I 
109TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 4935 
To designate as wilderness certain lands within the Rocky Mountain National 
Park and to adjust the boundaries of the Indian Peaks Wilderness 
and the Arapaho National Recreation Area on the Arapaho National 
Forest in the State of Colorado. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MARCH 9, 2006 
Mr. UDALL of Colorado introduced the following bill; which was referred to 
the Committee on Resources 
A BILL 
To designate as wilderness certain lands within the Rocky 
Mountain National Park and to adjust the boundaries 
of the Indian Peaks Wilderness and the Arapaho Na-
tional Recreation Area on the Arapaho National Forest 
in the State of Colorado. 
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 PURPOSE. 
(a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the 
‘‘Rocky Mountain National Park Wilderness and Indian 
Peaks Wilderness Expansion Act’’. 
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(b) PURPOSE.—The purpose of this Act is to include 
in the National Wilderness Preservation System certain 
lands within the Rocky Mountain National Park, Colo-
rado, in order to protect the enduring scenic and historic 
wilderness character and unique wildlife values of the 
lands as well as the scientific, educational, inspirational, 
and recreational resources, values, and opportunities of 
the lands; and to adjust the boundaries of the Indian 
Peaks Wilderness and the Arapaho National Recreation 
Area on the Arapaho National Forest in Colorado. 
SEC. 2. DESIGNATION OF ROCKY MOUNTAIN NATIONAL 
PARK WILDERNESS. 
(a) DESIGNATION.—In furtherance of the purposes of 
the Wilderness Act (16 U.S.C. 1131 et seq.), certain lands 
within the Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado, 
which comprise approximately 249,339 acres, as generally 
depicted on the map titled ‘‘Rocky Mountain National 
Park, Colorado Wilderness Boundaries’’ and dated Feb-
ruary 2006, are hereby designated as wilderness and, 
therefore, as a component of the National Wilderness 
Preservation System. The designated lands shall be known 
as the Rocky Mountain National Park Wilderness. 
(b) MAP AND DESCRIPTION.— 
(1) PREPARATION AND SUBMISSION.—As soon 
as practicable after the date of the enactment of this 
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Act, the Secretary of the Interior shall prepare a 
map and a boundary description of the Rocky Moun-
tain National Park Wilderness designated by sub-
section (a) and file the map and boundary descrip-
tion with the Committee on Resources of the House 
of Representatives and the Committee on Energy 
and Natural Resources of the Senate. The map and 
boundary description shall be on file and available 
for public inspection in the office of the Director of 
the National Park Service, Department of the Inte-
rior. 
(2) TREATMENT.—The map and boundary de-
scription prepared under paragraph (1) shall have 
the same force and effect as if included in this Act. 
The Secretary of the Interior may correct clerical 
and typographical errors in the map and description. 
(c) POTENTIAL WILDERNESS LANDS.— 
(1) DEFINITION.—In this section, the term 
‘‘potential wilderness lands’’ means— 
(A) lands identified as potential wilderness 
on the map referred to in subsection (a); and 
(B) lands and interests therein acquired by 
the United States on or after the date of the 
enactment of this Act that are located within 
the boundaries of the Rocky Mountain National 
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Park and are contiguous with lands designated 
as wilderness by this Act. 
(2) INCLUSION IN WILDERNESS.—Upon publi-
cation in the Federal Register of a notice by the 
Secretary of the Interior that all uses of a parcel of 
potential wilderness lands inconsistent with the Wil-
derness Act have ceased, the parcel shall be included 
in the Rocky Mountain National Park Wilderness 
designated by subsection (a) and managed as pro-
vided in section 3. The Secretary of the Interior 
shall modify the map and boundary description pre-
pared under subsection (b) to reflect the inclusion of 
the parcel in the Rocky Mountain National Park 
Wilderness. 
(d) EXCLUSION OF CERTAIN LANDS.—The bound-
aries of the Rocky Mountain National Park Wilderness 
and the potential wilderness lands specifically exclude the 
following: 
(1) The Grand Ditch (including both the main 
canal of the Grand Ditch and a branch thereof 
known as the specimen Ditch) and its right-of-way 
as well as associated appurtenances, structures, 
buildings, camps, and worksites in existence as of 
June 1, 1998. 
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(2) Lands owned by the St. Vrain & Left Hand 
Water Conservancy District, including Copeland 
Reservoir and the Inlet Ditch to such reservoir from 
the North St. Vrain Creek, amounting to approxi-
mately 35.38 acres. 
(3) Lands owned by the Wincentsen-Harms 
Trust, amounting to approximately 2.75 acres. 
(4) Lands within the area depicted as ‘‘East 
Shore Trail Area’’ on the map described in sub-
section (b). 
(e) EAST SHORE TRAIL AREA.— 
(1) ALIGNMENT LINE AND TRAIL.— 
(A) Not later than one year after the date 
of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall 
establish an alignment line for a trail, to be 
known as the East Shore Trail, located within 
the East Shore Trail Area, to maximize the op-
portunity for sustained use of the trail without 
harm to affected resources or conflicts among 
users. After establishing the alignment line, the 
Secretary shall identify the boundaries of the 
trail, but the trail shall not extend more than 
25 feet east of the alignment line or be located 
within the Rocky Mountain National Park Wil-
derness. 
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(B) Nothing in this Act shall be construed 
to require the construction of a trail along the 
alignment line established pursuant to this 
paragraph or to limit the extent to which any 
otherwise applicable laws or policies shall apply 
with respect to any decision regarding construc-
tion of such a trail. 
(2) MAP ADJUSTMENT.—After establishing the 
alignment line of the East Shore Trail, the Secretary 
shall adjust the map of the wilderness area des-
ignated by subsection (a) so that the western bound-
ary of the wilderness is 50 feet east of the alignment 
line. 
(3) OTHER ADJUSTMENTS.—To the extent nec-
essary to protect National Park resources, the Sec-
retary from time to time may adjust the boundaries 
of the East Shore Trail, but no adjustment shall 
have the effect of placing any portion of such trail 
within the boundary of the wilderness area. 
(4) TIME LIMITATION FOR AUTHORIZATION OF 
USE
BY
NONMOTORIZED
BICYCLES.—If the East 
Shore Trail has not been constructed and authorized 
for use by nonmotorized bicycles on or before the 
date that is 25 years after the date of the enactment 
of this Act, the East Shore Trail Area shall be in-
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cluded in the Rocky Mountain National Park Wil-
derness designated by subsection (a) and managed 
as provided in section 3, and the Secretary shall 
modify the map and boundary description of such 
wilderness area to reflect the inclusion of such lands 
in wilderness. 
(f) RELATION TO LANDS OUTSIDE WILDERNESS.— 
(1) USE OF LANDS.—Except as provided in this 
subsection, nothing in this Act shall affect the man-
agement or use of any lands not included within the 
boundaries of the Rocky Mountain National Park 
Wilderness or the potential wilderness lands. 
(2) USE OF MOTORIZED VEHICLES.—Until the 
date that is 25 years after the date of the enactment 
of this Act, no use of motorized vehicles or other 
motorized machinery not permitted on March 1, 
2006, shall be allowed in the East Shore Trail Area, 
except as may be necessary for constructing or 
maintaining the East Shore Trail, if such construc-
tion is authorized by the Secretary. 
(3) MANAGEMENT OF PENDING WILDERNESS.— 
Pending their inclusion in wilderness pursuant to 
subsection (c)(2), the potential wilderness lands shall 
be managed to protect any wilderness characteristics 
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and to maintain their suitability for inclusion in wil-
derness. 
SEC. 3. MANAGEMENT OF ROCKY MOUNTAIN NATIONAL 
PARK WILDERNESS. 
(a) MANAGEMENT GENERALLY.—Subject to valid ex-
isting rights, lands designated as wilderness by section 
2(a) or subsequently included in the Rocky Mountain Na-
tional Park Wilderness by section 2(c) shall be managed 
by the Secretary of the Interior in accordance with the 
Wilderness Act (16 U.S.C. 1131 et seq.) and this Act. 
With respect to the lands designated as wilderness by sec-
tion 2(a), any reference in the Wilderness Act to the effec-
tive date of the Wilderness Act shall be deemed to be a 
reference to the date of the enactment of this Act. With 
respect to the lands subsequently included in the Rocky 
Mountain National Park Wilderness by section 2(c), any 
reference in the Wilderness Act to the effective date of 
the Wilderness Act shall be deemed to be a reference to 
the date on which the lands were included in the wilder-
ness area. 
(b) WATER RIGHTS.— 
(1) FINDINGS.—Congress finds the following: 
(A) According to decisions of the courts of 
the State of Colorado, the United States has ex-
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isting rights to water within the Rocky Moun-
tain National Park. 
(B) Those rights are sufficient for the pur-
poses of the Rocky Mountain National Park 
Wilderness as designated by section 2. 
(C) In light of the findings in subpara-
graphs (A) and (B), there is no need for this 
Act to effect a reservation by the United States 
of any additional water rights to fulfill the pur-
poses for which the Rocky Mountain National 
Park Wilderness is designated. 
(2) NO RESERVATION.—Nothing in this Act or 
any action taken pursuant to this Act shall con-
stitute either an express or implied reservation of 
water or water rights for any purpose. 
(c) COLORADO-BIG THOMPSON PROJECT.— 
(1) 
CURRENT
ACTIVITIES.—Activities 
on, 
under, or affecting the lands designated as wilder-
ness by section 2 relating to the monitoring, oper-
ation, maintenance, repair, replacement, and use of 
the Colorado-Big Thompson Project and its facilities 
which were allowed as of June 1, 1998, shall be al-
lowed to continue and shall not be affected by the 
designation of the lands as wilderness. 
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(2) NEW ACTIVITIES.—In addition to the activi-
ties described in paragraph (1), any other activities 
on, under, or affecting the lands designated as wil-
derness by section 2 that because of emergencies or 
catastrophic events become necessary for the oper-
ation, maintenance, repair, replacement, and contin-
ued use of the Colorado-Big Thompson Project and 
its facilities shall be allowed, subject only to reason-
able restrictions which are established by the Sec-
retary of the Interior to protect the wilderness val-
ues of the lands. In implementing this paragraph, 
the Secretary shall not establish any restrictions on 
the activities that would prevent the occurrence of 
such necessary activities or that would reduce the 
water supply provided by the Colorado-Big Thomp-
son Project or the Windy Gap Project. 
(3) RELATION TO AUTHORITY IN ACT ESTAB-
LISHING PARK.—Nothing in the first section of the 
Act of January 26, 1915 (16 U.S.C. 191), shall be 
construed to allow development within the lands des-
ignated as wilderness by section 2 of any reclama-
tion project not in existence as of the date of the en-
actment of this Act. 
(d) NO BUFFER ZONES.—Congress does not intend 
that the designation by this Act of the Rocky Mountain 
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National Park Wilderness creates or implies the creation 
of protective perimeters or buffer zones around the wilder-
ness area. The fact that nonwilderness activities or uses 
can be seen or heard from within the wilderness area shall 
not, of itself, preclude such activities or uses up to the 
boundary of the wilderness area. 
SEC. 4. BOUNDARY ADJUSTMENT OF INDIAN PEAKS WIL-
DERNESS AND ARAPAHO NATIONAL RECRE-
ATION AREA. 
(a) INDIAN PEAKS WILDERNESS.—Section 3(a) of 
Public Law 95–450 is amended— 
(1) by striking ‘‘seventy thousand acres’’ and 
inserting ‘‘74,195 acres’’ ; and 
(2) by striking ‘‘dated July 1978’’ and inserting 
‘‘dated February 2006’’. 
(b) ARAPAHO NATIONAL RECREATION AREA.—Sec-
tion 4(a) of Public Law 95–450 is amended— 
(1) by striking ‘‘thirty-six thousand two hun-
dred thirty-five acres’’ and inserting ‘‘35,235 acres’’; 
and 
(2) by striking ‘‘dated July 1978’’ and inserting 
‘‘dated February 2006’’. 
SEC. 5. AUTHORITY TO LEASE LEIFFER PROPERTY. 
(a) AUTHORIZATION.—The provisions of section 
802(a) of Public Law 105–391 (16 U.S.C. 1a–2k) shall 
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apply to the tract of land described in subsection (b) to 
the same extent as if such property was part of the Na-
tional Park System. 
(b) LAND DESCRIBED.—Subsection (a) applies to the 
tract of land near the eastern boundary of Rocky Moun-
tain National Park in Larimer County, Colorado, adminis-
tered by the National Park Service and known as the 
Leiffer tract. 
Æ 
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