Oregon Recreation Enhancement Act

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. Short title This Act may be cited as the Oregon Recreation Enhancement Act 2. Definitions In this Act: (1) Secretary The term Secretary (A) the Secretary of the Interior, with respect to public land administered by the Secretary of the Interior; or (B) the Secretary of Agriculture, with respect to National Forest System land. (2) State The term State 3. Rogue Canyon and Molalla Recreation Areas, Oregon (a) Designation of rogue canyon and molalla recreation areas For the purposes of protecting, conserving, and enhancing the unique and nationally important recreational, ecological, scenic, cultural, watershed, and fish and wildlife values of the areas, the following areas in the State are designated as recreation areas for management by the Secretary in accordance with subsection (c): (1) Rogue canyon recreation area The approximately 98,150 acres of Bureau of Land Management land within the boundary generally depicted as the Rogue Canyon Recreation Area Rogue Canyon Recreation Area Wild Rogue Wilderness Additions Rogue Canyon Recreation Area (2) Molalla recreation area The approximately 29,884 acres of Bureau of Land Management land within the boundary generally depicted on the map entitled Molalla Recreation Area Molalla Recreation Area (b) Maps and legal descriptions (1) In general As soon as practicable after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall prepare a map and legal description of each recreation area designated by subsection (a). (2) Effect The maps and legal descriptions prepared under paragraph (1) shall have the same force and effect as if included in this Act, except that the Secretary may correct any minor errors in the maps and legal descriptions. (3) Public availability The maps and legal descriptions prepared under paragraph (1) shall be available for public inspection in the appropriate offices of the Bureau of Land Management. (c) Administration (1) Applicable law The Secretary shall administer each recreation area designated by subsection (a)— (A) in a manner that conserves, protects, and enhances the purposes for which the recreation area is established; and (B) in accordance with— (i) this section; (ii) the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 ( 43 U.S.C. 1701 et seq. (iii) other applicable laws. (2) Uses The Secretary shall only allow those uses of a recreation area designated by subsection (a) that are consistent with the purposes for which the recreation area is established. (3) Wildfire risk assessment Not later than 280 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary, in consultation with the Oregon Governor’s Council on Wildfire Response, shall conduct a wildfire risk assessment that covers— (A) the recreation areas designated by subsection (a); (B) the Wild Rogue Wilderness; and (C) any Federal land adjacent to an area described in subparagraph (A) or (B). (4) Wildfire mitigation plan (A) In general Not later than 1 year after the date on which the wildfire risk assessment is conducted under paragraph (3), the Secretary shall develop a wildfire mitigation plan, based on the wildfire risk assessment, that identifies, evaluates, and prioritizes treatments and other management activities that can be implemented on the Federal land covered by the wildfire risk assessment (other than Federal land designated as a unit of the National Wilderness Preservation System) to mitigate wildfire risk to communities located near the applicable Federal land. (B) Plan components The wildfire mitigation plan developed under subparagraph (A) shall include— (i) vegetation management projects (including mechanical treatments to reduce hazardous fuels and improve forest health and resiliency); (ii) evacuation routes for communities located near the applicable Federal land, which shall be developed in consultation with State and local fire agencies; and (iii) strategies for public dissemination of emergency evacuation plans and routes. (C) Applicable law The wildfire mitigation plan under subparagraph (A) shall be developed in accordance with— (i) this section; and (ii) any other applicable law. (5) Road construction (A) In general Except as provided in subparagraph (B) or as the Secretary determines necessary for public safety, no new permanent or temporary roads shall be constructed (other than the repair and maintenance of existing roads) within a recreation area designated by subsection (a). (B) Temporary roads Consistent with the purposes of this Act, the Secretary may construct temporary roads within a recreation area designated by subsection (a) to implement the wildfire mitigation plan developed under paragraph (4), unless the temporary road would be within an area designated as a unit of the National Wilderness Preservation System. (C) Effect Nothing in this paragraph affects the administration by the Secretary of the Molalla Forest Road in accordance with applicable resource management plans. (6) Effect on wildfire management Nothing in this section alters the authority of the Secretary (in cooperation with other Federal, State, and local agencies, as appropriate) to conduct wildland fire operations within a recreation area designated by subsection (a), consistent with the purposes of this Act. (7) Withdrawal Subject to valid existing rights, all Federal surface and subsurface land within a recreation area designated by subsection (a) is withdrawn from all forms of— (A) entry, appropriation, or disposal under the public land laws; (B) location, entry, and patent under the mining laws; and (C) disposition under all laws pertaining to mineral leasing, geothermal leasing, or mineral materials. (8) No effect on wilderness areas Any wilderness area located within a recreation area designated by subsection (a) shall be administered in accordance with the Wilderness Act ( 16 U.S.C. 1131 et seq. (d) Adjacent management Nothing in this section creates any protective perimeter or buffer zone around a recreation area designated by subsection (a). 4. Expansion of Wild Rogue Wilderness Area (a) Definitions In this section: (1) Map The term map Rogue Canyon Recreation Area Wild Rogue Wilderness Additions (2) Wilderness additions The term Wilderness additions (b) Expansion of wild rogue wilderness area (1) Expansion The approximately 59,512 acres of Federal land in the State generally depicted on the map as Proposed Wilderness 16 U.S.C. 1132 Public Law 95–237 (A) the Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of Agriculture shall administer the Federal land under their respective jurisdiction; and (B) any reference in that Act to the Secretary of Agriculture shall be considered to be a reference to the Secretary of Agriculture or the Secretary of the Interior, as applicable. (2) Map; legal description (A) In general As soon as practicable after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall prepare a map and legal description of the wilderness area designated by paragraph (1). (B) Force of law The map and legal description filed under subparagraph (A) shall have the same force and effect as if included in this section, except that the Secretary may correct typographical errors in the map and legal description. (C) Public availability The map and legal description filed under subparagraph (A) shall be on file and available for public inspection in the appropriate offices of the Bureau of Land Management and Forest Service. (3) Fire, insects, and disease The Secretary may take such measures within the Wilderness additions as the Secretary determines to be necessary for the control of fire, insects, and disease, in accordance with section 4(d)(1) of the Wilderness Act ( 16 U.S.C. 1133(d)(1) (4) Withdrawal Subject to valid existing rights, the Wilderness additions are withdrawn from all forms of— (A) entry, appropriation, or disposal under the public land laws; (B) location, entry, and patent under the mining laws; and (C) disposition under all laws pertaining to mineral leasing, geothermal leasing, or mineral materials. (5) Tribal rights Nothing in this subsection alters, modifies, enlarges, diminishes, or abrogates the treaty rights of any Indian Tribe. 5. Withdrawal of Federal land, Curry County and Josephine County, Oregon (a) Definitions In this section: (1) Eligible Federal land The term eligible Federal land (A) any federally owned land or interest in land depicted on the Maps as within the Hunter Creek and Pistol River Headwaters Withdrawal Proposal or the Rough and Ready and Baldface Creeks Mineral Withdrawal Proposal; or (B) any land or interest in land located within such withdrawal proposals that is acquired by the Federal Government after the date of enactment of this Act. (2) Maps The term Maps (A) the Bureau of Land Management map entitled Hunter Creek and Pistol River Headwaters Withdrawal Proposal (B) the Bureau of Land Management map entitled Rough and Ready and Baldface Creeks Mineral Withdrawal Proposal (b) Withdrawal Subject to valid existing rights, the eligible Federal land is withdrawn from all forms of— (1) entry, appropriation, or disposal under the public land laws; (2) location, entry, and patent under the mining laws; and (3) operation under the mineral leasing and geothermal leasing laws. (c) Availability of maps Not later than 30 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Maps shall be made available to the public at each appropriate office of the Bureau of Land Management. (d) Existing uses not affected Except with respect to the withdrawal under subsection (b), nothing in this section restricts recreational uses, hunting, fishing, forest management activities, or other authorized uses allowed on the date of enactment of this Act on the eligible Federal land in accordance with applicable law. July 11, 2023 Reported without amendment

Summary: Oregon Recreation Enhancement Act This bill designates specified Bureau of Land Management land in Oregon as the Rogue Canyon and Molalla Recreation Areas and adds approximately 59,512 acres of federal land to the Wild Rogue Wilderness. The Department of the Interior, for public land, and the Department of Agriculture (USDA), for National Forest System land, must conduct a wildfire risk assessment that covers the recreation areas, the Wild Rogue Wilderness, and any adjacent federal land. Interior and USDA must develop plans to mitigate wildfire risk to communities located near the land. No new permanent or temporary roads shall be constructed within the recreation areas except as necessary for public safety or to implement the wildfire mitigation plan. USDA may take measures within such wilderness additions as are necessary to control fire, insects, and disease. All federal surface and subsurface land within the recreation areas or the wilderness additions is withdrawn from entry, appropriation, or disposal under the public land laws; location, entry, and patent under the mining laws; and disposition under all laws pertaining to mineral leasing, geothermal leasing, or mineral materials. The bill also withdraws identified federally owned lands and interests within the Hunter Creek, Pistol River Headwaters Withdrawal Proposal, or the Rough and Ready and Baldface Creeks Mineral Withdrawal Proposal in Curry County and Josephine County, Oregon, and any land or interest in land located within such withdrawal proposals that is acquired by the federal government.