H. R. 3954
One Hundred Seventh Congress
of the
United States of America
AT THE SECOND SESSION
Begun and held at the City of Washington on Wednesday,
the twenty-third day of January, two thousand and two
An Act
To designate certain waterways in the Caribbean National Forest in the Common-
wealth of Puerto Rico as components of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers
System, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Caribbean National Forest Wild
and Scenic Rivers Act of 2002’’.
SEC. 2. WILD AND SCENIC RIVER DESIGNATIONS, CARIBBEAN
NATIONAL FOREST, PUERTO RICO.
(a) FINDINGS.—The Congress finds the following:
(1) In the revised land and resource management plan
for the Caribbean National Forest/Luquillo Experimental
Forest, approved April 17, 1997, and the environmental impact
statement prepared as part of the plan, the Secretary of Agri-
culture examined the suitability of rivers within the Caribbean
National Forest/Luquillo Experimental Forest for inclusion in
the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System.
(2) Based on such examination, the Rio Icacos, Rio
Mameyes, and Rio de La Mina were found to be free flowing
waterways and to possess outstandingly remarkable scenic,
recreational, geological, hydrological, biological, historical, and
cultural values, and, therefore, to qualify for addition to the
National Wild and Scenic Rivers System.
(b) DESIGNATIONS.—Section 3(a) of the Wild and Scenic Rivers
Act (16 U.S.C. 1274(a)) is amended by adding at the end the
following new paragraph:
‘‘(ll) RIVERS
OF
CARIBBEAN
NATIONAL
FOREST, PUERTO
RICO.—
‘‘(A) RIO
MAMEYES.—The segment of approximately 4.5
miles from its headwaters in the Ban˜o de Oro Research Natural
Area to the boundary of the Caribbean National Forest, to
be administered by the Secretary of Agriculture as follows:
‘‘(i) As a wild river from its headwaters in the Ban˜o
de Oro Research Natural Area to the crossing point of
Trail No. 24/11 (approximately 500 feet upstream from
the confluence with the Rio de La Mina), a total of approxi-
mately 2.1 miles.
‘‘(ii) As a scenic river from the crossing point of Trail
No. 24/11 to the access point of Trail No. 7, a total of
approximately 1.4 miles.
H. R. 3954—2
‘‘(iii) As a recreational river from the access point of
Trail No. 7 to the national forest boundary, a total of
approximately 1.0 miles.
‘‘(B) RIO DE LA MINA.—The segment of approximately 2.1
miles from its headwaters to its confluence with the Rio
Mameyes, to be administered by the Secretary of Agriculture
as follows:
‘‘(i) As a recreational river from its headwaters in
the El Yunque Recreation Area downstream to La Mina
Falls, a total of approximately 0.9 miles.
‘‘(ii) As a scenic river from La Mina falls downstream
to its confluence with the Rio Mameyes, a total of approxi-
mately 1.2 miles.
‘‘(C) RIO ICACOS.—The segment of approximately 2.3 miles
from its headwaters to the boundary of the Caribbean National
Forest, to be administered by the Secretary of Agriculture as
a scenic river.’’.
(c) SPECIAL MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS.—
(1) CERTAIN PERMITTED ACTIVITIES.—Subject to paragraph
(2), the amendment made by the subsection (b) and the applica-
bility of the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act (16 U.S.C. 1271 et
seq.) to the river segments added to the National Wild and
Scenic Rivers System by the amendment shall not be construed
to prevent any of the following activities within the boundaries
of the river segments:
(A) Installation and maintenance of hydrologic, mete-
orological, climatological, or atmospheric data collection and
transmission facilities, or any combination of such facilities,
when the Secretary of Agriculture determines that such
facilities are essential to the scientific research purposes
of the Luquillo Experimental Forest.
(B) Construction and maintenance of nesting struc-
tures, observation blinds, and population monitoring plat-
forms for threatened and endangered species.
(C) Construction and maintenance of trails to such
facilities as necessary for research purposes and for the
recovery of threatened and endangered species.
(2) CONDITIONS.—The activities authorized by paragraph
(1) shall be subject to such conditions as the Secretary considers
desirable. The Secretary shall ensure that the scale and scope
of such activities within the boundaries of a river segment
added to the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System by the
amendment made by the subsection (b) are not detrimental
to the characteristics of the river segment that merited its
designation as a wild, scenic, or recreational river.
(d) PRESERVATION
OF COMMONWEALTH AUTHORITY.—Nothing
in this section or the amendment made by this section shall be
construed to limit the authority of the Commonwealth of Puerto
H. R. 3954—3
Rico over waters and natural channels of public domain pursuant
to the laws of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.
Speaker of the House of Representatives.
Vice President of the United States and
President of the Senate.