I
103D CONGRESS
2D SESSION
H. R. 3905
To provide for the establishment and management of the Opal Creek Forest
Preserve in the State of Oregon.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
FEBRUARY 24, 1994
Mr. KOPETSKI introduced the following bill; which was referred jointly to the
Committees on Natural Resources and Agriculture
A BILL
To provide for the establishment and management of the
Opal Creek Forest Preserve in the State of Oregon.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE AND TABLE OF CONTENTS.
(a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the
‘‘Opal Creek Forest Preserve Act of 1994’’.
(b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents for
this Act is as follows:
Sec. 1. Short title and table of contents.
Sec. 2. Findings and purpose.
Sec. 3. Definitions.
Sec. 4. Opal Creek Forest Preserve.
Sec. 5. Administration of the Preserve.
Sec. 6. Prohibitions regarding the management of the Preserve.
Sec. 7. Access to and acquisition of non-Federal land.
Sec. 8. Bornite Project Area.
Sec. 9. Authority of the Secretary and responsible parties to conduct environ-
mental response actions or pursue liability.
Sec. 10. Grandfather clause.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSE.
(a) FINDINGS.—The Congress finds the following:
(1) Old-growth forests are unique ecosystems
that serve as critical habitat for hundreds of verte-
brate and invertebrate animals, plants, and fungi.
(2) Old-growth forests provide clean and plenti-
ful water and support streams and rivers containing
runs of anadromous and resident cold water fish,
which are wholly dependent on high quantity and
quality water for migration, spawning, rearing, and
cover.
(3) The high quantity and quality of water in
streams and rivers in old-growth forests can only be
maintained by protecting the watersheds of these
streams and rivers.
(4) Old-growth forests provide unique and out-
standing opportunities for educational study, sci-
entific research, and recreation.
(5) The establishment of a watershed and forest
preserve to protect areas of old-growth forests and
surface waters can contribute significantly to the
quality of life for the residents of the State of Or-
egon through education, recreation, and a protected
water supply.
(6) The area known as the Opal Creek Forest,
located on the upper Little North Fork of the
Santiam River in the State of Oregon, contains one
of the largest remaining intact old-growth forest
ecosystems in the Western Oregon Cascades. Al-
though the landscape mosaic in the Opal Creek For-
est may reflect some past logging, young stands of
trees in the area mainly owe their existence to natu-
ral disturbances, chiefly wildfire.
(7) The Opal Creek Forest contains outstand-
ing geological and botanical features and contains
attributes of historic and prehistoric importance.
(8) The recreational use of the Opal Creek For-
est, typically in the form of hiking, sightseeing, and
the general enjoyment of the outdoor environment, is
significant and likely to increase.
(9) It is desirable to limit the human-related
disturbances and development of the Opal Creek
Forest in order to protect fully the special features
of the forest and maintain the full potential of its
watershed for scientific, educational, and non-
destructive research purposes.
(10) Preservation of the Opal Creek Forest pro-
vides outstanding opportunities for scientists to con-
duct nondestructive research regarding old-growth