North Carolina Wilderness Act of 1984
PL 98-324 (H.R.3960), enacted 06/19/1984

PUBLIC LAW 98-324—JUNE 19, 1984 
98 STAT. 263 
Public Law 98-324 
98th Congress 
An Act 
To designate certain public lands in North Carolina as additions to the National 
Wilderness Preservation System. 
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 "North Carolina Wilderness Act of 1984". 
DESIGNATION OF WILDERNESS AREAS 
SEC. 2. In furtherance of the purposes of the Wilderness Act (16 
U.S.C. 1131-1136), the following lands are hereby designated as 
wilderness and, therefore, as components of the National Wilderness 
Preservation System— 
(1) certain lands in the Uwharrie National Forest, North 
Carolina, which comprise approximately four thousand seven 
hundred and ninety acres, as generally depicted on a map 
entitled "Birkhead Mountains Wilderness—Proposed", dated 
July 1983, and which shall be known as the Birkhead Moun-
tains Wilderness; 
(2) certain lands in the Croatan National Forest, North Caro-
lina, which comprise approximately seven thousand six hun-
dred acres, as generally depicted on a map entitled "Catfish 
Lake South Wilderness—Proposed", dated July 1983, and which 
shall be known as the Catfish Lake South Wilderness; 
(3) certain lands in the Nantahala National Forest, North 
Carolina, which comprise approximately three thousand six 
hundred and eighty acres, as generally depicted on a map 
entitled "EUicott Rock Wilderness Addition—Proposed", dated 
July 1983, and which are hereby incorporated in, and shall be 
deemed to be part of, the Ellicott Rock Wilderness as designated 
by Public Law 93-622; 
(4) certain lands in the Nantahala National Forest, North 
Carolina, which comprise approximately two thousand nine 
hundred and eighty acres, as generally depicted on a map 
entitled "Joyce Kilmer-Slickrock Wilderness Additions—Pro-
posed", dated July 1983, and which are hereby incorporated in, 
and shall be deemed to be part of, the Joyce Kilmer Wilderness 
as designated by Public Law 93-622; 
(5) certain lands in the Pisgah National Forest, North Caro-
lina, which comprise approximately three thousand four hun-
dred acres, as generally depicted on a map entitled "Linville 
Gorge Wilderness Additions—Proposed", dated July 1983, and 
which are hereby incorporated in, and shall be deemed to be 
part of, the Linville Gorge Wilderness as designated by the 
Wilderness Act; 
(6) certain lands in the Pisgah National Forest, North Caro-
lina, which comprise approximately seven thousand nine hun-
dred acres, as generally depicted on a map entitled "Middle 
June 19, 1984 
[H.R. 3960] 
North Carolina 
Wilderness Act 
of 1984. 
National 
Wilderness 
Preservation 
System. 
National Forest 
System. 
16 u s e 1132 
note. 
16 u s e 1132 
note. 
88 Stat. 2096. 
16 u s e 1131 
note. 
16 u s e 1132 
note. 
98 STAT. 264 
PUBLIC LAW 98-324—JUNE 19, 1984 
16 u s e 1132 
note. 
16 u s e 1132 
note. 
16 u s e 1132 
note. 
16 u s e 1132 
note. 
Prong Wilderness—Proposed", dated July 1983, and which shall 
be known as the Middle Prong Wilderness; 
(7) certain lands in the Croatan National Forest, North Caro-
lina, which comprise approximately eleven thousand acres, as 
generally depicted on a map entitled "Pocosin Wilderness— 
Proposed", dated July 1983, and which shall be known as the 
Pocosin Wilderness; 
(8) certain lands in the Croatan National Forest, North Caro-
lina, which comprise approximately one thousand eight hun-
dred and sixty acres, as generally depicted on a map entitled 
"Pond Pine Wilderness—Proposed", dated July 1983, and which 
shall be known as the Pond Pine Wilderness; 
(9) certain lands in the Croatan National Forest, North Caro-
lina, which comprise approximately nine thousand five hundred 
and forty acres, as generally depicted on a map entitled "Sheep 
Ridge Wilderness—Proposed", dated October 1983, and which 
shall be known as the Sheep Ridge Wilderness; 
(10) certain lands in the Pisgah National Forest, North Caro-
lina, which comprise approximately five thousand one hundred 
acres, as generally depicted on a map entitled "Shining Rock 
Wilderness Addition—Proposed", dated July 1983, and which 
are hereby incorporated in, and shall be deemed to be part of, 
the Shining Rock Wilderness as designated by the Wilderness 
Act; and 
(11) certain lands in the Nantahala National Forest, North 
Carolina, which comprise approximately ten thousand nine 
hundred acres, as generally depicted on a map entitled "South-
ern Nantahala Wilderness—Proposed", dated July 1983, and 
which shall be known as the Southern Nantahala Wilderness. 
Public 
availability. 
MAPS AND DESCRIPTIONS 
SEC. 3. 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 Act 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 Act, except that correction of clerical and 
typographical errors in each such map and description may be made 
by the Secretary. Each 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. 
16 u s e 1131 
note. 
ADMINISTRATION OF WILDERNESS 
SEC. 4. Subject to valid existing rights, each wilderness area 
designated by this Act shall be administered by the Secretary of 
Agriculture 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 Wilder-
ness Act shall be deemed to be a reference to the date of enactment 
of this Act. 
PUBLIC LAW 98-324—JUNE 19, 1984 
STAT. 265 
16 use 1600 
note. 
16 use 1600 
note. 
.,. 
EFFECT OF RARE II 
SEC. 5. (a) The Congress finds that— 
eonservation. 
(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 North 
Carolina and of the environmental impacts associated with 
alternative allocations of such areas. 
(b) On the basis of such review, the Congress hereby determines 
eongress. 
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 North Carolina, such statement shall 
not be subject to judicial review with respect to National Forest 
System lands in the State of North Carolina; 
(2) with respect to the National Forest System lands in the 
State of North Carolina which were reviewed by the Depart-
ment of Agriculture in the second roadless area review and 
evaluation (RARE II) and those lands referred to in subsection 
(d), except those lands designated for wilderness study upon 
enactment of this Act, that review and evaluation or reference 
shall be deemed for the purposes of the initial land manage-
ment plans required for such lands by the Forest and Range-
land 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 Wilderness 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 North Carolina reviewed in such final 
environmental statement or referenced in subsection (d) and not 
designated as wilderness or for wilderness study upon enact-
ment of this Act shall be managed for multiple use in accord-
ance 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 
16 use 1604. 
1976: Provided, That such areas need not be managed for the 
purpose of protecting their suitability for wilderness designa-
tion prior to or during revision of the initial land management 
plans; 
(4) in the event that revised land management plans in the 
State of North Carolina are implemented pursuant to section 6 
of the Forest and Rangeland Renewable Resources Planning 
Act of 1974, as amended by the National Forest Management 
16 use 1604. 
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 
98 STAT. 266 
PUBLIC LAW 98-324—JUNE 19, 1984 
16 u s e 1600 
note. 
16 u s e 1600 
note. 
16 u s e 1604. 
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 North Carolina 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. 
(d) The provisions of this section shall also apply to National 
Forest System roadless lands in the State of North Carolina which 
are less than five thousand acres in size. 
16 u s e 1131 
note. 
16 u s e 1604. 
1^=';^ 'isy^^ 
88 Stat. 2096. 
Report. 
President of U.S. 
DESIGNATION OF WILDERNESS STUDY AREAS 
SEC. 6. (a) In furtherance of the purposes of the Wilderness Act, 
the following lands shall be reviewed by the Secretary of Agricul-
ture as to their suitability for preservation as wilderness during 
preparation of the initial land management plans pursuant to sec-
tion 6 of the Forest and Rangeland Renewable Resources Planning 
Act of 1974, as amended— 
(1) certain lands in the Pisgah National Forest, North Caro-
lina, which comprise approximately seven thousand one hun-
dred and thirty-eight acres, as generally depicted on a map 
entitled "Harper Creek Wilderness Study Area", dated July 
1983, and which shall be known as the Harper Creek Wilderness 
Study Area; 
(2) certain lands in the Pisgah National Forest, North Caro-
lina, which comprise approximately five thousand seven hun-
dred and eight acres, as generally depicted on a map entitled 
"Lost Cove Wilderness Study Area", dated July 1983, and which 
shall be known as the Lost Cove Wilderness Study Area; 
(3) certain lands in the Nantahala National Forest, North 
Carolina, which comprise approximately three thousand two 
hundred acres, as generally depicted on a map entitled "Over-
flow Wilderness Study Area", dated July 1983, and which shall 
be known as the Overflow Wilderness Study Area; 
(4) certain lands in the Nantahala National Forest, North 
Carolina, which comprise approximately eight thousand four 
hundred and ninety acres, as generally depicted on a map 
entitled "Snowbird Wilderness Study Area", dated July 1983, 
and which shall be known as the Snowbird Wilderness Study 
Area; and 
(5) certain lands in the Pisgah National Forest, North Caro-
lina, which comprise approximately one thousand two hundred 
and eighty acres, as generally depicted on a map entitled 
"Craggy Mountain Wilderness Study Area Extension", dated 
July 1983, and which are hereby incorporated in the Craggy 
Mountain Wilderness Study Area as designated by Public Law 
93-622. 
(b) The Secretary shall submit a report and findings to the Presi-
dent regarding the review required under this section, and the 
President shall submit his recommendations regarding the areas 
PUBLIC LAW 98-324—JUNE 19, 1984 
98 STAT. 267 
specified in paragraphs (1) through (5) of subsection (a) to Congress 
no later than three years after the date of enactment of this Act. 
(c) Subject to valid existing rights, the wilderness study areas 
designated by this section shall, until Congress determines other-
wise, be administered by the Secretary so as to maintain their 
presently existing wilderness character and potential for inclusion 
in the National Wilderness Preservation System. The entire Craggy 
Mountain Wilderness Study Area, including the study area desig-
nated by Public Law 93-622, shall be administered in accordance 88 Stat. 2096. 
with this subsection until Congress determines otherwise. 
Approved June 1'9, 1984. 
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LEGISLATIVE HISTORY—H.R. 3960: 
HOUSE REPORT No. 98-532, Pt. 1 (Comm. on Interior and Insular Affairs). 
SENATE REPORT No. 98-415 (Comm. on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry). 
CONGRESSIONAL RECORD: 
Vol. 129 (1983): Nov. 15, 16, considered and passed House. 
Vol. 130 (1984): May 24, considered and passed Senate, amended. 
June 4, House concurred in Senate amendment. 
WEEKLY COMPILATION OF PRESIDENTIAL DOCUMENTS, Vol. 20, No. 25 (1984): 
June 19, Presidential statement.