I 
109TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 5149 
To maintain the rural heritage of the Eastern Sierra and enhance the region’s 
tourism economy by designating certain public lands as wilderness and 
certain rivers as wild and scenic rivers in the State of California, and 
for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
APRIL 6, 2006 
Mr. MCKEON introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on Resources 
A BILL 
To maintain the rural heritage of the Eastern Sierra and 
enhance the region’s tourism economy by designating 
certain public lands as wilderness and certain rivers as 
wild and scenic rivers in the State of California, 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 ‘‘Eastern Sierra Rural 
Heritage and Economic Enhancement Act’’. 
SEC. 2. DEFINITION OF SECRETARY. 
In this Act, the term ‘‘Secretary’’ means— 
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(1) with respect to land under the jurisdiction 
of the Secretary of Agriculture, the Secretary of Ag-
riculture; and 
(2) with respect to land under the jurisdiction 
of the Secretary of the Interior, the Secretary of the 
Interior. 
SEC. 3. DESIGNATION OF WILDERNESS AREAS. 
In accordance with the Wilderness Act (16 U.S.C. 
1131 et seq.) the following areas in the State of California 
are designated as wilderness areas and as components of 
the National Wilderness Preservation System: 
(1) HOOVER WILDERNESS ADDITION.— 
(A) DESIGNATION.—Certain land in the 
Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest, comprising 
approximately 39,680 acres, as generally de-
picted as Area C on the map entitled ‘‘Hoover 
Proposed Wilderness Addition’’ and dated Au-
gust 8, 2005, is incorporated in, and shall be 
deemed to be a part of the Hoover Wilderness 
as designated by Public Law 88–577. 
(B) OPERATION
AND
MAINTENANCE
OF 
PIUTE CABIN.—The designation under subpara-
graph (A) shall not preclude operation and 
maintenance of the existing historic Piute 
Cabin, located in the western portion of the 
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Hoover Wilderness Addition, in the same man-
ner and degree in which operation and mainte-
nance of such cabin were occurring as of the 
date of introduction of this Act. 
(C) NO RESTRICTION ON CERTAIN ACTIVI-
TIES.—The designation under subparagraph 
(A) is not intended to restrict the ongoing ac-
tivities of the adjacent United States Marine 
Corps Mountain Warfare Training Center on 
lands outside the wilderness under agreement 
with the Secretary. 
(2) EMIGRANT
WILDERNESS
ADDITION.—Cer-
tain land in the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest, 
comprising approximately 640 acres, as generally de-
picted as Area D on the map entitled ‘‘Hoover Pro-
posed Wilderness Addition’’ and dated August 8, 
2005, is incorporated in, and which shall be deemed 
to be a part of the Emigrant Wilderness as des-
ignated by Public Law 88–577. 
SEC. 4. ADMINISTRATION OF WILDERNESS AREAS. 
(a) MANAGEMENT.—Subject to valid existing rights, 
each area designated as wilderness by this Act shall be 
administered by the Secretary in accordance with the Wil-
derness Act (16 U.S.C. 1131 et seq.) except that— 
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(1) any reference in that Act to the effective 
date shall be considered to be a reference to the date 
of the enactment of this Act; and 
(2) any reference in that Act to the Secretary 
of Agriculture shall be considered to be a reference 
to the Secretary that has jurisdiction over the wil-
derness. 
(b) MAP AND DESCRIPTION.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—As soon as practicable after 
the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary 
shall file a map and legal description of each wilder-
ness area designated by this Act with— 
(A) the Committee on Resources of the 
House of Representatives; and 
(B) the Committee on Energy and Natural 
Resources of the Senate. 
(2) FORCE OF LAW.—A map and legal descrip-
tion filed under paragraph (1) shall have the same 
force and effect as if included in this Act, except 
that the Secretary may correct errors in the map 
and legal description. 
(3) PUBLIC
AVAILABILITY.—Each map and 
legal description filed under paragraph (1) shall be 
filed and made available for public inspection in the 
appropriate office of the Secretary. 
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(c) INCORPORATION OF ACQUIRED LAND AND INTER-
ESTS.—Any land within the boundary of a wilderness area 
designated by this Act that is acquired by the United 
States shall— 
(1) become part of the wilderness area in which 
the land is located; and 
(2) be managed in accordance with this Act, the 
Wilderness Act (16 U.S.C. 1131 et seq.) and any 
other applicable law. 
(d) WITHDRAWAL.—Subject to valid rights in exist-
ence on the date of the enactment of this Act, the Federal 
land designated as wilderness by this Act is withdrawn 
from all forms of— 
(1) entry, appropriation, or disposal under the 
public land laws; 
(2) location, entry, and patent under the mining 
laws; and 
(3) disposition under all laws pertaining to min-
eral and geothermal leasing or mineral materials. 
(e) FIRE, INSECT, AND DISEASE MANAGEMENT AC-
TIVITIES.— 
(1) IN
GENERAL.—The Secretary may take 
such measures in the wilderness areas designated by 
this act as are necessary for the control and preven-
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tion of fire, insects, and diseases, in accordance 
with— 
(A) section 4(d)(1) of the Wilderness Act 
(16 U.S.C. 1133(d)(1)); and 
(B) House Report No. 98–40 of the 98th 
Congress. 
(2) REVIEW.—Not later than 1 year after the 
date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary 
shall review existing policies applicable to the wilder-
ness areas designated by this Act to ensure that au-
thorized approval procedures for any fire manage-
ment measures allow a timely and efficient response 
to fire emergencies in the wilderness areas. 
(f) SNOW SENSORS AND STREAM GAUGES.—If the 
Secretary determines that hydrologic, meteorologic, or cli-
matological instrumentation is appropriate to further the 
scientific, educational, and conservation purposes of the 
wilderness areas designated by this Act, nothing in the 
Act shall prevent the installation and maintenance of the 
instrumentation within the wilderness areas. 
(g) MILITARY ACTIVITIES.—Nothing in this Act pre-
cludes low-level overflights of military aircraft, the des-
ignation of new units of special airspace, or the use or 
establishment of military flight training routes over wil-
derness areas designated by this Act. 
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(h) LIVESTOCK.—Grazing of livestock and the main-
tenance of existing facilities related to grazing in the wil-
derness areas designated by this Act, established before 
the date of the enactment of this Act shall be permitted 
to continue in accordance with— 
(1) section 4(d)(4) of the Wilderness Act (16 
U.S.C. 1133(d)(4)); and 
(2) the guidelines set forth in Appendix A of 
the report of the Committee on Interior and Insular 
Affairs of the House of Representatives accom-
panying H.R. 2570 of the 101st Congress (H. Rept. 
101–405). 
(i) FISH AND WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—In furtherance of the pur-
poses of the Wilderness Act (16 U.S.C. 1131 et 
seq.), the Secretary may carry out management ac-
tivities to maintain or restore populations and habi-
tats for fish and wildlife in wilderness areas des-
ignated by this Act if such activities are— 
(A) consistent with applicable wilderness 
management plans; and 
(B) carried out in accordance with applica-
ble guidelines and policies. 
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(2) STATE JURISDICTION.—Nothing in this Act 
affects the jurisdiction of the State of California 
with respect to fish and wildlife on public land. 
(j) ADJACENT MANAGEMENT.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Nothing in this Act creates 
protective perimeters or buffer zones around the wil-
derness areas designated by this Act. 
(2) NON-WILDERNESS
ACTIVITIES.—The fact 
that non-wilderness activities or uses can be seen or 
heard from areas within a wilderness area des-
ignated by this Act shall not preclude the conduct of 
those activities or uses outside the boundary of the 
wilderness area. 
SEC. 5. WILD AND SCENIC RIVER DESIGNATION. 
(a) DESIGNATION OF THE AMARGOSA WILD AND 
SCENIC RIVER, CALIFORNIA.—Section 3(a) of the Wild 
and Scenic Rivers Act (16 U.S.C. 1274(a)) is amended 
by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(167) AMARGOSA
RIVER, CALIFORNIA.—The 
following segments of the Amargosa River in the 
State of California, to be administered by the Sec-
retary of Interior: 
‘‘(A) The approximately 4.03 miles of the 
Amargosa River from the northern boundary of 
section 7 T21N R7E to 100 feet upstream of 
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the Tecopa Hot Springs road crossing, as a sce-
nic river. 
‘‘(B) The approximately 6.69 miles of the 
Amargosa River from 100 feet downstream of 
the Tecopa Hot Springs Road crossing to 100 
feet upstream of the Old Spanish Trail High-
way crossing near Tecopa, as a scenic river. 
‘‘(C) The approximately 7.82 miles of the 
Amargosa River from the northern boundary of 
section 16 T20N R7E to the boundary of the 
Kingston Range Wilderness excluding the Sper-
ry Wash OHV corridor in section 10 T19N 
R7E, as a wild river. 
‘‘(D) The approximately 5.41 miles of the 
Amargosa River from the boundary of the 
Kingston Range Wilderness in section 10 T19N 
R7E to the southern boundary of section 31 
T19N R7E, as a recreational river.’’. 
SEC. 6. APPROPRIATIONS FOR WINTER MANAGEMENT OF 
THE HUMBOLDT-TOIYABE NATIONAL FOREST. 
There is authorized to be appropriated $2,000,000 
annually to the Secretary of Agriculture for management 
and enforcement of snowmobile use in areas adjacent to 
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the Hoover Wilderness Addition in the Humboldt-Toiyabe 
National Forest. 
Æ 
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