Vermont Wilderness Act of 1984
PL 98-322 (H.R.4198), enacted 06/19/1984

PUBLIC LAW 98-322—JUNE 19, 1984 
98 STAT. 253 
Public Law 98-322 
98th Congress 
An Act 
To designate certain National Forest System lands in the State of Vermont for 
inclusion in the National Wilderness Preservation System and to designate a 
national recreation area. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled. That this Act may 
be cited as the "Vermont Wilderness Act of 1984". 
TITLE I—NEW WILDERNESS AREAS 
FINDINGS AND POUCY 
SEC. 101. (a) Congress finds that— 
(1) in the vicinity of major population centers and in the more 
populous eastern half of the United States there is an urgent 
need to identify, designate, and preserve areas of wilderness by 
including suitable lands within the National Wilderness Preser-
vation System; 
(2) in recognition of this urgent need, certain suitable lands in 
the National Forest System in Vermont were designated by 
Congress as wilderness in 1975; 
(3) there exist in the National Forest System in the vicinity of 
major population centers and in Vermont additional areas of 
undeveloped land which meet the definition of wilderness in 
section 2(c) of the Wilderness Act; 
(4) lands in Vermont which are suitable for designation as 
wilderness are increasingly threatened by the pressures of a 
growing and concentrated population, expanding settlement, 
spreading mechanization, and development and uses inconsist-
ent with the protection, maintenance, and enhancement of their 
wilderness character; and 
(5) the Wilderness Act establishes that an area is qualified 
and suitable for designation as wilderness which (i) though 
man's works may have been present in the past, has been or 
may be so restored by natural influences as to generally appear 
to have been affected primarily by the forces of nature, with the 
imprint of man's work substantially unnoticeable, and (ii) may, 
upon designation as wilderness, contain certain preexisting, 
nonconforming uses, improvements, structures, or installations; 
and Congress has reaffirmed these established policies in the 
designation of additional areas since enactment of the Wilder-
ness Act, exercising its sole authority to determine the suitabil-
ity of such areas for designation as wilderness. 
(b) The purpose of this title is to designate certain National Forest 
System lands in the State of Vermont as components of the National 
Wilderness Preservation System, in order to preserve such areas as 
an enduring resource of wilderness which shall be managed to 
perpetuate and protect watersheds and wildlife habitat, preserve 
scenic and historic resources, and promote scientific research, primi-
June 19, 1984 
[H.R. 4198] 
Vermont 
Wilderness Act 
of 1984. 
National 
Wilderness 
Preservation 
System. 
National Forest 
System. 
16 use 1131. 
16 use 1131 
note. 
98 STAT. 254 
PUBLIC LAW 98-322—JUNE 19, 1984 
tive recreation, solitude, physical and mental challenge, and inspira-
tion for the benefit of all Americans to a greater extent than is 
possible in the absence of wilderness designation. 
DESIGNATION OF WILDERNESS AREAS 
,^„ .,. 
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SEC. 102. In furtherance of the purposes of the Wilderness Act (16 
U.S.C. 1131-1136), the following lands in the State of Vermont are 
designated as wilderness and, therefore, as components of the 
National Wilderness Preservation System: 
16 use 1132 
(1) certain lands in the Green Mountain National Forest, 
"ote. 
Vermont, which comprise approximately twenty-one thousand 
four hundred and eighty acres, as generally depicted on a map 
entitled "Breadloaf Wilderness—Proposed", dated September 
1983, and which shall be known as the Breadloaf Wilderness; 
16 use 1132 
(2) certain lands in the Green Mountain National Forest, 
note. 
Vermont, which comprise approximately six thousand seven 
hundred and twenty acres, as generally depicted on a map 
entitled "Big Branch Wilderness—Proposed", dated September 
1983, and which shall be known as the Big Branch Wilderness; 
16 use 1132 
(3) certain lands in the Green Mountain National Forest, 
"°^®- 
Vermont, which comprise approximately six thousand 
nine 
hundred and twenty acres, as generally depicted on a map 
entitled "Peru Peak Wilderness—Proposed", dated September 
1983, and which shall be known as the Peru Peak Wilderness; 
(4) certain lands in the Green Mountain National Forest, 
Vermont, which comprise approximately one thousand and 
eighty acres, as generally depicted on a map entitled "Lye 
Brook Additions—Proposed", dated September 1983, and which 
are hereby incorporated in, and shall be deemed to be a part of, 
88 Stat. 2096. 
the Lye Brook Wilderness as designated by Public Law 93-622; 
and 
16 use 1132 
(5) certain lands in the Green Mountain National Forest, 
J^ote. 
Vermont, which comprise approximately five thousand and 
sixty acres, as generally depicted on a map entitled "George D. 
Aiken 
Wilderness—Proposed", dated September 
1983, and 
which shall be known as the George D. Aiken Wilderness. 
MAPS AND DESCRIPTIONS 
SEC. 103. As soon as practicable after enactment of this Act, the 
Secretary of Agriculture shall file a map and a legal description of 
each wilderness area designated by this title with the Committee on 
Interior and Insular Affairs and the Committee on Agriculture of 
the United States House of Representatives and with the Committee 
on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the United States Senate. 
Each such map and description shall have the same force and effect 
as if included in this title, except that correction of clerical and 
typographical errors in each such map and description may be made 
Public 
by the Secretary. Each such map and description shall be on file and 
availability. 
available for public inspection in the Office of the Chief of the Forest 
Service, Department of Agriculture. 
ADMINISTRATION OF WILDERNESS 
SEC. 104. (a) Subject to valid existing rights, each wilderness area 
designated by this title shall be administered by the Secretary of 
PUBLIC LAW 98-322—JUNE 19, 1984 
98 STAT. 255 
Agriculture in accordance with the provisions of the Wilderness Act 16 USC 1131 
governing areas designated by that Act as wilderness, except that ^°^^-
any reference in such provisions to the effective date of the Wilder-
ness Act shall be deemed to be a reference to the date of enactment 
of this title. 
(b) As provided in section 4(d)(8) of the Wilderness Act, nothing in 16 USC 1133. gi 
this title shall be construed as affecting the jurisdiction or responsi-
bilities of the State of Vermont with respect to wildlife and fish in 
the national forest in the State of Vermont. 
(c) Notwithstanding any provision of the Wilderness Act or any 16 USC 1131 
other provision of law, the Appalachian Trail and related structures, "°t^ 
the Long Trail and related structures, and the associated trails of 
the Appalachian Trail and the Long Trail in Vermont may be 
maintained. 
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.j,., , 
EFFECT OF RARE II 
. 
•-
SEC. 105. (a) Congress finds that— 
Conservation. 
(1) the Department of Agriculture has completed the second 
roadless area review and evaluation program (RARE II); and 
(2) Congress has made its own review and examination of 
If n
^ National Forest System roadless areas in the State of Vermont 
and of the environmental impacts associated with alternative 
allocations of such areas, 
(b) On the basis of such review. Congress hereby determines and Congress. 
directs that— 
(1) without passing on the question of the legal and factual 
sufficiency of the RARE II final environmental statement 
(dated January 1979) with respect to National Forest System 
lands in States other than Vermont, such statement shall not be 
j : ^ '>3: j gr 
subject to judicial review with respect to National Forest 
System lands in the State of Vermont; 
(2) with respect to the National Forest System lands in the 
State of Vermont which were reviewed by the Department of 
Agriculture in the second roadless area review and evaluation 
(RARE II) and those lands referred to in subsection (d), that 
review and evaluation or reference shall be deemed for the 
purposes of the initial land management plans required for such 
lands by the Forest and Rangeland Renewable Resources Plan-
ning Act of 1974, as amended by the National Forest Manage- 16 use 1600 
ment Act of 1976, to be an adequate consideration of the '^^^^fap 
suitability of such lands for inclusion in the National Wilder- ^ote 
ness Preservation System and the Department of Agriculture 
shall not be required to review the wilderness option prior to 
the revisions of the plans, but shall review the wilderness option 
when the plans are revised, which revisions will ordinarily 
occur on a ten-year cycle, or at least every fifteen years, unless, 
prior to such time, the Secretary of Agriculture finds that 
conditions in a unit have significantly changed; 
(3) areas in the State of Vermont reviewed in such final 
environmental statement or referenced in subsection (d) and not 
designated as wilderness or for special management pursuant to 
section 204 of this Act upon enactment of this Act shall be 
managed for multiple use in accordance with land management 
plans pursuant to section 6 of the Forest and Rangeland 
Renewable Resources Planning Act of 1974, as amended by the 16 USC 1604. 
National Forest Management Act of 1976: Provided, That such 
areas need not be managed for the purpose of protecting their 
miio-'' 
98 STAT. 256 
PUBLIC LAW 98-322—JUNE 19, 1984 
ii:;, 
suitability for wilderness designation prior to or during revision 
of the initial land management plans; and 
(4) in the event that revised land management plans in the 
State of Vermont are implemented pursuant to section 6 of the 
Forest and Rangeland Renewable Resources Planning Act of 
16 use 1604. 
1974, as amended by the National Forest Management Act of 
1976, and other applicable law, areas not recommended for 
wilderness designation need not be managed for the purpose of 
protecting their suitability for wilderness designation prior to or 
during revision of such plans, and areas recommended for 
wilderness designation shall be managed for the purpose of 
protecting their suitability for wilderness designation as may be 
required by the Forest and Rangeland Renewable Resources 
16 use 1600 
Planning Act of 1974, as amended by the National Forest 
i6*use 1600 
Management Act of 1976, and other applicable law. 
note. 
(c) As used in this section, and as provided in section 6 of the 
16 use 1604. 
Forest and Rangeland Renewable Resources Planning Act of 1974, 
as amended by the National Forest Management Act of 1976, the 
term "revision" shall not include an "amendment" to a plan. 
(d) The provisions of this section shall also apply to National 
j 
Forest System roadless lands in the State of Vermont which are less 
j 
than five thousand acres in size. 
TITLE II—WHITE ROCKS NATIONAL RECREATION AREA a 
it 
FINDINGS AND POUCY 
16 use 460nn. 
SEC. 201. (a) Congress finds that— 
(1) Vermont is a beautiful but small and rural State, situated 
near four large cities with combined metropolitan populations 
! 
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of over fifteen million; 
(2) geographic and topographic characteristics of Vermont 
provide opportunities for large numbers of people to experience 
the beauty of primitive areas, but also place unusual pressure to 
provide options to maximize the availability of such lands for a 
variety of forms of recreation; 
,, , 
(3) certain lands designated as the Big Branch and Peru Peak 
Wilderness Areas by title I of this Act are suitable for inclusion 
ti' • 
as part of the national recreation area; and 
(4) certain other lands in the Green Mountain National Forest 
not designated as wilderness by this Act are of a predominantly 
roadless nature and possess outstanding wild values that are 
important for primitive and semiprimitive recreation, water-
shed protection, wildlife habitat, ecological study, education, 
and historic and archeological resources, and are deemed suita-
ble for preservation and protection as part of a national recrea-
tion area. 
(b) The purpose of this title is to designate certain National Forest 
System lands in the State of Vermont as the White Rocks National 
Recreation Area in order to preserve and protect their existing 
wilderness and wild values and to promote wild forest and aquatic 
J 
,,,^ , 
habitat for wildlife, watershed protection, opportunities for primi-
fmi j^T, 
^.^^ ^^^ semiprimitive recreation, and scenic, ecological, and scien-
tific values. 
.^ ^ .. v 
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PUBLIC LAW 98-322—JUNE 19, 1984 
98 STAT. 257 
DESIGNATION OF WHIJE ROCKS NATIONAL RECREATION AREA 
SEC. 202. In furtherance of the findings and purposes of this title, 
certain lands in the Green Mountain National Forest, Vermont, 
which comprise approximately thirty-six thousand four hundred 
acres, as generally depicted on a map entitled "White Rocks 
National Recreation Area—Proposed", dated September 1983, are 
hereby designated as the White Rocks National Recreation Area. 
16 u s e 460nn-l. 
MAP AND DESCRIPTION 
SEC. 203. As soon as practicable after enactment of this Act, the 1
6 use 460nn-2. 
Secretary of Agriculture shall file a map and legal description of the 
national recreation area designated by this title with the Committee 
on Interior and Insular Affairs and the Committee on Agriculture of 
the United States House of Representatives and with the Committee 
on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the United States Senate, 
Such map and description shall have the same force and effect as if 
included in this title, except that correction of clerical and typo-
graphical errors in such map and description may be made by the 
Secretary. Such map and description shall be on file and available 
for public inspection in the Office of the Chief of the Forest Service, 
Department of Agriculture. 
Public 
availability. 
ADMINISTRATION OF THE NATIONAL RECREATION AREA 
SEC. 204. (a) Subject to valid existing rights, the White Rocks 1
6 use 460nn-3. 
National Recreation Area designated by this title shall be adminis-
tered by the Secretary of Agriculture in accordance with the find-
ings and purpose of this title and the laws, rules, and regulations 
applicable to the national forests in a manner compatible with the 
following objectives: 
(1) the continuation of existing primitive and semiprimitive 
recreational use in a natural environment; 
(2) utilization of natural resources shall be permitted only if 
consistent with the findings and purposes in this title; 
(3) preservation and protection of forest and aquatic habitat 
for fish and wildlife; and 
(4) protection and conservation of special areas having uncom-
mon or outstanding wilderness, biological, geological, recre-
ational, cultural, historical or archeological, and scientific, or 
other values contributing to the public benefit. 
(b) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, federally-owned Public lands. 
lands within the White Rocks National Recreation Area as desig-
nated by this title are hereby withdrawn from all forms of 
appropriation under the mineral leasing laws, including all laws 
pertaining to geothermal leasing, and all amendments thereto. 
(c) The Secretary shall permit hunting, fishing, and trapping on 
lands and waters under the Secretary's jurisdiction within the 
boundaries of the national recreation area designated by this title in 
accordance with applicable laws of the United States and the State 
of Vermont. 
(d) Within eighteen months after the date of enactment of this 
Act, the Secretary shall develop and submit to the Committee on 
Interior and Insular Affairs and the Committee on Agriculture of 
the United States House of Representatives and to the Committee 
on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the United States Senate 
98 STAT. 258 
PUBLIC LAW 98-322—JUNE 19, 1984 
a comprehensive management plan for the national recreation area 
designated by this title. 
Public 
(e) In conducting the reviews and preparing the comprehensive 
availability. 
management plan required by subsection (d), the Secretary shall 
provide for full public participation, shall consider the views of all 
interested agencies, organizations, and individuals, and shall par-
ticularly emphasize the values enumerated in section 201(a)(4) of 
this title. 
Approved June 19, 1984. 5
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LEGISLATIVE HISTORY—H.R. 4198: 
HOUSE REPORT No. 98-533, Pt. 1 (Comm. on Interior and Insular Affairs). 
SENATE REPORT No. 98-416 (Comm. on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry). 
CONGRESSIONAL RECORD: 
Vol. 129 (1983): Nov. 15, considered and passed House. 
Vol. 130 (1984): May 24, considered and passed Senate, amended. 
June 4, House concurred in Senate amendments. 
WEEKLY COMPILATION OF PRESIDENTIAL DOCUMENTS, Vol. 20, No. 25 (1984): 
June 19, Presidential statement. 
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