I 
114TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 4060 
To establish certain conservation and recreation areas in the State of 
California, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
NOVEMBER 18, 2015 
Mr. VARGAS introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on Natural Resources 
A BILL 
To establish certain conservation and recreation areas in 
the State of California, and for other purposes. 
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 ‘‘Imperial Valley Desert 
Conservation and Recreation Act of 2015’’. 
SEC. 
2. 
LAND 
CONVEYANCE, 
ANZA-BORREGO 
DESERT 
STATE PARK, CALIFORNIA. 
(a) CONVEYANCE REQUIRED.—The Secretary, with-
out consideration, to the State, all right, title, and interest 
of the United States in and to a parcel of public lands 
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administered by the Bureau of Land Management in San 
Diego County, California, comprising approximately 934 
acres and generally depicted as ‘‘Table Mountain Wilder-
ness Study Area Proposed Transfer’’ on the map prepared 
at the request of Representative Juan Vargas entitled 
‘‘Table Mountain Wilderness Study Area Proposed Trans-
fer to the State’’ and dated October 8, 2015, for the pur-
pose of allowing the State to include that land as part 
of Anza-Borrego Desert State Park. 
(b) TIME FOR CONVEYANCE.—The Secretary shall 
complete the conveyance of the parcel under subsection (a) 
as soon as practicable after the termination of all mining 
claims related to the parcel. 
(c) MANAGEMENT.—The parcel conveyed under sub-
section (a) shall be managed by the State in accordance 
with the provisions of the California Wilderness Act (Cali-
fornia Public Resources Code sections 5093.30–5093.40). 
(d) WITHDRAWAL.—Subject to valid existing rights, 
the parcel to be conveyed under subsection (a) is with-
drawn from— 
(1) all forms of entry, appropriation, or disposal 
under the public land laws; 
(2) location, entry, and patent under the mining 
laws; and 
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(3) disposition under all laws relating to min-
eral and geothermal leasing. 
(e) REVERSION.—If the State ceases to manage the 
parcel conveyed under subsection (a) as part of the State 
Park System or in a manner inconsistent with the Cali-
fornia Wilderness Act (California Public Resources Code 
sections 5093.30–5093.40), the land shall revert to the 
Secretary, at the discretion of the Secretary, to be man-
aged as a Wilderness Study Area. 
SEC. 3. LAND CONVEYANCE, HOLTVILLE AIRPORT, IMPE-
RIAL COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 
(a) CONVEYANCE AUTHORITY.—On the submission 
of an application by Imperial County, California, the Sec-
retary of Transportation shall seek, in accordance with 
section 47125 of title 49, United States Code, and section 
2641.1 of title 43, Code of Federal Regulations (or suc-
cessor regulation), a conveyance from the Secretary of a 
parcel of Federal land administered by the Bureau of 
Land Management comprising approximately 3,500 acres 
adjacent to the Imperial County Holtville Airport (L04) 
for the purposes allowing the County to expand the air-
port. 
(b) SEGREGATION.—With respect to the parcel de-
scribed in subsection (a), the Secretary, acting through 
the Director of the Bureau of Land Management, shall— 
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(1) segregate the parcel; and 
(2) prohibit the appropriation of the parcel 
until the earlier of the following: 
(A) The date on which a notice of realty 
action terminates the application referred to in 
subsection (a). 
(B) The date on which a document of con-
veyance with regard to the parcel is published. 
SEC. 4. VINAGRE WASH SPECIAL MANAGEMENT AREA. 
(a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
(1) MANAGEMENT AREA.—The term ‘‘Manage-
ment Area’’ means the Vinagre Wash Special Man-
agement Area. 
(2) MAP.—The term ‘‘map’’ means the map 
prepared at the request of Representative Juan 
Vargas entitled ‘‘Vinagre Wash Proposed Special 
Management Area; Indian Pass Mountains and Palo 
Verde Mountains Potential Wilderness Additions, 
and Buzzards Peak, Milpitas Wash Potential Wil-
derness’’ and dated October 8, 2015. 
(3) PUBLIC LANDS.—The term ‘‘public lands’’ 
has the meaning given that term in section 103 of 
the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 
1976 (43 U.S.C. 1702). 
(b) VINAGRE WASH SPECIAL MANAGEMENT AREA.— 
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(1) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established in 
the State the Vinagre Wash Special Management 
Area, to be managed by the El Centro Field Office 
and the Yuma Field Office of the Bureau of Land 
Management. 
(2) PURPOSE.—The purpose of the Manage-
ment Area is to conserve, protect, and enhance— 
(A) the plants and wildlife of the Manage-
ment Area; and 
(B) the outstanding and nationally signifi-
cant ecological, geological, scenic, archae-
ological, cultural, historic, recreational, and 
other resources of the Management Area. 
(3) BOUNDARIES.—The Management Area shall 
consist of the public lands in Imperial County, Cali-
fornia, comprising approximately 81,880 acres, as 
generally depicted as ‘‘Proposed Special Manage-
ment Area’’ on the map. 
(4) MAP; LEGAL DESCRIPTION.— 
(A) IN GENERAL.—As soon as practicable, 
but not later than three years after the date of 
enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall sub-
mit a map and legal description of the Manage-
ment Area to— 
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(i) the Committee on Natural Re-
sources of the House of Representatives; 
and 
(ii) the Committee on Energy and 
Natural Resources of the Senate. 
(B) EFFECT.—The map and legal descrip-
tion submitted under subparagraph (A) shall 
have the same force and effect as if included in 
this Act, except that the Secretary may correct 
any errors in the map and legal description. 
(C) AVAILABILITY.—Copies of the map 
submitted under subparagraph (A) shall be on 
file and available for public inspection in— 
(i) the Office of the Director of the 
Bureau of Land Management; and 
(ii) the appropriate office of the Bu-
reau of Land Management in the State. 
(c) MANAGEMENT.— 
(1) CERTAIN
ACTIVITIES
AUTHORIZED.—The 
Secretary shall allow hiking, camping, hunting, and 
sightseeing and the use of motorized vehicles, moun-
tain bikes, and horses on designated routes in the 
Management Area in a manner that— 
(A) is consistent with the purpose of the 
Management Area; 
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(B) ensures public health and safety; and 
(C) is consistent with applicable law. 
(2) OFF-HIGHWAY VEHICLE USE.— 
(A) IN
GENERAL.—Except as otherwise 
provided in this subsection and subject to all 
other applicable laws, the use of off-highway ve-
hicles shall be permitted on routes in the Man-
agement Area generally depicted on the map. 
(B) CLOSURE.—Subject to subparagraph 
(C), the Secretary may temporarily close or per-
manently reroute a portion of a route described 
in subparagraph (A) or opened pursuant to 
subparagraph (D)— 
(i) to prevent, or allow for restoration 
of, resource damage; 
(ii) to protect tribal cultural re-
sources, including the resources identified 
in the tribal cultural resources manage-
ment survey conducted under paragraph 
(7); 
(iii) to address public safety concerns; 
or 
(iv) as otherwise required by law. 
(C) 
DESIGNATION
OF
ADDITIONAL 
ROUTES.—During the 3-year period beginning 
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on the date of enactment of this Act, the Sec-
retary— 
(i) shall accept petitions from the 
public regarding additional routes for off- 
highway vehicles in the Management Area; 
and 
(ii) may designate additional routes 
that the Secretary determines— 
(I) would provide significant or 
unique recreational opportunities; and 
(II) are consistent with the pur-
poses of the Management Area. 
(3) WITHDRAWAL.—Subject to valid existing 
rights, all Federal land within the Management Area 
is withdrawn from— 
(A) all forms of entry, appropriation, or 
disposal under the public land laws; 
(B) location, entry, and patent under the 
mining laws; and 
(C) right-of-way, leasing, or disposition 
under all laws relating to— 
(i) minerals; or 
(ii) solar, wind, and geothermal en-
ergy. 
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(4) NO
BUFFERS.—The establishment of the 
Management Area shall not— 
(A) create a protective perimeter or buffer 
zone around the Management Area; or 
(B) restrict, preclude, limit, or prevent 
uses or activities outside the Management Area 
that are permitted under other applicable laws, 
even if the uses or activities are prohibited 
within the Management Area. 
(5) NOTICE OF AVAILABLE ROUTES.—The Sec-
retary shall ensure that visitors to the Management 
Area have access to adequate notice relating to the 
availability of designated routes in the Management 
Area through— 
(A) the placement of appropriate signage 
along the designated routes; 
(B) the distribution of maps, safety edu-
cation materials, and other information that the 
Secretary determines to be appropriate; and 
(C) restoration of areas that are not des-
ignated as open routes, including vertical 
mulching. 
(6) STEWARDSHIP.—In consultation with In-
dian tribes and other interested persons, the Sec-
retary shall develop a program to provide opportuni-
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ties for monitoring and stewardship of the Manage-
ment Area to minimize environmental impacts and 
prevent resource damage from recreational use, in-
cluding volunteer assistance with— 
(A) route signage; 
(B) restoration of closed routes; 
(C) protection of Management Area re-
sources; and 
(D) recreation education. 
(7) PROTECTION
OF
TRIBAL
CULTURAL
RE-
SOURCES.—Not later than 2 years after the date of 
enactment of this Act, the Secretary, in accordance 
with chapter 2003 of title 54, United States Code, 
and any other applicable law, shall— 
(A) prepare and complete a tribal cultural 
resources survey of the Management Area; and 
(B) consult with the Quechan Indian Na-
tion and other Indian tribes demonstrating an-
cestral, cultural, or other ties to the resources 
within the Management Area on the develop-
ment and implementation of the tribal cultural 
resources survey under subparagraph (A). 
(d) POTENTIAL WILDERNESS.— 
(1) 
PROTECTION
OF
WILDERNESS
CHAR-
ACTER.—The Secretary shall manage the public 
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lands in the Management Area described in para-
graph (2) in a manner that preserves the character 
of the land for the eventual inclusion of the land in 
the National Wilderness Preservation System. 
(2) COVERED LANDS.—The public lands cov-
ered by this section are— 
(A) the approximately 10,860 acres of 
land, as generally depicted as the ‘‘Indian Pass 
Additions’’ on the map; 
(B) the approximately 17,250 acres of 
land, as generally depicted as ‘‘Milpitas Wash 
Potential Wilderness’’ on the map; 
(C) the approximately 11,840 acres of 
land, as generally depicted as ‘‘Buzzards Peak 
Potential Wilderness’’ on the map; and 
(D) the approximately 9,350 acres of land, 
as generally depicted as ‘‘Palo Verde Mountains 
Potential Wilderness’’ on the map. 
(3) MILITARY USES OF LANDS.—The Secretary 
shall manage the public lands covered by this section 
in a manner that is consistent with the Wilderness 
Act (16 U.S.C. 1131 et seq.), except that the Sec-
retary may authorize use of the land by the Sec-
retary of the Navy for Naval Special Warfare Tac-
tical Training, including long-range small unit train-
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ing and navigation, vehicle concealment, and vehicle 
sustainment training, in accordance with applicable 
Federal laws. 
(4) PROHIBITED USES.—The following uses are 
prohibited on the public lands covered by this sec-
tion: 
(A) Permanent roads. 
(B) Commercial enterprises. 
(C) Except as necessary to meet the min-
imum requirements for the administration of 
the land and to protect public health and safe-
ty— 
(i) the use of mechanized vehicles; and 
(ii) the establishment of temporary 
roads. 
(5) WILDERNESS DESIGNATION.— 
(A) EVENTUAL DESIGNATION.—The public 
lands covered by this section shall be designated 
as wilderness and either included as part of an 
existing wilderness area or made a new compo-
nent of the National Wilderness Preservation 
System on the date on which the Secretary, in 
consultation with the Secretary of Defense, 
publishes a notice in the Federal Register that 
all activities on the Federal land that are in-
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compatible with the Wilderness Act (16 U.S.C. 
1131 et seq.) have terminated. 
(B) DESIGNATION.—On designation of the 
public lands as wilderness under paragraph 
(1)— 
(i) the land described in paragraph 
(2)(A) shall be incorporated in, and shall 
be considered to be a part of, the Indian 
Pass Wilderness designated by section 
102(27) of the California Desert Protec-
tion Act of 1994 (Public Law 104–433; 16 
U.S.C. 1132 note); 
(ii) the land described in paragraph 
(2)(B) shall be designated as the Milpitas 
Wash Wilderness; 
(iii) the land described in paragraph 
(2)(C) shall be designated as the Buzzard 
Peak Wilderness; and 
(iv) the land described in paragraph 
(2)(D) shall be incorporated in, and shall 
be considered to be a part of, the Palo 
Verde Mountains Wilderness designated by 
section 102(48) of the California Desert 
Protection Act of 1994 (Public Law 104– 
433; 16 U.S.C. 1132 note). 
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(6) ADMINISTRATION
OF
WILDERNESS.—Sub-
ject to valid existing rights, the land designated as 
wilderness or as a wilderness addition by paragraph 
(5)(B) shall be administered by the Secretary in ac-
cordance with this Act and the Wilderness Act (16 
U.S.C. 1131 et seq.). 
SEC. 5. DEFINITIONS. 
In this Act: 
(1) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 
the Secretary of the Interior. 
(2) STATE.—The term ‘‘State’’ means the State 
of California. 
Æ 
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