IB
Union Calendar No. 262
107TH CONGRESS
2D SESSION
H. R. 3954
[Report No. 107–441]
To designate certain waterways in the Caribbean National Forest in the
Commonwealth of Puerto Rico as components of the National Wild
and Scenic Rivers System, and for other purposes.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
MARCH 13, 2002
Mr. ACEVEDO-VILA´ (for himself, Mr. UDALL of Colorado, and Mr. RAHALL)
introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Re-
sources
MAY 7, 2002
Reported with an amendment, committed to the Committee of the Whole
House on the State of the Union, and ordered to be printed
[Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed in italic]
[For text of introduced bill, see copy of bill as introduced on March 13, 2002]
A BILL
To designate certain waterways in the Caribbean National
Forest in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico as compo-
nents of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System,
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 ‘‘Caribbean National For-
est Wild and Scenic Rivers Act of 2002’’.
SEC. 2. WILD AND SCENIC RIVER DESIGNATIONS, CARIB-
BEAN NATIONAL FOREST, PUERTO RICO.
(a) FINDINGS.—The Congress finds the following:
(1) In the revised land and resource management
plan for the Caribbean National Forest/Luquillo Ex-
perimental Forest, approved April 17, 1997, and the
environmental impact statement prepared as part of
the plan, the Secretary of Agriculture examined the
suitability of rivers within the Caribbean National
Forest/Luquillo Experimental Forest for inclusion in
the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System.
(2) Based on such examination, the Rio Icacos,
Rio Mameyes, and Rio de La Mina were found to be
free flowing waterways and to possess outstandingly
remarkable 
scenic, 
recreational, 
geological,
hydrological, biological, historical, and cultural val-
ues, and, therefore, to qualify for addition to the Na-
tional Wild and Scenic Rivers System.
(b) DESIGNATIONS.—Section 3(a) of the Wild and Sce-
nic Rivers Act (16 U.S.C. 1274(a)) is amended by adding
at the end the following new paragraph:
‘‘(ll) RIVERS OF CARIBBEAN NATIONAL FOREST,
PUERTO RICO.—
‘‘(A) RIO MAMEYES.—The segment of approxi-
mately 4.5 miles from its headwaters in the Ban˜o de
Oro Research Natural Area to the boundary of the
Caribbean National Forest, to be administered by the
Secretary of Agriculture as follows:
‘‘(i) As a wild river from its headwaters in
the Ban˜o de Oro Research Natural Area to the
crossing point of Trail No. 24/11 (approximately
500 feet upstream from the confluence with the
Rio de La Mina), a total of approximately 2.1
miles.
‘‘(ii) As a scenic river from the crossing
point of Trail No. 24/11 to the access point of
Trail No. 7, a total of approximately 1.4 miles.
‘‘(iii) As a recreational river from the access
point of Trail No. 7 to the national forest bound-
ary, a total of approximately 1.0 miles.
‘‘(B) RIO DE LA MINA.—The segment of approxi-
mately 2.1 miles from its headwaters to its confluence
with the Rio Mameyes, to be administered by the Sec-
retary of Agriculture as follows:
‘‘(i) As a recreational river from its head-
waters in the El Yunque Recreation Area down-
stream to La Mina Falls, a total of approxi-
mately 0.9 miles.
‘‘(ii) As a scenic river from La Mina falls
downstream to its confluence with the Rio
Mameyes, a total of approximately 1.2 miles.
‘‘(C) RIO
ICACOS.—The segment of approxi-
mately 2.3 miles from its headwaters to the boundary
of the Caribbean National Forest, to be administered
by the Secretary of Agriculture as a scenic river.’’.
(c) SPECIAL MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS.—
(1) CERTAIN PERMITTED ACTIVITIES.—Subject to
paragraph (2), the amendment made by the sub-
section (b) and the applicability of the Wild and Sce-
nic Rivers Act (16 U.S.C. 1271 et seq.) to the river
segments added to the National Wild and Scenic Riv-
ers System by the amendment shall not be construed
to prevent any of the following activities within the
boundaries of the river segments:
(A) Installation and maintenance of hydro-
logic, meteorological, climatological, or atmos-
pheric data collection and transmission facili-
ties, or any combination of such facilities, when
the Secretary of Agriculture determines that such
facilities are essential to the scientific research
purposes of the Luquillo Experimental Forest.
(B) Construction and maintenance of nest-
ing structures, observation blinds, and popu-
lation monitoring platforms for threatened and
endangered species.
(C) Construction and maintenance of trails
to such facilities as necessary for research pur-
poses and for the recovery of threatened and en-
dangered species.
(2) CONDITIONS.—The activities authorized by
paragraph (1) shall be subject to such conditions as
the Secretary considers desirable. The Secretary shall
ensure that the scale and scope of such activities with-
in the boundaries of a river segment added to the Na-
tional Wild and Scenic Rivers System by the amend-
ment made by the subsection (b) are not detrimental
to the characteristics of the river segment that merited
its designation as a wild, scenic, or recreational river.
(d) PRESERVATION
OF COMMONWEALTH AUTHOR-
ITY.—Nothing in this section or the amendment made by
this section shall be construed to limit the authority of the
Commonwealth of Puerto Rico over waters and natural
channels of public domain pursuant to the laws of the Com-
monwealth of Puerto Rico.
Union Calendar No. 262
107TH CONGRESS
2D SESSION
H. R. 3954
[Report No. 107–441]
A BILL
To designate certain waterways in the Caribbean
National Forest in the Commonwealth of Puerto
Rico as components of the National Wild and
Scenic Rivers System, and for other purposes.
MAY 7, 2002
Reported with an amendment, committed to the Com-
mittee of the Whole House on the State of the Union,
and ordered to be printed