I 
108TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. R. 822
To enhance ecosystem protection and the range of outdoor opportunities 
protected by law in the Skykomish River valley of the State of Wash-
ington by designating certain lower-elevation Federal lands as wilderness, 
and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
FEBRUARY 13, 2003
Mr. LARSEN of Washington (for himself, Mr. DICKS, Ms. DUNN, Mr. SMITH 
of Washington, Mr. MCDERMOTT, Mr. BAIRD, and Mr. INSLEE) intro-
duced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Re-
sources 
A BILL 
To enhance ecosystem protection and the range of outdoor 
opportunities protected by law in the Skykomish River 
valley of the State of Washington by designating certain 
lower-elevation Federal lands 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 ‘‘Wild Sky Wilderness 
Act of 2003’’.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND STATEMENT OF POLICY. 
(a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds the following: 
(1) Americans cherish the continued existence 
of diverse wilderness ecosystems and wildlife found 
on their Federal lands and share a strong sense of 
moral responsibility to protect their wilderness herit-
age as an enduring resource to cherish, protect, and 
bequeath undisturbed to future generations of Amer-
icans. 
(2) The values an area of wilderness offer to 
this and future generations of Americans are greatly 
enhanced to the degree that the area is diverse in to-
pography, elevation, life zones and ecosystems, and 
to the extent that it offers a wide range of outdoor 
recreational and educational opportunities accessible 
in all seasons of the year. 
(3) Large blocks of wildlands embracing a wide 
range of ecosystems and topography, including low-
elevation forests, have seldom remained undisturbed 
due to many decades of development. 
(4) Certain wildlands on the western slope of 
the Cascade Range in the Skykomish River valley of 
the State of Washington offer an outstanding rep-
resentation of the original character of the forested 
landscape, ranging from high alpine meadows and 
extremely rugged peaks to low-elevation mature and
old-growth forests, including groves with some of the 
largest and most spectacular trees in Washington, 
with diameters of eight feet and larger. 
(5) These diverse, thickly forested mountain 
slopes and valleys of mature and old-growth trees in 
the Skykomish River valley harbor nearly the full 
complement of the original wildlife and fish species 
found by settlers of the 19th century, including 
mountain goats, bald eagles, black bear, pine 
marten, black-tailed deer, as well as rare and endan-
gered wildlife such as northern spotted owls and gos-
hawks, Chinook and Coho salmon, and steelhead and 
bull trout. 
(6) An ecologically and topographically diverse 
wilderness area in the Skykomish River valley acces-
sible in all seasons of the year will be enjoyable to 
users of various kinds, such as hikers, horse riders, 
hunters, anglers, and educational groups, but also to 
the many who cherish clean water and clean air, fish 
and wildlife (including endangered species such as 
wild salmon), and pristine mountain and riverside 
scenery. 
(b) STATEMENT OF POLICY.—Congress hereby de-
clares that it is the policy of the United States—
(1) to better serve the diverse wilderness and 
environmental education needs of the people of the 
State of Washington and its burgeoning metropoli-
tan regions by granting wilderness protection to cer-
tain lower elevation wildlands in the Skykomish 
River valley of the State of Washington; and 
(2) to protect additional lands adjacent to the 
Henry M. Jackson Wilderness designated by section 
3(8) of the Washington State Wilderness Act of 
1984 (Public Law 98–339; 98 Stat. 300), in further 
tribute to the ecologically enlightened vision of the 
distinguished Senator from the State of Washington 
and former Chairman of the Committee on Energy 
and Natural Resources of the Senate. 
SEC. 3. ADDITION TO NATIONAL WILDERNESS PRESERVA-
TION SYSTEM, STATE OF WASHINGTON. 
(a) WILD SKY WILDERNESS.—Certain Federal lands 
in the State of Washington comprising approximately 
106,000 acres, as generally depicted on the map entitled 
‘‘Wild Sky Wilderness Proposal, Map #1’’ and dated Jan-
uary 7, 2003, are hereby designated as wilderness and, 
therefore, as a component of the National Wilderness 
Preservation System. The Federal lands designated as wil-
derness by this subsection shall be known as the Wild Sky 
Wilderness.
(d) NEW TRAILS.— 
(1) TRAIL PLAN.—The Secretary of Agriculture 
shall establish, in consultation with interested par-
ties, a trail plan for National Forest System lands 
described in this paragraph in order to develop the 
following: 
(A) A system of hiking and equestrian 
trails within the Wild Sky Wilderness in a man-
ner consistent with the Wilderness Act (16 
U.S.C. 1131 et seq.). 
(B) A system of trails adjacent to or to 
provide access to the Wild Sky Wilderness. 
(2) IMPLEMENTATION
REPORT.—Within two 
years after the date of enactment of this Act, the 
Secretary of Agriculture shall submit to Congress a 
report on the implementation of the trail plan estab-
lished under paragraph (1). The report shall include 
the identification of priority trails for development. 
(e) MAINTENANCE AND USE OF CERTAIN STRUC-
TURES.—
(1) REPEATER
SITE.—Within the Wild Sky 
Wilderness, the Secretary of Agriculture is author-
ized to use helicopter access to construct and main-
tain a joint Forest Service and Snohomish County 
repeater site, in compliance with a Forest Service
approved communications site plan, for the purposes 
of improving communication for safety, health, and 
emergency services. 
(2) EVERGREEN
MOUNTAIN
LOOKOUT.—The 
designation of the Wild Sky Wilderness shall not 
preclude the operation and maintenance of the Ever-
green Mountain Lookout, in the same manner and 
degree in which the operation and maintenance of 
the lookout was occurring as of the date of enact-
ment of this Act. 
(f) ACCESS.—
(1) PRIVATE
INHOLDINGS.—Consistent with 
section 5(a) of the Wilderness Act (16 U.S.C. 
1134(a)), the Secretary of Agriculture shall assure 
adequate access to private inholdings in the Wild 
Sky Wilderness. 
(2) FLOAT
PLANE
ACCESS.—As provided by 
section 4(d)(1) of the Wilderness Act (16 U.S.C. 
1133(d)(1)), the use of floatplanes on Lake Isabel in 
the Wild Sky Wilderness, where such use was estab-
lished before the date of enactment of this Act, shall 
be permitted to continue subject to such reasonable 
restrictions as the Secretary of Agriculture deter-
mines desirable. 
(g) LAND ACQUISITION AUTHORITY.—
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Agriculture 
may acquire lands and interests therein in the Wild 
Sky Wilderness by purchase, donation, or exchange. 
The Secretary shall give priority consideration to the 
acquisition of those lands identified as Priority Ac-
quisition Lands on the map described in subsection 
(a). 
(2) APPRAISAL.—Valuation of private lands 
shall be determined without reference to any restric-
tions on access or use that arise out of designation 
of the Wild Sky Wilderness. 
(3) BOUNDARY ADJUSTMENT.—The boundaries 
of the Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forests and 
the Wild Sky Wilderness shall be adjusted to reflect 
any land acquisitions or exchanges conducted under 
this subsection. 
SEC. 4. LAND EXCHANGES, CHELAN COUNTY PUBLIC UTIL-
ITY DISTRICT, WASHINGTON. 
(a) LAND EXCHANGES REQUIRED.—In accordance 
with this section, the Secretary of Agriculture shall carry 
out a land exchange with the Chelan County Public Utility 
District in the State of Washington to exchange lands and 
interests in lands, as generally depicted on the map enti-
tled ‘‘Chelan County Public Utility District Exchange’’ 
and dated May 22, 2002.
(b) ACCEPTANCE OF LANDS.—If, within 90 days 
after the date of enactment of this Act, the Chelan County 
Public Utility District offers to the Secretary of Agri-
culture approximately 371.8 acres of lands held by the 
Utility District in the Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National 
Forests in the State of Washington, the Secretary shall 
accept such lands if the title is acceptable to the Secretary 
and there is no hazardous material on such lands, which 
is objectionable to the Secretary. 
(c) CONVEYANCE OF EASEMENT.—Upon acceptance 
of title by the Secretary of Agriculture under subsection 
(b), the Secretary shall convey to the Chelan County Pub-
lic Utility District a permanent easement, including heli-
copter access, consistent with such levels as used as of 
the date of enactment of this Act, to maintain an existing 
snowtel site on 1.82 acres of Federal land in the 
Wenatchee National Forest in the State of Washington. 
(d) REVERSION.—As a condition on the conveyance 
under subsection (c), the Chelan County Public Utility 
District shall notify the Secretary of Agriculture if the 
Utility District determines that there is no longer a need 
to maintain a snowtel site on the lands subject to the ease-
ment conveyed under subsection (c) to monitor the snow 
pack for calculating expected runoff into the Lake Chelan 
hydroelectric project and the hydroelectric projects in the
Columbia River Basin. Upon receipt of such notice, the 
easement shall be extinguished and all rights conveyed 
under such subsection shall revert to the United States.
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