IB 
Union Calendar No. 195 
111TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 2888 
[Report No. 111–337] 
To provide for the designation of the Devil’s Staircase Wilderness Area 
in the State of Oregon, to designate segments of Wasson and Franklin 
Creeks in the State of Oregon as wild or recreation rivers, and for 
other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JUNE 16, 2009 
Mr. DEFAZIO (for himself, Mr. BLUMENAUER, Mr. WU, and Mr. SCHRADER) 
introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on 
Natural Resources 
NOVEMBER 16, 2009 
Additional sponsors: Mr. JACKSON of Illinois, Mr. QUIGLEY, and Mr. 
DOGGETT 
NOVEMBER 16, 2009 
Reported with an amendment, committed to the Committee of the Whole 
House on the State of the Union, and ordered to be printed 
[Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed in italic] 
[For text of introduced bill, see copy of bill as introduced on June 16, 2009] 
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A BILL 
To provide for the designation of the Devil’s Staircase Wil-
derness Area in the State of Oregon, to designate seg-
ments of Wasson and Franklin Creeks in the State of 
Oregon as wild or recreation rivers, and for other pur-
poses. 
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Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Devil’s Staircase Wilder-
ness Act of 2009’’. 
SEC. 2. DESIGNATION OF WILDERNESS AREA, DEVIL’S 
STAIRCASE WILDERNESS, OREGON. 
(a) DESIGNATION.—In furtherance of the purposes of 
the Wilderness Act (16 U.S.C. 1131 et seq.), the Federal 
land in the State of Oregon administered by the Forest 
Service and the Bureau of Land Management, comprising 
approximately 30,520 acres, as generally depicted on the 
map titled ‘‘Devil’s Staircase Wilderness Proposal’’, dated 
October 26, 2009, are designated as a wilderness area for 
inclusion in the National Wilderness Preservation System 
and to be known as the ‘‘Devil’s Staircase Wilderness’’. 
(b) MAP AND LEGAL DESCRIPTION.—As soon as prac-
ticable after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Sec-
retary shall file with the Committee on Natural Resources 
of the House of Representatives and the Committee on En-
ergy and Natural Resources of the Senate a map and legal 
description of wilderness area designated by subsection (a). 
The map and legal description shall have the same force 
and effect as if included in this Act, except that the Sec-
retary may correct clerical and typographical errors in the 
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map and description. In the case of any discrepancy be-
tween the acreage specified in subsection (a) and the map, 
the map shall control. The map and legal description shall 
be on file and available for public inspection in the Office 
of the Chief of the Forest Service. 
SEC. 3. ADMINISTRATION. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Subject to valid existing rights, the 
Devil’s Staircase Wilderness Area shall be administered by 
the Secretaries of Agriculture and the Interior, in accord-
ance with the Wilderness Act and the Oregon Wilderness 
Act of 1984, except that, with respect to the wilderness area, 
any reference in the Wilderness Act to the effective date of 
that Act shall be deemed to be a reference to the date of 
the enactment of this Act. 
(b) FOREST SERVICE ROADS.—As provided in section 
4(d)(1) of the Wilderness Act (16 U.S.C. 1133(d)(1)), the 
Secretary of Agriculture shall— 
(1) decommission any National Forest System 
road within the wilderness boundaries; and 
(2) convert Forest Service Road 4100 within the 
wilderness boundary to a trail for primitive rec-
reational use. 
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SEC. 4. INCORPORATION OF ACQUIRED LAND AND INTER-
ESTS. 
Any land within the boundary of the wilderness area 
designated by this Act that is acquired by the United States 
shall— 
(1) become part of the Devil’s Staircase Wilder-
ness Area; and 
(2) be managed in accordance with this Act and 
any other applicable law. 
SEC. 5. FISH AND WILDLIFE. 
Nothing in this Act shall be construed as affecting the 
jurisdiction or responsibilities of the State of Oregon with 
respect to wildlife and fish in the national forests. 
SEC. 6. BUFFER ZONES. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—As provided in the Oregon Wilder-
ness Act of 1984 (16 U.S.C. 1132 note; Public Law 98– 
328), Congress does not intend for designation of the wilder-
ness area under this Act to lead to the creation of protective 
perimeters or buffer zones around the wilderness area. 
(b) ACTIVITIES OR USES UP TO BOUNDARIES.—The 
fact that nonwilderness activities or uses can be seen or 
heard from within a wilderness area shall not, of itself, pre-
clude the activities or uses up to the boundary of the wilder-
ness area. 
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SEC. 7. WITHDRAWAL. 
Subject to valid rights in existence on the date of enact-
ment of this Act, the Federal land designated as wilderness 
area by this Act 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) disposition under all laws pertaining to min-
eral and geothermal leasing or mineral materials. 
SEC. 8. PROTECTION OF TRIBAL RIGHTS. 
Nothing in this Act shall be construed to diminish— 
(1) the existing rights of any Indian tribe; or 
(2) tribal rights regarding access to Federal 
lands for tribal activities, including spiritual, cul-
tural, and traditional food gathering activities. 
SEC. 9. WILD AND SCENIC RIVER DESIGNATIONS, WASSON 
CREEK AND FRANKLIN CREEK, OREGON. 
Section 3(a) of the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act (16 
U.S.C. 1274(a)) is amended by inserting the following 
paragraphs: 
‘‘(ll) FRANKLIN CREEK, OREGON.—The 4.5- 
mile segment from the headwaters to the private land 
boundary in section 8 to be administered by the Sec-
retary of Agriculture as a wild river. 
‘‘(ll) WASSON CREEK, OREGON.— 
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