I
105TH CONGRESS
2D SESSION
H. R. 4850
To designate as wilderness certain lands within Rocky Mountain National
Park, in Colorado.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
OCTOBER 16, 1998
Mr. SKAGGS introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on Resources
A BILL
To designate as wilderness certain lands within Rocky
Mountain National Park, in 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 Act of 1998’’.
(b) PURPOSE.—The purpose of this Act is to include
certain lands within Rocky Mountain National Park in the
National Wilderness Preservation System in order to pro-
tect their enduring scenic and historic wilderness char-
acter and unique wildlife values as well as their scientific,
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educational, inspirational, and recreational resources, val-
ues, and opportunities.
SEC. 2. WILDERNESS DESIGNATION AND MAP.
(a) DESIGNATION.—(1) In furtherance of the pur-
pose of the Wilderness Act (16 U.S.C. 1131 et seq.), cer-
tain lands within Rocky Mountain National Park, Colo-
rado, which comprise approximately 249,562 acres, as
generally depicted on a map entitled ‘‘Rocky Mountain
National Park Wilderness—Proposed’’ and dated June,
1998, are hereby designated as wilderness and, therefore,
as components of the National Wilderness Preservation
System and shall be known as the Rocky Mountain Na-
tional Park Wilderness.
(b) MAP AND DESCRIPTION.—As soon as practicable
after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of
the Interior shall file a map and a boundary description
of the lands designated as wilderness by this section with
the Committee on Resources of the United States House
of Representatives and the Committee on Energy and
Natural Resources of the United States Senate. Such map
and description shall have the same force and effect as
if included in this Act, except that the Secretary is author-
ized to correct clerical and typographical errors in such
map and description. Such map and description shall be
on file and available for public inspection in the office of
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the Director of the National Park Service, Department of
the Interior.
SEC. 3. ADMINISTRATIVE PROVISIONS.
(a)(1) IN GENERAL.—Subject to valid existing rights,
lands designated as wilderness by this Act shall be man-
aged by the Secretary of the Interior in accordance with
the Wilderness Act and this Act, except that, with respect
to the lands designated as wilderness by this Act, any ref-
erence in the Wilderness Act to the effective date of the
Wilderness Act shall be deemed to be a reference to the
date of enactment of this Act.
(2) POTENTIAL WILDERNESS.—
(A) DEFINITION.—As used in this paragraph,
the term ‘‘potential wilderness lands’’ means:
(i) lands within the boundaries of the areas
designated as wilderness by this Act that are
identified as ‘‘potential wilderness’’ on the map
referred to in section 2(a); and
(ii) lands and interests therein acquired by
the United States on or after the date of enact-
ment of this Act that are located within the
boundaries of Rocky Mountain National Park
and contiguous with lands designated as wilder-
ness by this Act.
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(B) MANAGEMENT.—Potential wilderness lands
shall be managed as components of the National
Wilderness Preservation System upon publication in
the Federal Register of a notice by the Secretary of
the Interior that all uses thereon inconsistent with
the Wilderness Act have ceased.
(b) WATER RIGHTS.—(1) The Congress finds that,
according to decisions of courts of the State of Colorado,
the United States has existing rights to substantial quan-
tities of water within Rocky Mountain National Park, and
that consequently there is no need for this Act to effect
a reservation by the United States of any additional water
rights to fulfill the purposes for which the wilderness des-
ignations made by this Act are made.
(2) Nothing in this Act or any action taken pursuant
thereto shall constitute either an express or implied res-
ervation of water or water rights for any purpose.
(c) COLORADO-BIG THOMPSON PROJECT.—
(1) 
EXISTING
ACTIVITIES.—Activities 
on,
under, or affecting the lands designated as wilder-
ness by this Act relating to the monitoring, oper-
ation, maintenance, repair, replacement, or use of
the Colorado-Big Thompson Project and its facilities
which were allowed as of June 1, 1998, shall be al-
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lowed to continue, and shall not be affected by the
designation of such lands as wilderness.
(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 this Act that are necessary to respond to
catastrophic events or emergencies and that affect
the continued operation, maintenance, repair, re-
placement or use of the Colorado-Big Thompson
Project and its facilities shall be allowed, subject to
reasonable restrictions established by the Secretary
of the Interior in order to protect the wilderness val-
ues of such lands; Provided, however, That any such
restrictions shall not permanently reduce the water
supply capability of the Colorado-Big Thompson
Project or the Windy Gap Project.
(3) OTHER PROJECTS.—Nothing in section 1 of
the Act of January 26, 1915 (16 U.S.C. 191; 38
State. 798) shall be construed to permit development
within the lands designated as wilderness by this Act
of any reclamation project not in existence on the
date of enactment of this Act.
(d) EXCLUSIONS.—(1) Boundaries for the wilderness
and potential wilderness areas designated by this Act spe-
cifically exclude—
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(A) 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 work sites in existence as of
June 1, 1998; and
(B) 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.
(2) Nothing in this Act shall affect management or
use of any lands not included within the boundaries of the
areas designated as wilderness or potential wilderness by
this Act.
(e) NO BUFFER ZONES.—Congress does not intend
that the designation by this Act of wilderness areas in the
State of Colorado creates or implies the creation of protec-
tive perimeters or buffer zones around any wilderness
area. The fact that nonwilderness activities or uses can
be seen or heard from within a wilderness area shall not,
of itself, preclude such activities or uses up to the bound-
ary of the wilderness area.
Æ