Nebraska Wilderness Act of 1985
PL 99-504 (S.816), enacted 10/20/1986

100 STAT. 1802 
PUBLIC LAW 99-504—OCT. 20, 1986 
Public Law 99-504 
99th Congress 
i'^T' 
An Act 
Oct. 20, 1986 
[S. 816] 
Nebraska 
Wilderness 
Act of 1985. 
National 
Wilderness 
Preservation 
System. 
National Forest 
System. 
Conservation. 
16 u s e 1132 
note. 
16 u s e 1131 
note. 
Animals. 
16 u s e 1133 and 
note. 
To establish the Pine Ridge National Recreation Area and Soldier Creek Wilderness 
in the State of Nebraska, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SEC. 1. That this Act may be cited as the "Nebraska Wilderness 
Act of 1985". 
TITLE I—WILDERNESS 
SEC. 101. In furtherance of the purposes of the Wilderness Act of 
1964, certain lands in the Nebraska National Forest, which comprise 
approximately eight thousand one hundred acres, as generally de-
picted on a map entitled "Soldier Creek Wilderness—Proposed", 
dated February 1985, are hereby designated wilderness and, there-
fore, as a component of the National Wilderness Preservation 
System, and shall be known as the Soldier Creek Wilderness. 
ADMINISTRATION OF WILDERNESS 
SEC. 102. (a) Subject to valid existing rights and the provisions of 
subsection (b), the wilderness area designated under section 101 
shall be administered by the Secretary of Agriculture (hereinafter in 
this Act referred to as the "Secretary") in accordance with the 
provisions of the Wilderness Act governing areas designated by that 
Act as wilderness except that any reference in such provisions to the 
effective date of the Wilderness Act shall be deemed to be a ref-
erence to the effective date of this Act. 
OJ) In the administration of the wilderness in the State of 
Nebraska— 
(1) grazing of livestock in wilderness areas established by this 
Act, if established prior to the date of the enactment of this Act, 
shall be administered in accordance with section 4(dX4) of the 
Wilderness Act and section 108 of Public Law 96-560; and 
(2) the Secretary is directed to review all policies, practices, 
and regulations of the Department of Agriculture regarding 
livestock grazing in national forest wilderness areas in Ne-
braska in order to insure that such policies, practices, and 
regulations fully conform with and implement the intent of 
Congress regarding grazing in such areas, as such intent is 
expressed in this Act. 
MAPS AND DESCRIPTIONS 
SEC. 103. As soon as practicable after the date of the enactment of 
this Act, the Secretary shall submit a map and legal description of 
the wilderness area designated by section 101 to the Committee on 
Energy and Natural Resources or the Senate and the Committee on 
Agriculture and the Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs of 
PUBLIC LAW 99-504—OCT. 20, 1986 
100 STAT. 1803 
the House of Representatives. Such map and legal description shall 
have the same force and effect as if included in this Act, except that 
any clerical or typographical error in such map or legal description 
may be corrected. The Secretary shall place such map and legal 
description on file, and make them available for public inspection, in 
the Office of the Chief of the Forest Service, Department of 
Agriculture. 
WILDERNESS REVIEW CONCERNS 
SEC. 104. (a) The Congress finds that— 
(1) the Department of Agriculture has completed the second 
roadless area review and evaluation program (RARE II); and 
(2) the Congress has made its own review and examination of 
National Forest System roadless areas in the State of Nebraska 
and of the environmental impacts associated with alternative 
allocations of such areas. 
(b) On the basis of such review, the Congress hereby determines 
and 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 Nebraska, such statement shall not 
be subject to judicial review with respect to National Forest 
System lands in the State of Nebraska; 
(2) v/ith respect to the National Forest System lands in the 
State of Nebraska, which were reviewed by the Department of 
Agriculture in the second roadless area review and evaluation 
(RARE II), that review and evaluation shall be deemed for the 
purposes of the initial land management plans required for such 
lands by the Forest and Rangeland Renewable Resources 
Planning Act of 1974, as amended by the National Forest 
Management Act of 1976, to be an adequate consideration of the 
suitability of such lands for inclusion in the National Wilder-
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 Nebraska reviewed in such final 
environmental statement and not designated wilderness 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 National Forest Management 
Act of 1976: Provided, That such areas need not be managed for 
the purpose of protecting their suitability for wilderness des-
ignation prior to or during revision of the initial land manage-
ment plans; 
(4) in the event that revised land management plans in the 
State of Nebraska are implemented pursuant to section 6 of the 
Forest and Rangeland Renewable Resources Planning Act of 
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 
Public 
information. 
Environmental 
protection. 
16 use 1600 
note. 
16 use 1604. 
100 STAT. 1804 
PUBLIC LAW 99-504—OCT. 20, 1986 
16 u s e 1600 
note. 
16 u s e 1604. 
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 
Planning Act of 1974, as amended by the National Forest 
Management Act of 1976, and other applicable law; and 
(5) unless expressly authorized by Congress, the Department 
of Agriculture shall not conduct any further statewide roadless 
area review and evaluation of National Forest System lands in 
the State of Nebraska for the purpose of determining their 
suitability for inclusion in the National Wilderness Preserva-
tion System, 
(c) As used in this section, and as provided in section 6 of the 
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. 
TITLE II—PINE RIDGE NATIONAL RECREATION AREA 
DESIGNATION OF PINE RIDGE NATIONAL RECREATION AREA 
l6USC460rr. 
SEC. 201. Certain lands in the Nebraska National Forest, Ne-
braska, which comprise approximately six thousand six hundred 
acres, as generally depicted on a map entitled "Pine Ridge National 
Recreation Area—Proposed", dated September 1986, are hereby 
designated as the Pine Ridge National Recreation Area. 
16 u s e 460rr-l. 
Public 
information. 
16 u s e 460rr-2. 
MAP AND DESCRIPTION 
SEC. 202. As soon as practicable after enactment of this Act, the 
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 Energy and Natural Resources 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. 
ADMINISTRATION OF THE NATIONAL RECREATION AREA 
SEC. 203. (a) Subject to valid existing rights, the Pine Ridge 
National Recreation Area designated by this title shall be adminis-
tered by the Secretary of Agriculture in accordance with 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) preservation and protection of forest, aquatic and grass-
land habitat; 
(3) protection and conservation of special areas having un-
common or outstanding wilderness, biological, geological, rec-
reational, cultural, historical or archeological, and scientific, or 
other values contributing to the public benefit; 
PUBLIC LAW 99-504—OCT. 20, 1986 
100 STAT. 1805 
Contracts. 
State and local 
governments. 
Hunting. 
Fish and fishing. 
Trapping. 
Minerals and 
mining. 
(4) the continuation of existing livestock grazing uses; 
Animals. 
(5) the control of noxious weeds and insects and prevention of 
their spreading onto the nearby private and Federal lands; and 
(6) the control of fires and prevention of their spreading onto 
nearby private and Federal lands. 
O
o
) The Secretary shall enter into a Memorandum of Agreement 
with local and State firefighting agencies and individuals to assure 
the best utilization of the firefighting resources available in the 
nearby communities for control of fire in the national recreation 
area. 
(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 Nebraska. 
(d) Subject to valid existing rights, all Federal lands within the 
national recreation area are hereby withdrawn from location, entry, 
and patent under the United States mining laws, and from disposi-
tion under all laws pertaining to mineral and geothermal leasing 
and all amendments thereto. 
(e) Nothing in this Act shall be construed as affecting the jurisdic- Fish and fishing, 
tion or responsibilities of the State of Nebraska with respect to 
wildlife and fish in the national recreation area. 
(f) 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 Energy 
and Natural Resources of the United States Senate a comprehensive 
management plan for the national recreation area designated by 
this title. 
(g) In conducting the reviews and preparing the comprehensive 
management plan required by subsection (d), the Secretary shall 
provide for full public participation, and shall consider the views of 
all interested agencies, organizations, and individuals. 
Approved October 20,1986. 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY—S. 816: 
HOUSE REPORTS: No. 99-854, Pt. 1 (Comm. on Interior and Insular Affairs). 
SENATE REPORTS: No. 99-122 (Comm. on Energy and Natural Resources). 
CONGRESSIONAL RECORD, Vol. 132 (1986): 
Aug. 1, considered and passed Senate. 
Sept. 23, considered and passed House, amended. 
Oct. 3, Senate concurred in House amendments.