(A) not less frequently than quarterly until 
the management plan under section 102(c) is 
developed; and 
(B) thereafter, at the call of the Secretary. 
(2) PUBLIC MEETINGS.—Each meeting of the 
Council shall be open to the public. 
(3) NOTICE.—A notice of each meeting of the 
Council shall be published in advance of the meeting. 
(i) TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE.—The Secretary shall 
provide, to the maximum extent practicable in accordance 
with applicable law, any information and technical services 
requested by the Council to assist in carrying out the du-
ties of the Council. 
(j) RENEWAL.—The Secretary shall ensure that the 
Council charter is renewed as required under applicable 
law. 
(k) DURATION.—The Council— 
(1) shall continue to function for the duration 
of existence of the Conservation Area; but 
(2) on completion of the management plan, 
shall only meet— 
(A) at the call of the Secretary; or 
(B) in the case of a review or proposed re-
vision to the management plan. 
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TITLE II—DOLORES RIVER 
SPECIAL MANAGEMENT AREA 
SEC. 201. DESIGNATION OF DOLORES RIVER SPECIAL MAN-
AGEMENT AREA. 
(a) ESTABLISHMENT.— 
(1) IN
GENERAL.—Subject to valid existing 
rights, there is established the Dolores River Special 
Management Area in the State. 
(2) AREA
INCLUDED.—The Special Manage-
ment Area shall consist of approximately 15,664 
acres of Federal land in the San Juan National For-
est in the State, as generally depicted on the Map. 
(b) PURPOSE.—The purpose of the Special Manage-
ment Area is to conserve, protect, and enhance the native 
fish, whitewater boating, recreational, scenic, cultural, ar-
chaeological, natural, geological, historical, ecological, wa-
tershed, wildlife, educational, and scientific resources of 
the Special Management Area. 
(c) MAP AND LEGAL DESCRIPTION.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—As soon as practicable after 
the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary 
shall file a map and legal description of the Special 
Management Area with the Committee on Natural 
Resources of the House of Representatives and the 
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Committee on Energy and Natural Resources of the 
Senate. 
(2) EFFECT.—The map and legal description 
prepared under paragraph (1) shall have the same 
force and effect as if included in this title, except 
that the Secretary may correct minor errors in the 
map or legal description. 
(3) PUBLIC AVAILABILITY.—A copy of the map 
and legal description shall be on file and available 
for public inspection in the appropriate offices of the 
Forest Service. 
SEC. 202. MANAGEMENT OF SPECIAL MANAGEMENT AREA. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall manage the 
Special Management Area in accordance with— 
(1) this Act; 
(2) the National Forest Management Act of 
1976 (16 U.S.C. 1600 et seq.); and 
(3) other applicable laws. 
(b) USES.—The Secretary shall allow only such uses 
of the Special Management Area as the Secretary deter-
mines would further the purpose of the Special Manage-
ment Area, as described in section 201(b). 
(c) MANAGEMENT PLAN.— 
(1) PLAN REQUIRED.— 
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(A) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 3 years 
after the date of enactment of this Act, the Sec-
retary shall develop a management plan for the 
long-term protection, management, and moni-
toring of the Special Management Area. 
(B) REVIEW AND REVISION.—The manage-
ment plan under subparagraph (A) shall, from 
time to time, be subject to review and revision 
in accordance with— 
(i) this Act; 
(ii) the National Forest Management 
Act of 1976 (16 U.S.C. 1600 et seq.); and 
(iii) other applicable laws. 
(2) CONSULTATION AND COORDINATION.—The 
Secretary shall prepare and revise the management 
plan under paragraph (1)— 
(A) in consultation with— 
(i) the State; 
(ii) units of local government; 
(iii) the public; 
(iv) the Council; and 
(v) the Native Fish Monitoring and 
Recommendation Team, as described in 
section 402(b)(1); and 
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(B) in coordination with the Secretary of 
the Interior, with respect to the development of 
the separate management plan for the Con-
servation Area, as described in section 102(c). 
(3) RECOMMENDATIONS.—In preparing and re-
vising the management plan under paragraph (1), 
the Secretary shall take into consideration any rec-
ommendations from the Council. 
(4) TREATY RIGHTS.—In preparing and revis-
ing the management plan under paragraph (1), tak-
ing into consideration the rights and obligations de-
scribed in section 402, the Secretary shall ensure 
that the management plan does not alter or dimin-
ish— 
(A) the treaty rights of any Indian Tribe; 
(B) any rights described in the Colorado 
Ute Indian Water Rights Settlement Act of 
1988 (Public Law 100–585; 102 Stat. 2973); 
or 
(C) the operation or purposes of the Dolo-
res Project. 
(d) INCORPORATION OF ACQUIRED LAND AND IN-
TERESTS.—Any land or interest in land located within the 
boundary of the Special Management Area that is ac-
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quired by the United States in accordance with section 
401(c) after the date of enactment of this Act shall— 
(1) become part of the Special Management 
Area; and 
(2) be managed as provided in this section. 
TITLE 
III—TECHNICAL 
MODI-
FICATIONS 
TO 
POTENTIAL 
ADDITIONS 
TO 
NATIONAL 
WILD AND SCENIC RIVERS 
SYSTEM 
SEC. 301. PURPOSE. 
The purpose of this title is to release portions of the 
Dolores River and certain tributaries from designation for 
potential addition under the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act 
(16 U.S.C. 1271 et seq.) or from further study under that 
Act. 
SEC. 302. RELEASE OF DOLORES RIVER STUDY AREA. 
Section 5(a)(56) of the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act 
(16 U.S.C. 1276(a)(56)) is amended by inserting ‘‘and the 
segments of the Dolores River located in the Dolores River 
National Conservation Area designated by the Dolores 
River National Conservation Area and Special Manage-
ment Area Act’’ before the period at the end. 
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SEC. 303. APPLICABILITY OF CONTINUING CONSIDERATION 
PROVISION. 
Section 5(d)(1) of the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act 
(16 U.S.C. 1276(d)(1)) shall not apply to— 
(1) the Conservation Area; or 
(2) the Special Management Area. 
TITLE IV—GENERAL 
PROVISIONS 
SEC. 401. MANAGEMENT OF COVERED LAND. 
(a) MOTORIZED VEHICLES.— 
(1) IN
GENERAL.—Except in cases in which 
motorized vehicles are needed for administrative pur-
poses or to respond to an emergency, the use of mo-
torized vehicles in the covered land shall be per-
mitted only on designated routes. 
(2) ROAD
CONSTRUCTION.—Except as nec-
essary for administrative purposes, protection of 
public health and safety, or providing reasonable ac-
cess to private property, the Secretary shall not con-
struct any permanent or temporary road within the 
covered land after the date of enactment of this Act. 
(b) WITHDRAWALS.—Subject to valid existing rights, 
all public land within the covered land, including any land 
or interest in land that is acquired by the United States 
within the covered land after the date of enactment of this 
Act, is withdrawn from— 
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(1) entry, appropriation or disposal under the 
public land laws; 
(2) location, entry, and patent under the mining 
laws; and 
(3) operation of the mineral leasing, mineral 
materials, and geothermal leasing laws, except as 
provided in section 102(e). 
(c) WILLING SELLERS.—Any acquisition of land or 
interests in land under this Act shall be only by purchase 
from willing sellers, donation, or exchange. 
(d) GRAZING.—The Secretary shall issue and admin-
ister any grazing leases or permits and trailing permits 
and administer allotments in the covered land in accord-
ance with the laws (including regulations) applicable to the 
issuance and administration of leases and permits on other 
land under the jurisdiction of the Bureau of Land Man-
agement or Forest Service, as applicable. 
(e) ACCESS TO PRIVATE LAND.—To ensure reason-
able use and enjoyment of private property (whether in 
existence on the date of enactment of this Act or in an 
improved state), the Secretary shall grant reasonable and 
feasible access through the covered land to any private 
property that is located within or adjacent to the covered 
land, if other routes to the private property are blocked 
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by physical barriers, such as the Dolores River or the cliffs 
of the Dolores River. 
(f) EASEMENTS.—The Secretary may lease or ac-
quire easements on private land from willing lessors, do-
nors, or sellers for recreation, access, conservation, or 
other permitted uses, to the extent necessary to fulfill the 
purposes of the Conservation Area or Special Management 
Area, as applicable. 
(g) WILDFIRE, INSECT, AND DISEASE MANAGE-
MENT.—The Secretary may take any measures that the 
Secretary determines to be necessary to control fire, in-
sects, and diseases in the covered land (including, as the 
Secretary determines to be appropriate, the coordination 
of the measures with the State or a local agency). 
(h) MANAGEMENT OF PONDEROSA GORGE.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall manage 
the areas of the Conservation Area and Special Man-
agement Area identified on the Map as ‘‘Ponderosa 
Gorge’’ in a manner that maintains the wilderness 
character of those areas as of the date of enactment 
of this Act. 
(2) PROHIBITED ACTIVITIES.—Subject to para-
graph (3), in the areas described in paragraph (1), 
the following activities shall be prohibited: 
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(A) New permanent or temporary road 
construction or the renovation of nonsystem 
roads in existence on the date of enactment of 
this Act. 
(B) The use of motor vehicles, motorized 
equipment, or mechanical transport, except as 
necessary to meet the minimum requirements 
for the administration of the Federal land, to 
protect public health and safety, or to conduct 
ecological restoration activities to improve the 
aquatic habitat of the Dolores River channel. 
(C) Projects undertaken for the purpose of 
harvesting commercial timber (other than ac-
tivities relating to the harvest of merchantable 
products that are byproducts of activities con-
ducted for ecological restoration or to further 
the purposes of this Act). 
(3) UTILITY CORRIDOR.—Nothing in this sub-
section affects the operation, maintenance, or loca-
tion of the utility right-of-way within the corridor, as 
depicted on the Map. 
(i) EFFECT.—Nothing in this Act prohibits the Sec-
retary from issuing a new permit and right-of-way within 
the covered land for a width of not more than 150 feet 
for a right-of-way that serves a transmission line in exist-
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ence on the date of enactment of this Act, on the condition 
that the Secretary shall relocate the right-of-way in a 
manner that furthers the purposes of this Act. 
(j) CLIMATOLOGICAL DATA COLLECTION.—Subject 
to such terms and conditions as the Secretary may re-
quire, nothing in this Act precludes the installation and 
maintenance of hydrologic, meteorological, or climato-
logical collection devices in the covered land if the facilities 
and access to the facilities are essential to public safety, 
flood warning, flood control, water reservoir operation ac-
tivities, or the collection of hydrologic data for water re-
source management purposes. 
SEC. 402. PROTECTION OF WATER RIGHTS AND OTHER IN-
TERESTS. 
(a) DOLORES PROJECT.— 
(1) OPERATION.—The Dolores Project and the 
operation of McPhee Reservoir shall continue to be 
the responsibility of, and be operated by, the Sec-
retary, in cooperation with the Dolores Water Con-
servancy District, in accordance with applicable laws 
and obligations. 
(2) EFFECT.—Nothing in this Act affects the 
Dolores Project or the operation of McPhee Res-
ervoir, in accordance with— 
(A) the reclamation laws; 
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(B) any applicable— 
(i) Dolores Project water contract, 
storage contract, or carriage contract; or 
(ii) allocation of Dolores Project 
water; 
(C) the environmental assessment and 
finding of no significant impact prepared by the 
Bureau of Reclamation Upper Colorado Region 
and approved August 2, 1996; 
(D) the operating agreement entitled ‘‘Op-
erating Agreement, McPhee Dam and Res-
ervoir, Contract No. 99–WC–40–R6100, Dolo-
res Project, Colorado’’ and dated April 25, 
2000 (or any subsequent renewal or revision of 
that agreement); 
(E) mitigation measures for whitewater 
boating, including any such measure described 
in— 
(i) the document entitled ‘‘Dolores 
Project Colorado Definite Plan Report’’ 
and dated April 1977; 
(ii) the Dolores Project final environ-
mental statement dated May 9, 1977; or 
(iii) a document referred to in sub-
paragraph (C) or (D); 
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(F) applicable Federal or State laws relat-
ing to the protection of the environment, includ-
ing— 
(i) the Endangered Species Act of 
1973 (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.); 
(ii) the National Environmental Policy 
Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.); and 
(iii) the Federal Water Pollution Con-
trol Act (33 U.S.C. 1251 et seq.); and 
(G) the Colorado Ute Indian Water Rights 
Settlement Act of 1988 (Public Law 100–585; 
102 Stat. 2973). 
(b) MANAGEMENT OF FLOWS.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—In managing available flows 
below McPhee Dam to conserve, protect, and en-
hance the resources described in sections 101(b) and 
201(b) of the Dolores River within the covered land, 
including native fish and whitewater boating re-
sources, the Secretary shall seek to provide regular 
and meaningful consultation and collaboration with 
interested stakeholders, including the Native Fish 
Monitoring and Recommendation Team, which in-
cludes water management entities, affected counties, 
conservation interests, whitewater boating interests, 
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Colorado Parks and Wildlife, and the Ute Mountain 
Ute Tribe, during the process of decisionmaking. 
(2) ANNUAL REPORT.—Beginning on the date 
that is 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act 
and annually thereafter, the Commissioner of Rec-
lamation shall prepare and make publically available 
a report that describes any progress with respect to 
the conservation, protection, and enhancement of na-
tive fish in the Dolores River. 
(c) WATER RESOURCE PROJECTS.— 
(1) IN
GENERAL.—Subject to valid existing 
rights and paragraph (2), after the date of enact-
ment of this Act, the Secretary or any other officer, 
employee, or agent of the United States may not as-
sist by loan, grant, license, or otherwise in the con-
struction or modification of any water resource 
project— 
(A) located on the covered land that 
would— 
(i) affect the free-flowing character of 
any stream within the covered land; or 
(ii) unreasonably diminish the re-
source values described in sections 101(b) 
and 201(b) of the Dolores River within the 
covered land; or 
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(B) located outside the covered land that 
would unreasonably diminish the resource val-
ues described in sections 101(b) and 201(b) of 
the Dolores River within the covered land. 
(2) LIMITATIONS.—Subject to the requirements 
of this section, nothing in paragraph (1)— 
(A) prevents, outside the covered land— 
(i) the construction of small diversion 
dams or stock ponds; 
(ii) new minor water developments in 
accordance with existing decreed water 
rights; or 
(iii) minor modifications to structures; 
or 
(B) affects access to, or operation, mainte-
nance, repair, or replacement of, existing water 
resource projects. 
(d) EFFECT.—Nothing in this Act— 
(1) affects— 
(A) any water right that is— 
(i) decreed under the laws of the 
State; and 
(ii) in existence on the date of enact-
ment of this Act; 
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(B) the use, allocation, ownership, or con-
trol, in existence on the date of enactment of 
this Act, of any water or water right; 
(C) any vested absolute or decreed condi-
tional water right in existence on the date of 
enactment of this Act, including any water 
right held by the United States; 
(D) any interstate water compact in exist-
ence on the date of enactment of this Act; or 
(E) State jurisdiction over any water law, 
water right, or adjudication or administration 
relating to any water resource; 
(2) imposes— 
(A) any mandatory streamflow require-
ment within the covered land; or 
(B) any Federal water quality standard 
within, or upstream of, the covered land that is 
more restrictive than would be applicable if the 
covered land had not been designated as the 
Conservation Area or Special Management Area 
under this Act; or 
(3) constitutes an express or implied reservation 
by the United States of any reserved or appropria-
tive water right within the covered land. 
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SEC. 403. EFFECT ON PRIVATE PROPERTY AND REGU-
LATORY AUTHORITY. 
(a) EFFECT.—Nothing in this Act— 
(1) affects valid existing rights; 
(2) requires any owner of private property to 
bear any costs associated with the implementation of 
the management plan under this Act; 
(3) affects the jurisdiction or responsibility of 
the State with respect to fish and wildlife in the 
State; 
(4) requires a change in or affects local zoning 
laws of the State or a political subdivision of the 
State; or 
(5) affects— 
(A) the jurisdiction over, use, or mainte-
nance of county roads in the covered land; or 
(B) the administration of the portion of 
the road that is not a county road and that is 
commonly known as the ‘‘Dolores River Road’’ 
within the Conservation Area, subject to the 
condition that the Secretary shall not improve 
the road beyond the existing primitive condition 
of the road. 
(b) ADJACENT MANAGEMENT.— 
(1) NO
BUFFER
ZONES.—The designation of 
the Conservation Area and the Special Management 
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Area by this Act shall not create any protective pe-
rimeter or buffer zone around the Conservation Area 
or Special Management Area, as applicable. 
(2) PRIVATE LAND.—Nothing in this Act re-
quires the prohibition of any activity on private land 
outside the boundaries of the Conservation Area or 
the Special Management Area that can be seen or 
heard from within such a boundary. 
SEC. 404. TRIBAL RIGHTS AND TRADITIONAL USES. 
(a) TREATY RIGHTS.—Nothing in this Act affects the 
treaty rights of any Indian Tribe, including rights under 
the Agreement of September 13, 1873, ratified by the Act 
of April 29, 1874 (18 Stat. 36, chapter 136). 
(b) TRADITIONAL TRIBAL USES.—Subject to any 
terms and conditions as the Secretary determines to be 
necessary and in accordance with applicable law, the Sec-
retary shall allow for the continued use of the covered land 
by members of Indian Tribes— 
(1) for traditional ceremonies; and 
(2) as a source of traditional plants and other 
materials. 
Æ 
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