I 
111TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 3914 
To designate certain lands in San Miguel, Ouray, and San Juan Counties, 
Colorado, as wilderness, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
OCTOBER 22, 2009 
Mr. SALAZAR introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on Natural Resources 
A BILL 
To designate certain lands in San Miguel, Ouray, and San 
Juan Counties, Colorado, as wilderness, 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 ‘‘San Juan Mountains 
Wilderness Act of 2009’’. 
SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 
In this Act: 
(1) COVERED LAND.—The term ‘‘covered land’’ 
means— 
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(A) lands designated as wilderness under 
section 3 or section 4; and 
(B) lands designated as a special manage-
ment area under section 4. 
(2) NONCONFORMING
USE.—The term ‘‘non-
conforming use’’ means any commercial helicopter- 
assisted skiing or snowboarding activities within the 
lands designated as a special management area 
under section 4 that have been authorized by the 
Secretary as of the date of enactment of this Act. 
(3) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 
the Secretary of the Interior or the Secretary of Ag-
riculture, as appropriate. 
(4) STATE.—The term ‘‘State’’ means the State 
of Colorado. 
SEC. 3. ADDITIONS TO THE WILDERNESS PRESERVATION 
SYSTEM. 
(a) DESIGNATION.—In accordance with the Wilder-
ness Act (16 U.S.C. 1131 et seq.), the following areas in 
the State are designated as wilderness areas and as com-
ponents of the National Wilderness Preservation System: 
(1) 
Certain 
lands 
in 
the 
Grand 
Mesa, 
Uncompahgre, and Gunnison National Forests com-
prising approximately 3,170 acres, as generally de-
picted on a map titled ‘‘Proposed Wilson, Sunshine, 
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Black Face and San Bernardo Additions to the Liz-
ard Head Wilderness’’, dated May 2009, and which 
are hereby incorporated into the Lizard Head Wil-
derness area. 
(2) 
Certain 
lands 
in 
the 
Grand 
Mesa, 
Uncompahgre, and Gunnison National Forests com-
prising approximately 8,375 acres, as generally de-
picted on a map titled ‘‘Proposed Liberty Bell and 
Last Dollar Additions to the Mt. Sneffels Wilder-
ness’’, dated May 2009, and which are hereby incor-
porated into the Mt. Sneffels Wilderness area. 
(3) 
Certain 
lands 
in 
the 
Grand 
Mesa, 
Uncompahgre, and Gunnison National Forests com-
prising approximately 13,224 acres, as generally de-
picted on a map titled ‘‘Proposed Whitehouse Addi-
tions to the Mt. Sneffels Wilderness’’, dated May 
2009, and which are hereby incorporated into the 
Mt. Sneffels Wilderness area. 
(4)(A) Certain lands in the San Juan Resource 
Area of the Bureau of Land Management com-
prising approximately 8,614 acres, as generally de-
picted on a map titled ‘‘Proposed McKenna Peak 
Wilderness’’, dated May 2009, and which shall be 
known as the McKenna Peak Wilderness. 
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(B) The lands designated under subparagraph 
(A) shall be administered as a component of the Na-
tional Landscape Conservation System. 
(b) MAP AND DESCRIPTION.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—As soon as practicable after 
the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary 
shall file a map and a legal description of each wil-
derness area designated by this Act with— 
(A) the Committee on Natural Resources 
of the House of Representatives; and 
(B) the Committee on Energy and Natural 
Resources of the Senate. 
(2) FORCE OF LAW.—A map and legal descrip-
tion filed under paragraph (1) shall have the same 
force and effect as if included in this Act, except 
that the Secretary may correct clerical and typo-
graphical errors in the map and legal description. 
(3) PUBLIC
AVAILABILITY.—Each map and 
legal description filed under paragraph (1) shall be 
filed and made available for public inspection in the 
Office of the Director of the Bureau of Land Man-
agement and in the Office of the Chief of the Forest 
Service, as appropriate. 
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SEC. 4. SHEEP MOUNTAIN SPECIAL MANAGEMENT AREA. 
(a) DESIGNATION.—Certain lands in the Grand 
Mesa, Uncompahgre, and Gunnison and San Juan Na-
tional Forests comprising approximately 21,697 acres as 
generally depicted on a map titled ‘‘Proposed Sheep Moun-
tain Special Management Area’’ and dated May 2009, are 
hereby designated as the Sheep Mountain Special Manage-
ment Area. 
(b) MAPS AND DESCRIPTIONS.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—As soon as practicable after 
the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary 
shall file maps and legal descriptions of the Federal 
land described in subsection (a) with— 
(A) the Committee on Energy and Natural 
Resources of the Senate; and 
(B) the Committee on Natural Resources 
of the House of Representatives. 
(2) FORCE OF LAW.—The maps and legal de-
scriptions filed under paragraph (1) shall have the 
same force and effect as if included in this Act, ex-
cept that the Secretary may correct typographical 
errors in the maps and legal descriptions. 
(3) PUBLIC
AVAILABILITY.—Each map and 
legal description filed under paragraph (1) shall be 
on file and available for public inspection in the ap-
propriate offices of the United States Forest Service. 
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(c) MANAGEMENT.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Until Congress determines 
otherwise, activities within the area designated in 
subsection (a) shall be managed by the Secretary of 
Agriculture so as to maintain the area’s presently 
existing wilderness character and potential for inclu-
sion in the National Wilderness Preservation Sys-
tem. 
(2) PROHIBITIONS.—The following shall be pro-
hibited on the Federal land described in subsection 
(a): 
(A) Permanent roads. 
(B) Except as necessary to meet the min-
imum requirements for the administration of 
the Federal land and to protect public health 
and safety— 
(i) the use of motorized or mechanized 
vehicles, except as described in paragraph 
(3); and 
(ii) the establishment of temporary 
roads. 
(3) ALLOWABLE
ACTIVITIES.—The Secretary 
may allow activities, including helisking, that have 
been authorized as of the date of the enactment of 
this Act to continue within the area designated in 
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subsection (a). The designation under subsection (a) 
shall not impact future permit processes relating to 
such activities. 
(4) APPLICABLE LAW.—Any uses of the Fed-
eral land described in subsection (a), including ac-
tivities described in paragraph (3), shall be in ac-
cordance with applicable law. 
(d) WITHDRAWAL.—Subject to valid existing rights, 
the Federal land described in subsection (a) is withdrawn 
from— 
(1) all forms of entry, appropriation, or disposal 
under the public land laws; 
(2) location, entry, and patent under the mining 
laws; and 
(3) disposition under all laws relating to min-
eral and energy leasing. 
(e) DESIGNATION
AS
WILDERNESS.—Lands de-
scribed in subsection (a) shall be designated as wilderness 
on the date on which the Secretary publishes in the Fed-
eral Register notice that the nonconforming use has termi-
nated. 
(f) ADMINISTRATION
AS WILDERNESS.—Upon its 
designation as wilderness under subsection (e), the Sheep 
Mountain Special Management Area shall be— 
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(1) known as the Sheep Mountain Wilderness; 
and 
(2) administered in accordance with the Wilder-
ness Act (16 U.S.C. 1133 et seq.) and section 3. 
SEC. 5. ADMINISTRATIVE PROVISIONS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.— 
(1) Subject to valid rights in existence on the 
date of the enactment of this Act, land designated 
as wilderness under section 3 or section 4 shall be 
administered by the Secretary in accordance with— 
(A) the Wilderness Act (16 U.S.C. 1131 et 
seq.); and 
(B) this Act. 
(2) The Secretary may continue to authorize 
the competitive running event permitted since 1992 
in the vicinity of the boundaries of the Sheep Moun-
tain Special Management Area designated by section 
4(a) and the Liberty Bell addition to the Mt. 
Sneffels Wilderness designated by section 3(a)(2) in 
a manner compatible with the preservation of such 
areas as wilderness. 
(b) EFFECTIVE DATE OF THE WILDERNESS ACT.— 
With respect to land designated as wilderness under sec-
tion 3 or section 4, any reference in the Wilderness Act 
(16 U.S.C. 1131 et seq.) to the effective date of the Wil-
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derness Act shall be deemed to be a reference to the date 
of the enactment of this Act or the date of the Secretary 
designating the land as wilderness. 
(c) FISH AND WILDLIFE.—Nothing in this Act shall 
affect the jurisdiction or responsibility of the State with 
respect to wildlife and fish. 
(d) NO BUFFER ZONES.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Nothing in this Act shall 
create a protective perimeter or buffer zone around 
covered land. 
(2) ACTIVITIES
OUTSIDE
WILDERNESS.—The 
fact that a nonwilderness activity or use can be seen 
or heard from within covered land shall not preclude 
the conduct of the activity or use outside the bound-
ary of the covered land. 
(e) WITHDRAWAL.—Subject to valid rights in exist-
ence on the date of the enactment of this Act, covered 
land is withdrawn from all forms of— 
(1) entry, appropriation, or disposal under pub-
lic land laws; 
(2) location, entry, and patent under mining 
laws; and 
(3) disposition under all laws pertaining to min-
eral and geothermal leasing or mineral materials. 
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(f) ACQUIRED LAND.—Any land or interest in land 
located inside the boundaries of covered land that is ac-
quired by the United States after the date of the enact-
ment of this Act shall become part of the relevant wilder-
ness or special management area and shall be managed 
in accordance with this Act and other applicable law. 
(g) GRAZING.—Grazing in covered land shall be ad-
ministered in accordance with section 4(d)(4) of the Wil-
derness Act (16 U.S.C. 1133(d)(4)), as further inter-
preted by section 108 of Public Law 96–560, and the 
guidelines set forth in appendix A of the Report of the 
Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs to accompany 
H.R. 2570 of the 101st Congress (H. Rept. 101–405). 
(h) AMES HYDROELECTRIC PROJECT.—The inclu-
sion in the National Wilderness Preservation System or 
designation under section 4 of this Act as a Special Man-
agement Area as described in section 4 of this Act, shall 
not be construed to interfere with the operation and main-
tenance of the Ames Hydroelectric Project, as currently 
licensed by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 
or as reauthorized in the future, including reasonable use 
of National Wilderness Preservation System lands or Spe-
cial Management Area for any necessary repair or replace-
ment of existing facilities, transport of water and aerial 
or land access. All means of access to the project that are 
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currently permitted by the Secretary on the date of enact-
ment of this Act shall be maintained. 
SEC. 6. WATER. 
(a) FINDINGS, PURPOSE, AND DEFINITION.— 
(1) FINDINGS.—Congress finds that— 
(A) the lands designated as wilderness or 
a Special Management Area by this Act are lo-
cated at the headwaters of the streams and riv-
ers on those lands, with few, if any, actual or 
proposed water resource facilities located up-
stream from such lands and few, if any, oppor-
tunities for diversion, storage, or other uses of 
water occurring outside such lands that would 
adversely affect the wilderness values of such 
lands; 
(B) the lands designated as wilderness or 
Special Management Area by this Act are not 
suitable for use for development of new water 
resource facilities, or for the expansion of exist-
ing facilities; and 
(C) therefore, it is possible to provide for 
proper management and protection of the wil-
derness value of such lands in ways different 
from those utilized in other legislation desig-
nating as wilderness lands not sharing the at-
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