, and

22 which shall be known as the East Pioneer Wilder23 ness.

24 (4) Certain lands in the Beaverhead National

25 Forest, Montana, comprising approximately 35,000
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1 acres, as generally depicted on a map entitled ‘‘West

2 Big Hole Wilderness—Proposed’’, dated June 1993,

3 and which shall be known as the West Big Hole

4 Unit of the Great Divide Wilderness.

5 (5) Certain lands in the Bitterroot, Deerlodge,

6 and Lolo National Forests, which comprise approxi7 mately 64,800 acres, as generally depicted on a map

8 entitled ‘‘Stony Mountain Wilderness—Proposed’’,

9 dated June 1993, and which shall be known as the

10 Stony Mountain Wilderness.

11 (6) Certain lands in the Bitterroot and Lolo

12 National Forests, which comprise approximately

13 55,600 acres, as generally depicted on maps entitled

14 ‘‘Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness Additions—Pro15 posed’’, dated June 1993, and which are hereby in16 corporated in and shall be deemed to be a part of

17 the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness.

18 (7) Certain lands in the Custer National For19 est, which comprise approximately 9,400 acres, as

20 generally depicted on a map entitled ‘‘Lost Water

21 Canyon Wilderness—Proposed’’, dated June 1993,

22 and which shall be known as the Lost Water Canyon

23 Wilderness.

24 (8) Certain lands in the Custer National For25 est, which comprise approximately 28,000 acres, as
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1 generally depicted on a map entitled ‘‘Custer Absa2 roka Beartooth Wilderness Additions—Proposed’’

3 (Burnt Mountain, Timberline Creek, Stateline, Line

4 Creek Plateau, and Mystic Lake), dated June 1993,

5 and which are hereby incorporated in and shall be

6 deemed to be a part of the Absaroka Beartooth Wil7 derness.

8 (9) Certain lands in the Deerlodge and Helena

9 National Forests, which comprise approximately

10 19,000 acres, as generally depicted on a map enti11 tled ‘‘Blackfoot Meadow-Electric Peak Wilderness—

12 Proposed’’, dated June 1993, and which shall be

13 known as the Blackfoot Meadow Unit of the Great

14 Divide Wilderness.

15 (10) Certain lands in the Flathead and

16 Kootenai National Forests, which comprise approxi17 mately 118,000 acres, as generally depicted on a

18 map entitled ‘‘North Fork Wilderness—Proposed

19 (Tuchuck, Thompson-Seton, and Mount Hefty)’’,

20 dated June 1993, and which shall be known as the

21 North Fork Wilderness.

22 (11) Certain lands in the Flathead, Helena,

23 Lolo, and Lewis and Clark National Forests, which

24 comprise approximately 254,600 acres, as generally

25 depicted on maps entitled ‘‘Arnold Bolle Additions to
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1 the Bob Marshall Wilderness—Proposed’’ (Silver

2 King-Falls Creek, Renshaw, Clearwater-Monture,

3 Deep Creek, Teton High Peak, Volcano Reef, Slip4 pery Bill, Limestone Cave, Choteau Mountain, and

5 Crown Mountain), dated June 1993, which shall be

6 known as the Arnold Bolle-Bob Marshall Wilderness

7 Additions and are incorporated in and shall be

8 deemed to be a part of the Bob Marshall Wilderness.

9 (12) Certain lands in the Flathead National

10 Forest, which comprise approximately 960 acres, as

11 generally depicted on a map entitled ‘‘Mission Moun12 tains Wilderness Additions—Proposed’’, dated June

13 1993, and which are hereby incorporated in and

14 shall be deemed to be a part of the Mission Moun15 tain Wilderness.

16 (13) Certain lands in the Flathead and Lolo

17 National Forests, comprising approximately 175,500

18 acres, as generally depicted on maps entitled ‘‘Jewel

19 Basin/Swan Wilderness—Proposed’’, dated June

20 1993. Those lands contiguous to the west slope of

21 the Bob Marshall Wilderness referred to in this

22 paragraph are hereby incorporated in and shall be

23 deemed to be a part of the Bob Marshall Wilderness,

24 while the remaining lands shall be known as the

25 Swan Crest Wilderness.
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1 (14) Certain lands in the Gallatin National

2 Forest, which comprise approximately 14,440 acres,

3 as generally depicted on a map entitled ‘‘Gallatin

4 Absaroka Beartooth Wilderness Additions—Pro5 posed’’ (Dexter Point, Tie Creek and Mt. Rae),

6 dated June 1993, and which are hereby incorporated

7 in and shall be deemed to be a part of the Absaroka

8 Beartooth Wilderness.

9 (15) Certain lands in the Gallatin and Beaver10 head National Forests, which comprise approxi11 mately 20,100 acres, as generally depicted on a map

12 entitled ‘‘Lee Metcalf Cowboys Heaven Addition—

13 Proposed’’, dated June 1993, and which are hereby

14 incorporated in and shall be deemed to be a part of

15 the Lee Metcalf Wilderness.

16 (16) Certain lands in the Gallatin National

17 Forest, which comprise approximately 18,300 acres,

18 as generally depicted on a map entitled ‘‘Earthquake

19 Wilderness—Proposed’’, dated June 1993, and

20 which shall be known as the Earthquake Unit of the

21 Great Divide Wilderness.

22 (17) Certain lands in the Helena National For23 est, which comprise approximately 19,900 acres, as

24 generally depicted on a map entitled ‘‘Camas Creek

25 Wilderness—Proposed’’, dated June 1993, and
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1 which shall be known as the Camas Creek Wilder2 ness.

3 (18) Certain lands in the Helena National For4 est, which comprise approximately 15,000 acres, as

5 generally depicted on a map entitled ‘‘Mount Baldy

6 Wilderness—Proposed’’, dated June 1993, and

7 which shall be known as the Mount Baldy Wilder8 ness.

9 (19) Certain lands in the Helena National For10 est, Montana, which comprise approximately 10,000

11 acres, as generally depicted on a map entitled

12 ‘‘Gates of the Mountains Wilderness Additions—

13 Proposed’’ (Big Log), dated June 1993, and which

14 are hereby incorporated in and shall be deemed to

15 be part of the Gates of the Mountain Wilderness.

16 (20) Certain lands in the Helena National For17 est, which comprise approximately 10,700 acres, as

18 generally depicted on a map entitled ‘‘Black Moun19 tain Wilderness—Proposed’’, dated June 1993, and

20 which shall be known as the Black Mountain Unit

21 of the Great Divide Wilderness.

22 (21) Certain lands in the Kootenai National

23 Forest, which comprise approximately 34,840 acres,

24 as generally depicted on a map entitled ‘‘Cabinet

25 Mountains Wilderness Additions—Proposed’’, dated
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1 June 1993, and which are hereby incorporated in

2 and shall be deemed to be part of the Cabinet Moun3 tains Wilderness.

4 (22) Certain lands in the Kaniksu and Kootenai

5 National Forest, which comprise approximately

6 50,000 acres, as generally depicted on a map enti7 tled ‘‘Scotchman Peaks Wilderness—Proposed’’,

8 dated June 1993, which shall be known as the

9 Scotchman Peaks Wilderness.

10 (23) Certain lands in the Kootenai National

11 Forest which comprise approximately 22,000 acres,

12 as generally depicted on a map entitled ‘‘Yaak Wil13 derness—Proposed’’ (Roderick Mountain), dated

14 June 1993, which shall be known as the Yaak Wil15 derness.

16 (24) Certain lands in the Kootenai and Lolo

17 National Forests, which comprise approximately

18 17,900 acres, as generally depicted on a map enti19 tled ‘‘Catarack Peak Wilderness—Proposed’’, dated

20 June 1993, which shall be known as the Cataract

21 Peak Wilderness.

22 (25) Certain lands in the Lolo National Forest,

23 which comprise approximately 17,900 acres, as gen24 erally depicted on a map entitled ‘‘Cube Iron/Mount

25 Silcox Wilderness—Proposed’’, dated June 1993,
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1 which shall be known as the Cube Iron/Mount Silcox

2 Wilderness.

3 (26) Certain lands in the Lolo National Forest,

4 which comprise approximately 94,700 acres, as gen5 erally depicted on a map entitled ‘‘Great Burn Wil6 derness—Proposed’’, dated June 1993, which shall

7 be known as the Great Burn Wilderness.

8 (27) Certain lands in the Lolo National Forest,

9 which comprise approximately 60,100 acres, as gen10 erally depicted on a map entitled ‘‘Quigg Peak Wil11 derness—Proposed’’, dated June 1993, which shall

12 be known as the Quigg Peak Wilderness.

13 (28) Certain lands in the Kootenai National

14 Forest, which comprise approximately 25,000 acres,

15 as generally depicted on a map entitled ‘‘Trout

16 Creek Wilderness—Proposed’’, dated June 1993,

17 and which shall be known as the Trout Creek Wil18 derness.

19 (29) Certain lands in the Helena National For20 est, which comprise approximately 19,000 acres, as

21 generally depicted on a map entitled ‘‘Nevada Moun22 tain Wilderness—Proposed’’, dated June 1993, and

23 which shall be known as the Nevada Mountain Unit

24 of the Great Divide Wilderness.
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1 (30) Certain lands in the Helena National For2 est, which comprise approximately 44,900 acres, as

3 generally depicted on a map entitled ‘‘Elkhorn Wil4 derness—Proposed’’, dated June 1993, and which

5 shall be known as the Elkhorn Wilderness.

6 (31) Certain lands in the Gallatin National

7 Forest, which comprise approximately 500 acres, as

8 generally depicted on a map entitled ‘‘North Absa9 roka Wilderness Addition—Proposed (Republic

10 Mountain)’’, dated June 1993, and which are hereby

11 incorporated in and shall be deemed a part of the

12 North Absaroka Wilderness.

13 (32) Certain lands in the Beaverhead National

14 Forest, which comprises approximately 90,000 acres,

15 as generally depicted on a map entitled ‘‘Snowcrest

16 Wilderness—Proposed’’, dated June 1993 and shall

17 be known as the Snowcrest Wilderness.

18 (33) Certain lands in the Beaverhead National

19 Forest, which comprise approximately 4,700 acres,

20 as generally depicted on a map entitled ‘‘Mount Jef21 ferson Wilderness—Proposed’’, dated June 1993

22 and shall be known as the Mount Jefferson Unit of

23 the Great Divide Wilderness.

24 (34) Certain lands in the Deerlodge National

25 Forest which comprise about 30,300 acres, as gen-
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1 erally, depicted on a map entitled ‘‘Flint Creek Wil2 derness—Proposed’’, dated June 1993 and shall be

3 known as the Flint Creek Wilderness.

4 (35) Certain lands in the Gallatin and Lewis

5 and Clark National Forests, which comprise approxi6 mately 35,000 acres, as generally depicted on a map

7 entitled ‘‘Crazy Mountain Wilderness—Proposed’’,

8 dated June 1993 and shall be known as the Crazy

9 Mountain Wilderness.

10 (b) MAPS AND LEGAL DESCRIPTIONS.—(1) The Sec11 retary of Agriculture (hereinafter referred to as the ‘‘Sec12 retary’’) shall file the maps referred to in this section and

13 legal descriptions of each wilderness area designated by

14 this section with the Committee on Energy and Natural

15 Resources of the United States Senate and the Committee

16 on Interior and Insular Affairs of the United States House

17 of Representatives, and each such map and legal descrip18 tion shall have the same force and effect as if included

19 in this Act.

20 (2) The Secretary may correct clerical and typo21 graphical errors in the maps and the legal descriptions

22 submitted pursuant to this section.

23 (3) Each map and legal description referred to in this

24 section shall be on file and available for public inspection

25 in the office of the Chief of the Forest Service, Washing-
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1 ton, D.C. and at the office of the Regional Forester of

2 the Northern Region.

3 (c) ADMINISTRATION.—Subject to valid existing

4 rights, each wilderness area designated by this section

5 shall be administered by the Secretary of Agriculture in

6 accordance with the provisions of the Wilderness Act of

7 1964, except that, with respect to any area designated in

8 this section, any reference to the effective date of the Wil9 derness Act shall be deemed to be a reference to the date

10 of enactment of this Act.

11 (d) WILDERNESS AREA PERIMETERS.—Congress

12 does not intend that the designation of wilderness areas

13 in this section will lead to the creation of protective perim14 eters or buffer zones around such areas. The fact that

15 nonwilderness activities or uses can be seen or heard from

16 areas within a wilderness area shall not, of itself, preclude

17 such activities or uses up to the boundary of the wilder18 ness area.

19 (e) GRAZING.—The grazing of livestock, where estab20 lished prior to the date of enactment of this Act, in wilder21 ness areas designated in this section shall be administered

22 in accordance with section 4(d)(4) of the Wilderness Act

23 of 1964 and section 108 of an Act entitled ‘‘An Act to

24 designate certain National Forest System Lands in the

25 States of Colorado, South Dakota, Missouri, South Caro-
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1 lina, and Louisiana for inclusion in the National Wilder2 ness Preservation System, and for other purposes’’ (94

3 Stat. 3271; 16 U.S.C. 1133 note).

4 (f) STATE FISH AND GAME AUTHORITY.—In accord5 ance with section 4(d)(7) of the Wilderness Act of 1964,

6 nothing in this Act shall be construed as affecting the ju7 risdiction or responsibilities of the State of Montana with

8 respect to wildlife and fish in the national forests of Mon9 tana.

10 (g) HUNTING.—Nothing in this Act or the Wilder11 ness Act of 1964 shall be construed to prohibit hunting

12 within the wilderness areas designated in this section.

13 (h) COLLECTION DEVICES.—(1) Within the wilder14 ness areas designated in this section, the installation and

15 maintenance of essential hydrological, meteorological, or

16 climatological collection devices and ancillary facilities is

17 permitted, subject to such conditions as the Secretary

18 deems desirable.

19 (2) Access to the devices and facilities described in

20 paragraph (1) shall be by the means historically used, if

21 that method is the least intrusive practicable means avail22 able. Access, installation, and maintenance shall be com23 patible with the provisions of the Wilderness Act.

24 (i) The provisions of the Federal Advisory Committee

25 Act not withstanding, the wilderness managing agencies
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1 are hereby authorized to use citizen advisory groups, task

2 forces, and ad hoc committees among the public involve3 ment techniques employed to assist the agencies in the de4 velopment of wilderness management direction.

5 SEC. 4. WATER.

6 (a) FINDINGS, PURPOSE, AND DEFINITIONS.—(1)

7 Congress finds that—

8 (A) the lands designated as wilderness by this

9 Act are located at the headwaters of the streams

10 and rivers on those lands, with no actual or pro11 posed water resource facilities located upstream

12 from such lands and no opportunities for diversion,

13 storage, or other uses of water occurring outside

14 such lands that would adversely affect the wilderness

15 values of such lands;

16 (B) the lands designated as wilderness by this

17 Act are not suitable for use for development of new

18 water resource facilities, or for the expansion of ex19 isting facilities; and

20 (C) therefore, it is possible to provide for prop21 er management and protection of the water-related

22 wilderness values of such lands in ways different

23 from those utilized in other legislation designated as

24 wilderness lands not sharing the attributes of the

25 lands designated as wilderness by this Act.
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1 (2) The purpose of this section is to protect the

2 water-related wilderness values of the lands designated as

3 wilderness by this Act by means other than those based

4 on a Federal reserved water right.

5 (3) As used in this section—

6 (A) the term ‘‘water resource facility’’ means ir7 rigation and pumping facilities, reservoirs, water

8 conservation works, aqueducts, canals, ditches, pipe9 lines, wells, hydropower projects, and transmission

10 and other ancillary facilities, and other water diver11 sion, storage, and carriage structures; and

12 (B) the term ‘‘historic’’, used with reference to

13 rates of flow, quantities of use, or timing of use of

14 water, means the pattern of actual use or operation

15 of a facility over a representative period of time to

16 the date of enactment of this Act.

17 (b) RESTRICTION ON RIGHTS AND DISCLAIMER OF

18 EFFECT.—(1) Neither the Secretary nor any other officer,

19 employee, or agent of the United States shall assert any

20 claim, and no court or agency of the United States shall

21 consider any claim asserted by any other person, to any

22 right with respect to any waters in the State of Montana

23 based on any construction of any portion of this Act or

24 the designation of any lands as wilderness by this Act as
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1 constituting an express or implied reservation of water or

2 water rights.

3 (2)(A) Nothing in this Act shall be construed as a

4 creation, recognition, disclaimer, relinquishment, or reduc5 tion of any water rights of the United States in the State

6 of Montana existing before the date of enactment of this

7 Act.

8 (B) Nothing in this Act shall be construed as con9 stituting an interpretation of any other Act or any des10 ignation made by or pursuant thereto.

11 (C) Nothing in this section shall be construed as es12 tablishing a precedent with regard to any future wilder13 ness designations.

14 (c) NEW OR EXPANDED PROJECTS.—Notwithstand15 ing any other provision of law, on and after the date of

16 enactment of this Act neither the President nor any other

17 officer, employee, or agent of the United States shall fund,

18 assist, authorize, or issue a license or permit for—

19 (1) the development of any new water resource

20 facility within the lands designated as wilderness by

21 this Act; or

22 (2) the enlargement of a water resource facility

23 or the expansion of the historic rate of diversion,

24 quantity of use, or timing of use of a water resource
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1 facility within the lands designated as wilderness by

2 this Act.

3 Except as provided in subsection (d) of this section, noth4 ing in this Act shall be construed to affect or limit oper5 ation, maintenance, repair, modification, or replacement

6 of water resource facilities in existence on the date of en7 actment of this Act within the boundaries of the lands des8 ignated as wilderness by this Act.

9 (d) ACCESS AND OPERATION.—(1) Subject to the

10 provisions of this subsection, the Secretary shall allow rea11 sonable access to water resource facilities in existence on

12 the date of enactment of this Act within lands designated

13 as wilderness by this Act, including motorized access

14 where necessary and customarily employed on routes exist15 ing as of the date of enactment of this Act.

16 (2) Subject to the provisions of this subsection, the

17 Secretary shall allow the present diversion, carriage, and

18 storage capacity of water resource facilities existing on the

19 date of enactment of this Act within wilderness areas des20 ignated by this Act, and access routes to such facilities

21 existing and customarily employed as of such date, to be

22 operated, maintained, repaired, and replaced as necessary

23 to maintain the present function, design, and serviceable

24 operation of the facilities, so long as such activities have
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1 no greater adverse impacts on wilderness values than as

2 of the date of enactment of this Act.

3 (3) Water resource facilities, and access routes serv4 ing such facilities, existing on the date of enactment of

5 this Act shall be maintained and repaired when and to

6 the extent necessary to prevent increased adverse impacts

7 on wilderness values.

8 (4) The historic rate of diversion, quantity of use, or

9 timing of use of water resource facilities existing on the

10 date of enactment of this Act within lands designated as

11 wilderness by this Act shall not be increased.

12 (e) MONITORING AND IMPLEMENTATION.—The Sec13 retaries of Agriculture and the Interior shall monitor the

14 operation of and access to water resource facilities within

15 the boundaries of the lands designated as wilderness by

16 this Act and take all steps necessary to implement the pro17 visions of this section.

18 SEC. 5. SPECIAL MANAGEMENT AREAS.

19 (a) DESIGNATIONS.—For the purposes of conserving,

20 protecting and enhancing the exceptional scenic, fish and

21 wildlife, biological, educational and recreational values of

22 certain National Forest System lands in the State of Mon23 tana, the following designations are made:

24 (1) The Mount Helena National Education and

25 Recreation Area located in the Helena National For-
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1 est, comprising approximately 5,120 acres, as gen2 erally depicted on a map entitled ‘‘Mount Helena

3 National Education and Recreation Area—Pro4 posed’’, dated September 1992.

5 (2) The Hyalite National Education and Recre6 ation Area located in the Gallatin National Forest,

7 comprising approximately 18,900 acres, as generally

8 depicted on a map entitled ‘‘Hyalite National Edu9 cation and Recreation Area—Proposed’’, dated Sep10 tember 1992.

11 (3) The Northwest Peak National Recreation

12 Area located in the Kaniksu and Kootenai National

13 Forests, comprising approximately 16,700 acres, as

14 generally depicted on a map entitled ‘‘Northwest

15 Peak National Recreation and Scenic Area—Pro16 posed’’, dated September 1991.

17 (4) The Buckhorn Ridge National Recreation

18 Area located in the Kaniksu and Kootenai National

19 Forests, comprising approximately 20,000 acres, as

20 generally depicted on a map entitled ‘‘Buckhorn

21 Ridge National Recreation Area—Proposed’’, dated

22 September 1991.

23 (5) The West Big Hole National Recreation

24 Area located in the Beaverhead National Forest,

25 comprising approximately 90,000 acres, as generally
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1 depicted on a map entitled ‘‘West Big Hole National

2 Recreation Area—Proposed’’, dated September

3 1992, and which shall be known as the West Big

4 Hole National Recreation Area.

5 (6) The LeBeau Natural Area located on the

6 Kootenai and Flathead National Forests comprising

7 approximately 6,000 acres, as generally depicted on

8 a map entitled ‘‘LeBeau Natural Area—Proposed’’,

9 dated June 1993.

10 (7) The Ross Creek Cedars Natural Area lo11 cated on the Kootenai National Forest comprising

12 approximately 600 acres, as generally depicted on a

13 map entitled ‘‘Ross Creek Cedars Natural Area—

14 Proposed’’, dated June 1993.

15 (b) MAPS.—The Secretary shall file the maps re16 ferred to in this section with the Committee on Energy

17 and Natural Resources, United States Senate, and the

18 Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs, United States

19 House of Representatives, and each such map shall have

20 the same force and effect as if included in this Act: Pro21 vided, That correction of clerical and typographical errors

22 in such maps may be made. Each such map shall be on

23 file and available for public inspection in the office of the

24 Chief of the Forest Service and the office of the Regional

25 Forester of the Northern Region.
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1 (c) MANAGEMENT.—(1) Except as otherwise may be

2 provided in this subsection, the Secretary shall administer

3 the areas designated in subsection (a) so as to achieve the

4 purposes of their designation and in accordance with the

5 laws and regulations applicable to the National Forest

6 System.

7 (2) Subject to valid existing rights, all federally

8 owned lands within the areas designated in subsection (a)

9 are hereby withdrawn from all forms of entry, appropria10 tion and disposal under the mining and public land laws,

11 and disposition under the geothermal and mineral leasing

12 laws.

13 (3) Commercial timber harvesting is prohibited in the

14 areas designated by this section with the following excep15 tions:

16 (A) Nothing in this Act shall preclude such

17 measures which the Secretary, in his discretion,

18 deems necessary in the event of fire, or infestation

19 of insects or disease.

20 (B) Fuel wood, post and pole gathering may be

21 permitted.

22 (C) Commercial timber harvesting may be per23 mitted in the Hyalite National Recreation and Edu24 cation Area, but must be compatible with the pur25 poses of its designation.
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1 (4) Where the Secretary determines that such use is

2 compatible with the purposes for which an area is des3 ignated, the use of motorized equipment may be permitted

4 in the areas subject to applicable law and applicable land

5 and resource management plans.

6 (5) The grazing of livestock, where established prior

7 to the date of enactment of this Act may be permitted

8 to continue subject to applicable law and regulations of

9 the Secretary.

10 (d) NATIONAL RECREATION AREAS AND NATURAL

11 AREAS.—(1) The Secretary shall manage the Mount Hel12 ena and Hyalite National Education and Recreation Areas

13 with a focus on education. All management activities shall

14 be conducted in a manner that provides the public with

15 an opportunity to become better informed about natural

16 resource protection and management.

17 (2) The Secretary shall manage the LeBeau and Ross

18 Creek Cedars Natural areas for the enhancement of

19 biodiversity and scientific study. These forests’ unique

20 natural qualities are to be the focus of the area’s manage21 ment.

22 (e) LAND AND RESOURCE MANAGEMENT PLANS.—

23 Those areas established pursuant to subsection (a) shall

24 be administered as components of the national forests

25 wherein they are located. Land and resource management
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1 plans for the affected national forests prepared in accord2 ance with the Forest and Rangeland Renewable Resources

3 Planning Act, as amended by the National Forest Man4 agement Act, shall achieve the purposes for which the

5 areas are designated. The provisions of the national forest

6 land and resource management plan, relating to each area

7 designated by this section, shall also be available to the

8 public in a document separate from the rest of the forest

9 plan.

10 SEC. 6. WILDERNESS STUDY AREAS.

11 (a) DESIGNATION.—The following areas are hereby

12 designated as wilderness study areas and shall be man13 aged in accordance with the provisions of this section:

14 (1) Certain lands on the Gallatin National For15 est, comprising approximately 21,500 acres, as gen16 erally depicted on a map entitled ‘‘Sawtooth Moun17 tain Wilderness Study Area—Proposed’’, dated Sep18 tember 1992.

19 (2) Certain lands in the Lolo National Forest

20 which comprise approximately 22,000 acres, as gen21 erally depicted on a map entitled ‘‘Sheep Mountain

22 Wilderness Study Area—Proposed’’, dated Novem23 ber 1991.

24 (3) Certain lands in the Lewis and Clark and

25 Gallatin National Forests, which comprise approxi-
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1 mately 115,000 acres, as generally depicted on a

2 map entitled ‘‘Crazy Mountain Wilderness Study

3 Area—Proposed’’, dated October 1992. The Forest

4 Service shall complete a study of public and private

5 land consolidation alternatives for this area which

6 shall be submitted to the appropriate committees of

7 Congress 2 years after the date of the enactment of

8 this Act.

9 (4) Certain lands in the Gallatin National For10 est, which comprise approximately 4,500 acres, as

11 generally depicted on a map entitled ‘‘South Cotton12 wood Wilderness Study Area—Proposed,’’ dated

13 September, 1992, and shall be managed as part of

14 the Gallatin Wilderness Study Area in accordance

15 with Public Law 95–150.

16 (b) REPORT.—When the forest plans are revised, the

17 Secretary shall submit a report to the Committee on En18 ergy and Natural Resources of the United States Senate

19 and the Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs of the

20 United States House of Representatives containing rec21 ommendations as to whether the areas designated in sub22 section (a) should be added as components of the National

23 Wilderness Preservation System.

24 (c) MANAGEMENT.—Subject to valid existing rights,

25 the wilderness study areas designated in subsection (a)
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1 shall be managed to protect their suitability for inclusion

2 in the National Wilderness Preservation System.

3 (d) MAPS.—The Secretary shall file the maps re4 ferred to in this section with the Committee on Interior

5 and Insular Affairs, United States House of Representa6 tives, and the Committee on Energy and Natural Re7 sources, United States Senate, and each such map shall

8 have the same force and effect as if included in this Act:

9 Provided, That correction of clerical and typographical er10 rors in these maps may be made. Each map shall be on

11 file and available for public inspection in the office of the

12 Chief of the Forest Service and the Regional Forester of

13 the Northern Region.

14 SEC. 7. BADGER-TWO MEDICINE AREA.

15 (a) WITHDRAWAL.—(1) Subject to valid existing

16 rights including rights held by the Blackfeet nation under

17 existing treaties and statute, all federally owned lands as

18 depicted on a map entitled ‘‘Badger-Two Medicine Area’’,

19 dated September 1991, comprising approximately 116,600

20 acres, are withdrawn from all forms of entry, appropria21 tion, and disposal under the mining and public land laws

22 and from disposition under the geothermal and mineral

23 leasing laws. Until otherwise directed by Congress, the

24 Secretary shall manage this area so as to protect its wil25 derness qualities.
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1 (2) Nothing in this section shall preclude the gather2 ing of timber by the Blackfeet Tribe (the ‘‘Tribe’’) in exer3 cise of valid treaty rights within the Badger-Two Medicine

4 Area.

5 (3)(A) With respect to oil and gas leases on Federal

6 lands within the Badger-Two Medicine Area, no surface

7 disturbance shall be permitted pursuant to such leases

8 until Congress determines otherwise.

9 (B) Notwithstanding any other law, the term of any

10 oil and gas lease subject to the limitations imposed by this

11 section shall be extended for a period of time equal to the

12 term that such limitation remains in effect.

13 (b) REVIEW.—The Secretary shall conduct a review

14 of the area referred to in subsection (a) in accordance with

15 the Wilderness Act of 1964 and the provisions of this sub16 section. Not later than 5 years after the date of enactment

17 of this Act, the Secretary shall report to Congress. In con18 ducting this review:

19 (1) The Secretary shall establish a committee

20 composed of 1 representative each from the Black21 feet Tribal Business Council, the Blackfeet Tribal

22 traditionalists, and the National Park Service, as

23 well as at least one representative of various con24 cerned user groups, including proportional represen25 tation for environmental groups and industry
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1 groups. The Committee shall not exceed eleven mem2 bers. The Blackfeet Tribal Business Council shall

3 choose the 2 Tribal representatives. The Blackfeet

4 Tribal Business Council shall conduct a public meet5 ing to receive recommendations of the community re6 garding the selection of these members. The commit7 tee shall regularly advise the Secretary during the

8 preparation of the report required in this subsection

9 and submit its findings to Congress concurrently

10 with those of the Secretary.

11 (2) Special consideration shall be given to the

12 religious, wilderness and wildlife uses of the area,

13 taking into account any treaties the United States

14 has entered into with the Blackfeet Nation.

15 (3) In consultation with the committee, the Sec16 retary shall establish a process to provide informa17 tion to the Tribe and interested public about options

18 for future designation of the Badger-Two Medicine

19 Area.

20 (c) RIGHTS.—Nothing in this section shall be con21 strued to diminish, prejudice, add to, or otherwise affect

22 the treaty rights of the Blackfeet Tribe or the rights of

23 the United States.
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1 SEC. 8. LANDS ADMINISTERED BY BUREAU OF LAND MAN2 AGEMENT.

3 (a) FINDINGS.—(1) The Congress has reviewed the

4 suitability of a portion of the Axolotl Lakes Wilderness

5 Study Area (MT–076–069, BLM Wilderness Study Num6 ber) as generally depicted on a map entitled ‘‘Released

7 portion of Axolotl Lakes WSA’’, dated September 1992,

8 for wilderness designation and finds that this portion has

9 been sufficiently studied for wilderness pursuant to section

10 603 of the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of

11 1976 (43 U.S.C. 1782).

12 (2) The Congress has reviewed the suitability of the

13 Bitter Creek Wilderness Study Area (MT–BLM Wilder14 ness Study Number) as generally depicted on a map enti15 tled ‘‘Bitter Creek WSA’’, dated June 1993, for wilderness

16 pursuant to section 603 of the Federal Land Management

17 and Policy Act of 1976 (43 U.S.C. 1782).

18 (b) DIRECTION.—The area described in subsection

19 (a) shall no longer be subject to the requirement of section

20 603(c) of the Federal Land Policy and Management Act

21 of 1976 pertaining to management in a manner that does

22 not impair suitability for preservation as wilderness.

23 (c) ADMINISTRATIVE JURISDICTION.—Those lands

24 designated as wilderness pursuant to paragraphs (3) and

25 (27) of section 3(a) of this Act, which, as of the date of

26 enactment of this Act, are administered by the Secretary
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1 of the Interior as public lands (as defined in the Federal

2 Land Policy and Management Act of 1976), are hereby

3 transferred to the jurisdiction of the Secretary of Agri4 culture, and shall be added to and managed as part of

5 the National Forest System, and the boundaries of the

6 adjacent National Forests are hereby modified to include

7 such lands.

8 (d) LAND AND WATER CONSERVATION FUND.—For

9 purposes of section 7 of the Land and Water Conservation

10 Fund Act of 1965 (16 U.S.C. 4601–9), the boundaries

11 of affected National Forests, as modified by this section,

12 shall be considered to be the boundaries of such National

13 Forests as if they were the boundaries of the National

14 Forests as of January 1, 1965. Money appropriated from

15 the Land and Water Conservation Fund shall be available

16 for the acquisition of lands, waters, and interests therein

17 in furtherance of the purposes of this Act.

18 SEC. 9. MONTANA ECOSYSTEM AND ECONOMICS STUDY.

19 (a) PURPOSE.—The purpose of this section is to pro20 tect and enhance ecological values of the Northern Rockies

21 Ecosystem within the State of Montana and to assure that

22 disruptions to communities and local economies are mini23 mized through the sustainable use of the natural resources

24 in the State of Montana: Provided, That the scope of the
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1 study shall be limited to the State of Montana. To accom2 plish the purpose, the Secretary shall—

3 (1) assess current environmental and economic

4 conditions in the Montana ecosystem;

5 (2) evaluate the recent and likely trends in

6 those conditions under current management;

7 (3) determine sustainable environmental condi8 tions and economies dependent thereon; and

9 (4) identify opportunities and requirements to

10 achieve and improve sustainability of the natural re11 sources and the economy.

12 (b) STUDY.—(1) The Secretary of Agriculture, acting

13 through the Forest Service Research Branch, shall under14 take a Montana Ecosystem and Economics Study

15 (‘‘Study’’). In conducting the study, the Forest Service

16 shall draw from expertise throughout the Research Branch

17 and cooperate with other Federal agencies, relevant State

18 agencies, local governments, Tribal governments, and the

19 relevant departments (such as biology, ecology, forestry,

20 range, wildlife and fish, recreation, business, economics,

21 law, etc.) of public universities in the State of Montana.

22 (2) The Secretary of Agriculture shall establish an

23 Advisory Panel consistent with the Federal Advisory Com24 mittee Act to meet to review and comment on: (A) the

25 study plan; (B) contractor, background, and interim re-
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1 ports, if any; and (C) the final report. The Advisory Panel

2 shall represent a balance of groups and individuals inter3 ested in or affected by natural resource management, in

4 an equitable manner.

5 (3) The Study shall address the following topics:

6 (A) The current ecological trends and condi7 tions, environmental sustainability within the State

8 of Montana, including but not limited to—

9 (i) air and water quality;

10 (ii) timber quantity, quality, and growth;

11 (iii) rangeland quality;

12 (iv) riparian areas;

13 (v) diversity of native plant and animal

14 species;

15 (vi) connectivity among isolated

16 ecosystems;

17 (vii) uncommon, rare, threatened, and en18 dangered species;

19 (viii) populations of animals for consump20 tive and nonconsumptive uses;

21 (ix) wilderness areas;

22 (x) dispersed recreation opportunities; and

23 (xi) developed recreation facilities.

24 (B) The current contribution of commodity and

25 non-commodity uses and output of natural resources
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1 to the local and regional economies, including, but

2 not limited to—

3 (i) distinguishing among the various re4 source uses and outputs;

5 (ii) examining the distribution of resource6 related economic activities among local commu7 nities; and

8 (iii) distinguishing the contributions from

9 each landowner class: Federal, State, Tribal,

10 other government, forest industry, other major

11 private corporations, and other private (non-in12 dustrial) landowners.

13 (C) The sustainable contribution of commodity

14 and non-commodity uses and outputs of natural re15 sources, using the same distinctions specified in sub16 paragraph (B), and assuming:

17 (i) achievement of State air and water

18 quality standards; and

19 (ii) maintenance of or increase in the qual20 ity of natural resources in the State of Mon21 tana, including: the timber available; range

22 lands grazed by livestock; riparian areas; the di23 versity of plant and animal species; connectivity

24 among isolated ecosystems; uncommon, rare,

25 threatened, and endangered native species; pop-
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1 ulations of animals for consumptive and

2 nonconsumptive uses; wilderness areas; dis3 persed recreation opportunities and developed

4 recreation facilities.

5 (D) Opportunities to improve environmental

6 conditions that could permit an expansion of the

7 sustainable contribution of commodity and non-com8 modity uses and outputs of natural resources. The

9 assessment shall identify the financial and non-fi10 nancial costs for the various opportunities, and the

11 likely or possible incidence of those costs. Opportuni12 ties shall include each of the following:

13 (i) Increasing desirable natural vegetative

14 growth including: reforestation with native spe15 cies, thinning and other timber stand modifica16 tions, prescribed burning, and seeding or plant17 ing native grasses, forbs, and shrubs.

18 (ii) Improving the quality of other biologi19 cal resources (such as species diversity and ani20 mal populations), including: habitat restoration,

21 extended timber rotations, alternative timber

22 harvesting systems and grazing regimes, re23 serves to protect and improve connectivity

24 among isolated ecosystems, and different stand-
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1 ards and methods for road construction, main2 tenance, closure, and eradication.

3 (iii) Enhancing the quality of non-biologi4 cal resources (such as recreation trails and fa5 cilities, wilderness areas, and watersheds and

6 streams), including: site restoration and reha7 bilitation, demand management (user regulation

8 and enforcement, marketing to shift timing and

9 location of uses, etc.) and different standards

10 and methods for road construction, mainte11 nance, closure, and eradication.

12 (E) Recommendations on investments and prac13 tices for agencies responsible for natural resource

14 management.

15 (c) SCHEDULE.—(1) The study plan shall be ready

16 for review by the Advisory Panel within one year after the

17 enactment of this Act.

18 (2) Contractor, background, and interim reports shall

19 be presented to the Advisory Panel as they are completed.

20 (3) The draft report shall be ready for review by the

21 Advisory Panel within 2 years after the Panel’s meeting

22 to review the study plan. With Advisory Committee input,

23 the Secretary shall arrange peer review of the draft report

24 among appropriate independent experts in the relevant

25 fields.
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1 (4) The final report shall be presented to the Com2 mittee on Interior and Insular Affairs of the United States

3 House of Representatives, the Committee on Energy and

4 Natural Resources of the United States Senate, to the

5 Chief of the Forest Service, and to the heads of other Fed6 eral and State agencies who have jurisdiction over wild

7 land management or are responsible for regulating man8 agement practices or impacts in the State of Montana.

9 SEC. 10. MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS.

10 (a) REDESIGNATION.—(1) Those lands comprising

11 the Rattlesnake National Recreation Area and Wilderness,

12 as designated in Public Law 96–476 are hereby redesig13 nated as the ‘‘Rattlesnake National Education and Recre14 ation Area and Wilderness’’.

15 (2) Those lands comprising 200 acres, as generally

16 depicted on a map entitled ‘‘West Pioneers Study Dele17 tion—Proposed’’, are hereby released from study under

18 Public Law 95–150.

19 (b) WITHDRAWAL.—Those lands comprising approxi20 mately 27,000 acres, as generally depicted on a map enti21 tled ‘‘Gibson Reservoir Mineral Withdrawal Area—Pro22 posed’’, dated October 1992, are hereby withdrawn from

23 all forms of entry, appropriation and disposal under the

24 mining and public land laws, and disposition under the

25 geothermal and mineral leasing laws.
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1 (c) ACREAGES.—All acreages cited in this Act are ap2 proximate and in the event of discrepancies between cited

3 acreage and the lands depicted on referenced maps, the

4 maps shall control.

5 (d) ACCESS.—It is the policy of Congress that the

6 Forest Service acquire and maintain reasonable public ac7 cess to National Forest System lands in the State of Mon8 tana.

9 (e) SCAPEGOAT AND GREAT BEAR WILDERNESS

10 NAMES.—In order to consolidate existing contiguous wil11 derness areas, those lands comprising the Great Bear Wil12 derness Area designated by Public Law 95–946 and any

13 amendments thereto and the Scapegoat Wilderness Area

14 designated by Public Law 92–395 and any amendments

15 thereto are hereby incorporated in and deemed to be a

16 part of the Bob Marshall Wilderness. The designations of

17 the Great Bear Wilderness and Scapegoat Wilderness

18 shall refer to units within the Bob Marshall Wilderness.

19 SEC. 11. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

20 There are authorized to be appropriated—

21 (1) such sums as are necessary for the develop22 ment of a wilderness education and ranger training

23 complex at the Ninemile Ranger Station, Lolo Na24 tional Forest, Montana; and
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1 (2) such sums as are necessary to carry out this

2 Act.

3 SEC. 12. WILDERNESS REVIEW.

4 (a) FINDINGS.—The Congress finds that—

5 (1) the Department of Agriculture has studied

6 the suitability of roadless areas for inclusion in the

7 National Wilderness Preservation System; and

8 (2) the Congress has made its own review and

9 examination of National Forest System roadless

10 areas in the State of Montana and the environ11 mental impacts associated with alternative alloca12 tions of such areas.

13 (b) RELEASE.—Those National Forest System lands

14 in the State of Montana which were not designated as wil15 derness, special management, national recreation, or wil16 derness study areas by this Act shall be managed for mul17 tiple use in accordance with land and resource manage18 ment plans developed pursuant to section 6 of the forest

19 and Rangeland Renewable Resources Planning Act of

20 1974, as amended by the National Forest Management

21 Act of 1976, and other applicable law, and those areas

22 need not be managed for the purpose of protecting their

23 suitability for wilderness designation prior to or during re24 vision of the land and resource management plans.
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1 (c) PLAN REVISIONS.—In the event that revised land

2 management plans in the State of Montana are imple3 mented pursuant to section 6 of the Forest and Rangeland

4 Renewable Resources Planning Act of 1974, as amended

5 by the National Forest Management Act of 1976, and

6 other applicable law, areas not recommended for wilder7 ness designation, need not be managed for the purpose

8 of protecting their suitability for wilderness designation

9 prior to or during revision of such plans, and areas rec10 ommended for wilderness designation shall be managed for

11 the purpose of protecting their suitability for wilderness

12 designation.

13 (d) FURTHER REVIEW.—Unless expressly authorized

14 by Congress, the Department of Agriculture shall not con15 duct any further statewide roadless area review and eval16 uation of National Forest System lands in the State of

17 Montana for the purpose of determining their suitability

18 for inclusion in the National Wilderness Preservation Sys19 tem.

20 (e) PREVIOUS PLANS.—Except as specifically pro21 vided in sections 3, 5, 6, and 7 of this Act and in Public

22 Law 95–150, with respect to the National Forest System

23 lands in the State of Montana which were reviewed by the

24 Department of Agriculture under Public Law 94–557, the

25 unit plans that were in effect prior to completion of RARE
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1 II, the 1978 Forest Plan for the Beaverhead National

2 Forest, that such reviews shall be deemed an adequate

3 consideration of the suitability of such lands for inclusion

4 in the National Wilderness Preservation System, and the

5 Department of Agriculture shall not be required to review

6 the wilderness option prior to the revision of the Land and

7 Resource Management Plans.

8 (f) REVISIONS.—As used in this section, and as pro9 vided in section 6 of the Forest and Rangeland Renewable

10 Resources Planning Act, as amended by the National For11 eign Management Act, the term ‘‘revision’’ shall not in12 clude an amendment to a land and resource management

13 plan.

14 (g) SIZE.—The provisions of this section shall apply

15 to those National Forest System roadless lands in the

16 State of Montana which are less than 5,000 acres in size.

17 (h) WILDERNESS SUITABILITY REVIEW.—Except as

18 provided in Public Law 95–150, the wilderness suitability

19 review and evaluation of national forest system lands in

20 the State of Montana completed as a part of Land and

21 Resource Management Plans that were completed prior to

22 the enactment of this Act, constitute an adequate consid23 eration of the suitability of such lands for inclusion in the

24 National Wilderness Preservation System and the Depart25 ment of Agriculture shall not be required to review the
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1 wilderness option prior to the revision of the plans, but

2 shall review the wilderness option when the plans are re3 vised, which revisions will ordinarily occur on a 10-year

4 cycle, or at least every 15 years, unless, prior to such time

5 the Secretary finds that conditions in a unit have signifi6 cantly changed.

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