(b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents for 
this Act is as follows: 
Sec. 1. Short title and table of contents. 
TITLE I—GOLD BUTTE NATIONAL CONSERVATION AREA 
Sec. 101. Establishment of Gold Butte National Conservation Area. 
Sec. 102. Management of conservation area. 
Sec. 103. General provisions. 
Sec. 104. Gold Butte National Conservation Area Advisory Council. 
TITLE II—DESIGNATION OF WILDERNESS AREAS IN CLARK 
COUNTY, NEVADA 
Sec. 201. Findings. 
Sec. 202. Additions to National Wilderness Preservation System. 
Sec. 203. Administration. 
Sec. 204. Adjacent management. 
Sec. 205. Native American cultural and religious uses. 
Sec. 206. Wildlife management. 
Sec. 207. Wildfire management. 
Sec. 208. Climatological data collection. 
Sec. 209. National Park System lands. 
TITLE III—GENERAL PROVISIONS 
Sec. 301. Relationship to Clark County Multi-Species Habitat Conservation 
Plan. 
TITLE 
I—GOLD 
BUTTE 
NA-
TIONAL CONSERVATION AREA 
SEC. 101. ESTABLISHMENT OF GOLD BUTTE NATIONAL 
CONSERVATION AREA. 
(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established the Gold 
Butte National Conservation Area in the State of Nevada 
(in this title referred to as the ‘‘conservation area’’). 
(b) AREA INCLUDED.—The conservation area shall 
consist of approximately 362,177 acres of public land ad-
ministered by the Bureau of Land Management in Clark 
County, Nevada, as generally depicted on the map entitled 
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‘‘Gold Butte National Conservation Area’’ and dated Sep-
tember 26, 2008. 
(c) NATIONAL
LANDSCAPE
CONSERVATION
SYS-
TEM.—The conservation area shall be administered as a 
component of the National Landscape Conservation Sys-
tem. 
(d) MAP AND LEGAL DESCRIPTION.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—As soon as practicable after 
the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of 
the Interior shall file a map and legal description of 
the conservation area with the Committee on Nat-
ural Resources of the House of Representatives and 
the 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 office of the 
Bureau of Land Management. 
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SEC. 102. MANAGEMENT OF CONSERVATION AREA. 
(a) GENERAL MANAGEMENT PURPOSES.—In accord-
ance with this title, the Federal Land Policy and Manage-
ment Act of 1976 (43 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.), and other 
applicable laws, the Secretary of the Interior shall manage 
the conservation area in a manner that conserves, pro-
tects, and enhances the resources of the conservation area. 
(b) MANAGEMENT PLAN.— 
(1) PLAN
REQUIRED.—Not later than three 
years after the date of the enactment of this Act, the 
Secretary of the Interior shall develop a manage-
ment plan for the long-term protection and manage-
ment of the conservation area. 
(2) CONSULTATION.—The Secretary shall pre-
pare the management plan in consultation with the 
State of Nevada, local and tribal government enti-
ties, and the public. 
(3) REQUIREMENTS.—The management plan 
shall describe the appropriate uses and management 
of the conservation area and include a recommenda-
tion on interpretive and educational materials re-
garding the cultural and biological resources of the 
region within which the conservation area is located. 
(c) USES.—The Secretary of the Interior shall allow 
only such uses of the conservation area that the Secretary 
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determines will further the purpose of the conservation 
area described in subsection (a). 
(d) INCORPORATION OF ACQUIRED LANDS AND IN-
TERESTS.—Any land or interests in land located within 
the boundary of the conservation area that is acquired by 
the United States after the date of the enactment of this 
Act shall become part of the conservation area and be 
managed as provided in subsection (a). 
(e) MOTORIZED VEHICLES.— 
(1) USE PENDING MANAGEMENT PLAN.—Before 
the effective date of the management plan required 
by subsection (b), the use of motorized vehicles in 
the conservation area shall be consistent with the 
Route Designations for Selected Areas of Critical 
Environmental Concern Located in the Northeast 
Portion of the Las Vegas BLM District Environ-
mental Assessment, NV–052–2006–433. 
(2) USE UNDER MANAGEMENT PLAN.— 
(A) AUTHORIZED USES.—On and after the 
effective date of the management plan under 
subsection (b), the use of motorized vehicles in 
the conservation area shall be allowed only— 
(i) on roads and trails designated for 
use of motor vehicles in the management 
plan; and 
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(ii) for installing, repairing, maintain-
ing, and reconstructing water development 
projects, including guzzlers, that would en-
hance the conservation area by promoting 
healthy, viable, and more naturally distrib-
uted wildlife populations, subject to limita-
tions specified in the management plan 
that are not more restrictive than the limi-
tations on such uses authorized in wilder-
ness areas designated under title II. 
(B) MINIMIZING
VISUAL
IMPACTS.—The 
management plan shall include or provide rec-
ommendations on ways of minimizing the visual 
impacts of activities authorized pursuant to 
subparagraph (A)(ii) on the conservation area. 
(3) EXCEPTIONS.—Notwithstanding paragraphs 
(1) and (2), the Secretary may authorize the use of 
motorized vehicles in the conservation area for ad-
ministrative purposes or to respond to an emer-
gency. 
(f) ROADS.—New roads shall not be built within the 
conservation area unless the roads are needed for public 
safety or natural resource protection. 
(g) HUNTING, FISHING, AND TRAPPING.— 
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(1) STATE JURISDICTION.—Nothing in this title 
affects the jurisdiction of the State of Nevada with 
respect to fish and wildlife, including hunting, fish-
ing, and trapping in the conservation area. 
(2) LIMITATIONS.— 
(A) REGULATIONS.—The Secretary of the 
Interior may designate, by regulation, areas in 
which, and establish periods during which, for 
reasons of public safety, administration, or 
compliance with applicable laws, no hunting, 
fishing, or trapping will be permitted in the 
conservation area. 
(B) CONSULTATION.—Except in emer-
gencies, the Secretary shall consult with the ap-
propriate State agency before promulgating reg-
ulations under subparagraph (A) that close a 
portion of the conservation area to hunting, 
fishing, or trapping. 
SEC. 103. GENERAL PROVISIONS. 
(a) NO BUFFER ZONES.— 
(1) IN
GENERAL.—The establishment of the 
conservation area shall not create an express or im-
plied protective perimeter or buffer zone around the 
conservation area. 
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(2) PRIVATE LAND.—If the use of, or conduct 
of an activity on, private land that shares a bound-
ary with the conservation area is consistent with ap-
plicable law, nothing in this title concerning the es-
tablishment of the conservation area prohibits or 
limits the use or conduct of the activity. 
(b) WITHDRAWALS.—Subject to valid existing rights, 
all public land within the conservation area, including any 
land or interest in land that is acquired by the United 
States within the conservation area after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, are withdrawn from— 
(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. 
(c) SPECIAL MANAGEMENT AREAS.— 
(1) IN
GENERAL.—The establishment of the 
conservation area shall not change the management 
status of any area within the boundary of the con-
servation area that is protected under the Clark 
County Multi-Species Habitat Conservation Plan. 
(2) EFFECT OF CONFLICT.—If there is a con-
flict between the laws applicable to the areas de-
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scribed in paragraph (1) and this title, the more re-
strictive provision shall control. 
SEC. 104. GOLD BUTTE NATIONAL CONSERVATION AREA 
ADVISORY COUNCIL. 
(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—Not later than 180 days after 
the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of the 
Interior shall establish an advisory council, to be known 
as the ‘‘Gold Butte National Conservation Area Advisory 
Council’’. 
(b) DUTIES.—The Council shall advise the Secretary 
with respect to the preparation and implementation of the 
management plan for the long-term protection and man-
agement of the conservation area required by section 
102(b). 
(c) APPLICABLE LAW.—The Council shall be subject 
to— 
(1) the Federal Advisory Committee Act (5 
U.S.C. App.); and 
(2) the Federal Land Policy and Management 
Act of 1976 (43 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.). 
(d) MEMBERS.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Council shall include 10 
members to be appointed by the Secretary, of whom, 
to the extent practicable— 
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(A) one member shall be appointed after 
considering the recommendations of the Mes-
quite, Nevada, City Council; 
(B) one member shall be appointed after 
considering 
the 
recommendations 
of 
the 
Bunkerville, Nevada, Town Advisory Board; 
(C) one member shall be appointed after 
considering the recommendations of the Moapa, 
Nevada, Town Advisory Board; 
(D) one member shall be appointed after 
considering 
the 
recommendations 
of 
the 
Logandale, Nevada, Town Advisory Board; 
(E) one member shall be appointed after 
considering 
the 
recommendations 
of 
the 
Overton, Nevada, Town Advisory Board; 
(F) one member shall be appointed after 
considering the recommendations of the Moapa 
Band of Paiutes Tribal Council; and 
(G) four at-large
members from
Clark 
County, Nevada, shall be appointed after con-
sidering the recommendations of the County 
Commission for Clark County. 
(2) 
SPECIAL
APPOINTMENT
CONSIDER-
ATIONS.—The at-large members appointed under 
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paragraph (1)(G) must have backgrounds that re-
flect— 
(A) the purposes for which the conserva-
tion area was established; and 
(B) the interests of persons affected by the 
planning and management of the conservation 
area. 
(3) REPRESENTATION.—The Secretary shall en-
sure that the membership of the Council is fairly 
balanced in terms of the points of view represented 
and the functions to be performed by the Council. 
(e) TERMINATION.—The Council shall terminate not 
later than one year after the date on which the manage-
ment plan for the conservation area is adopted by the Sec-
retary of the Interior. 
TITLE II—DESIGNATION OF WIL-
DERNESS AREAS IN CLARK 
COUNTY, NEVADA 
SEC. 201. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds that certain public land administered 
by the Bureau of Land Management in Clark County, Ne-
vada, contains unique and spectacular natural, cultural, 
and archeological resources, including— 
(1) priceless habitat for numerous species of 
plants and wildlife; 
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(2) thousands of acres of pristine land that re-
main in a natural state; and 
(3) numerous sites containing significant ar-
cheological artifacts. 
SEC. 202. ADDITIONS TO NATIONAL WILDERNESS PRESER-
VATION SYSTEM. 
(a) DESIGNATION OF WILDERNESS.—In furtherance 
of the purposes of the Wilderness Act (16 U.S.C. 1131 
et seq.), the following public lands administered by the 
National Park Service or the Bureau of Land Manage-
ment in Clark County, Nevada, are designated as wilder-
ness and as either a new component of the National Wil-
derness Preservation System or, in the case of the designa-
tion made by paragraph (13), an addition to an existing 
component of the National Wilderness Preservation Sys-
tem: 
(1) VIRGIN PEAK WILDERNESS.—Certain Fed-
eral land managed by the Bureau of Land Manage-
ment, comprising approximately 21,681 acres, as 
generally depicted on the map entitled ‘‘Gold Butte 
National Conservation Area’’ and dated September 
26, 2008, which shall be known as the ‘‘Virgin Peak 
Wilderness’’. 
(2) BLACK RIDGE WILDERNESS.—Certain Fed-
eral land managed by the Bureau of Land Manage-
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tember 26, 2008, which shall be known as the ‘‘In-
dian Hills Wilderness’’. 
(13) LIME CANYON WILDERNESS ADDITIONS.— 
Certain Federal land managed by the Bureau of 
Land Management, comprising approximately 9,382 
acres, as generally depicted on the map entitled 
‘‘Gold Butte National Conservation Area’’ and dated 
September 26, 2008, is incorporated in, and shall be 
managed as part of the ‘‘Lime Canyon Wilderness’’. 
(b) NATIONAL
LANDSCAPE
CONSERVATION
SYS-
TEM.—The wilderness areas administered by the Bureau 
of Land Management and designated or expanded by sub-
section (a) shall be administered as components of the Na-
tional Landscape Conservation System. 
(c) ROAD OFFSET.—The boundary of any portion of 
a wilderness area designated by subsection (a) that is bor-
dered by a road shall be at least 100 feet away from the 
edge of the road so as not to interfere with public access. 
(d) LAKE OFFSET.—The boundary of any portion of 
a wilderness area designated by subsection (a) that is bor-
dered by Lake Mead or the Colorado River shall be 300 
feet inland from the high water line. 
(e) MAP AND LEGAL DESCRIPTION.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—As soon as practicable after 
the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary 
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of the Interior shall file a map and legal description 
of each wilderness area designated or expanded by 
subsection (a) with the Committee on Natural Re-
sources of the House of Representatives and the 
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources of the 
Senate. 
(2) EFFECT.—Each map and legal description 
shall have the same force and effect as if included 
in this title, except that the Secretary may correct 
clerical and typographical errors in the map or legal 
description. 
(3) AVAILABILITY.—Each map and legal de-
scription shall be on file and available for public in-
spection in the appropriate offices of the Bureau of 
Land Management and the National Park Service. 
SEC. 203. ADMINISTRATION. 
(a) MANAGEMENT.—Subject to valid existing rights, 
the land designated as wilderness by this title shall be ad-
ministered by the Secretary of the Interior in accordance 
with the Wilderness Act (16 U.S.C. 1131 et seq.), except 
that— 
(1) any reference in that Act to the effective 
date of that Act shall be considered to be a reference 
to the date of the enactment of this Act; and 
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(2) any reference in that Act to the Secretary 
of Agriculture shall be considered to be a reference 
to the Secretary of the Interior. 
(b) INCORPORATION OF ACQUIRED LANDS AND IN-
TERESTS.—Any land or interest in land within the bound-
aries of the land designated as wilderness by this title that 
is acquired by the United States after the date of the en-
actment of this Act shall be added to and administered 
as part of the wilderness area within which the acquired 
land or interest is located. 
(c) WATER RIGHTS.— 
(1) FINDINGS.—Congress finds the following: 
(A) The lands designated as wilderness by 
this title are within the Mojave Desert, are arid 
in nature, and include ephemeral streams. 
(B) The hydrology of the lands designated 
as wilderness by this title is locally character-
ized by complex flow patterns and alluvial fans 
with impermanent channels. 
(C) The subsurface hydrogeology of the re-
gion within which the lands designated as wil-
derness by this title are located is characterized 
by ground water subject to local and regional 
flow gradients and artesian aquifers. 
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(D) The lands designated as wilderness by 
this title are generally not suitable for use or 
development of new water resource facilities, 
and there are no actual or proposed water re-
source facilities and no opportunities for diver-
sion, storage, or other uses of water occurring 
outside such lands that would adversely affect 
the wilderness or other values of such lands. 
(E) Because of the unique nature and hy-
drology of these desert lands designated as wil-
derness by this title and the existence of the 
Clark County Multi-Species Habitat Conserva-
tion Plan, it is possible to provide for proper 
management and protection of the wilderness, 
perennial springs, and other values of such 
lands in ways different from the methods used 
in other laws. 
(2) STATUTORY CONSTRUCTION.— 
(A) NO
RESERVATION.—Nothing in this 
title shall constitute or be construed to con-
stitute either an express or implied reservation 
by the United States of any water or water 
rights with respect to the lands designated as 
wilderness by this title. 
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(B) STATE RIGHTS.—Nothing in this title 
shall affect any water rights in the State of Ne-
vada existing on the date of the enactment of 
this Act, including any water rights held by the 
United States. 
(C) NO PRECEDENT.—Nothing in this sub-
section shall be construed as establishing a 
precedent with regard to any future wilderness 
designations. 
(D) NO EFFECT ON COMPACTS.—Nothing 
in this title shall be construed as limiting, alter-
ing, modifying, or amending any of the inter-
state compacts or equitable apportionment de-
crees that apportion water among and between 
the State of Nevada and other States. 
(3) NEVADA
WATER
LAW.—The Secretary of 
the Interior shall follow the procedural and sub-
stantive requirements of the law of the State of Ne-
vada in order to obtain and hold any water rights 
not in existence on the date of enactment of this Act 
with respect to the lands designated as wilderness by 
this title. 
(4) NEW PROJECTS.— 
(A) DEFINITION.—In this paragraph, the 
term ‘‘water resource facility’’ means irrigation 
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