Virginia Wilderness Act of 1984
PL 98-586 (H.R.5121), enacted 10/30/1984

PUBLIC LAW 98-586—OCT. 30, 1984 
98 STAT. 3105 
Public Law 98-586 
98th Congress 
An Act 
To designate certain national forest system lands in the State of Virginia as 
wilderness, and for other purposes. 
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 the "Virginia 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 in the State of Virginia are 
hereby designated as wilderness and, therefore, as components of 
the National Wilderness Preservation System: 
(1) certain lands in the Jefferson National Forest, Virginia, 
which comprise approximately six thousand three hundred and 
seventy-five acres, as generally depicted on a map entitled 
"Beartown Wilderness—Proposed", dated February 1984, and 
which shall be known as the Beartown Wilderness; 
(2) certain lands in the Jefferson National Forest, Virginia, 
which comprise approximately five thousand five hundred and 
eighty acres, as generally depicted on a map entitled "Kimber-
ling Creek Wilderness—Proposed", dated February 1984, and 
which shall be known as the Kimberling Creek Wilderness; 
(3) certain lands in the Jefferson National Forest, Virginia, 
which comprise approximately five thousand seven hundred 
and thirty acres, as generally depicted on a map entitled "Lewis 
Fork Wilderness—Proposed", dated February 1984, and which 
shall be known as the Lewis Fork Wilderness; 
(4) certain lands in the Jefferson National Forest, Virgiinia, 
which comprise approximately three thousand four hundred 
acres, as generally depicted on a map entitled "Little Dry Run 
Wilderness—Proposed", dated February 1984, and which shall 
be known as the Little Dry Run Wilderness; 
(5) certain lands in the Jefferson National Forest, Virginia, 
which comprise approximately three thousand eight hundred 
and fifty-five acres, as generally depicted on a map entitled 
"Little Wilson Creek Wilderness—Proposed", dated February 
1984, and which shall be known as the Little Wilson Creek 
Wilderness; 
(6) certain lands in the Jefferson National Forest, Virginia, 
which comprise approximately eight thousand two hundred and 
fifty-three 
acres, as generally depicted on a map entitled 
"Mountain Lake Wilderness—Proposed", dated February 1984, 
and which shall be known as the Mountain Lake Wilderness; 
(7) certain lands in the Jefferson National Forest, Virginia, 
which comprise approximately three thousand three hundred 
and twenty-six acres, as generally depicted on a map entitled 
"Peters Mountain Wilderness—Proposed", dated 
February 
Oct. 30, 1984 
[H.R. 5121] 
Virginia 
Wilderness Act 
of 1984. 
National 
Wilderness 
Preservation 
System. 
National Forest 
System. 
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98 STAT. 3106 
PUBLIC LAW 98-586—OCT. 30, 1984 
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1984, and which shall be known as the Peters Mountain 
Wilderness; 
(8) certain lands in the Jefferson National Forest, Virginia, 
which comprise approximately two thousand four hundred and 
fifty acres, as generally depicted on a map entitled "Thunder 
Ridge Wilderness—Proposed", dated February 1984, and which 
shall be known as the Thunder Ridge Wilderness; 
(9) certain lands in the Jefferson National Forest, Virginia, 
which comprise approximately two hundred acres, as generally 
depicted on a map entitled "James River Face Wilderness 
Addition—Proposed", dated September 1984, and which are 
hereby incorporated in, and shall be deemed to be part of, the 
James River Face Wilderness as designated by Public Law 
93-622; 
(10) certain lands in the George Washington National Forest, 
Virginia, which comprise approximately six thousand seven 
hundred and twenty-five acres, as generally depicted on a map 
entitled "Ramseys Draft Wilderness—Proposed", dated January 
1984, and which shall be known as the Ramseys Draft Wilder-
ness; and 
(11) certain lands in the George Washington National Forest, 
Virginia, which comprise approximately ten thousand and 
ninety acres, as generally depicted on a map entitled "Saint 
Mary's Wilderness—Proposed", dated January 1984, and which 
shall be known as the Saint Mary's 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 Comm'ttee 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. 
eonservation. 
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. 
EFFECT O F RARE II 
SEC. 5. (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 Virginia 
PUBLIC LAW 98-586—OCT. 30, 1984 
98 STAI. 3107 
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 Virginia, such statement shall not be 
subject to judicial review with respect to National Forest 
System lands in the State of Virginia; 
(2) with respect to the National Forest System lands in the 
State of Virginia 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), 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 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 consider- 
16 USC 1600 
ation of the suitability of such lands for inclusion in the 
note. 
National Wilderness Preservation System and the Depart-
ment of Agriculture shall not be required to review the wilder-
ness option prior to the revisions of the plans, but shall review 
the wilderness option when the plans are revised, which revi-
sions will ordinarily occur on a ten-year cycle, or at least every 
fifteen years, unless, prior to such time, the Secretary of Agri-
culture finds that conditions in a unit have significantly 
changed; 
(3) areas in the State of Virginia 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 
1976: Provided, That such areas need not be managed for the 
16 USC 1604. 
purpose of protecting their suitability for wilderness desij^a-
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 Virginia 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 
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 Virginia for the purpose of determining their 
98 STAT. 3108 
PUBLIC LAW 98-586—OCT. 30, 1984 
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, 
16 use 1604. 
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 Virginia which are less 
than five thousand acres in size. 
DESIGNATION OF WILDERNESS STUDY AREAS 
16 use 1131 
SEC. 6. (a) In furtherance of the purposes of the Wilderness Act, 
"°*®- 
the Secretary of Agriculture shall review, as to their suitability for 
preservation as wilderness, the following lands in the State of 
Virginia: 
(1) certain lands in the George Washington National Forest, 
which comprise approximately nine thousand three hundred 
acres, as generally depicted on a map entitled "Rough Mountain 
Wilderness Study Area—Proposed", dated January 1984, and 
which shall be known as the Rough Mountain Wilderness Study 
Area; 
(2) certain lands in the George Washington National Forest, 
which comprise approximately five thousand six hundred acres, 
as generally depicted on a map entitled "Rich Hole Wilderness 
Study Area—Proposed", dated January 1984, and which shall 
be known as the Rich Hole Wilderness Study Area; 
(3) certain lands in the Jefferson National Forest, which 
comprise approximately five thousand eight hundred and 
seventy-five acres, as generally depicted on a map entitled 
"Barbours Creek Wilderness Study Area—Proposed", dated 
February 1984, and which shall be known as the Barbours 
Creek Wilderness Study Area; and 
(4) certain lands in the Jefferson National Forest, which 
comprise approximately four thousand three hundred acres, as 
generally depicted on a map entitled "Shawvers Run Wilder-
ness Study Area—Proposed", dated February 1984, and which 
shall be known as the Shawvers Run Wilderness Study Area. 
(b) In carrying out the review required under this section, the 
Secretary shall give public notice at least sixty days in advance of 
any hearing or other public meeting concerning a study area, 
(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. 
Reports. 
(d) The Secretary, in consultation with the Environmental Protec-
tion Agency and the State of Virginia, shall evaluate and report to 
Congress no later than two years after the date of enactment of this 
Act on the effects of the proposed industrial development site at 
Covington, Virginia, on air quality on the areas designated for 
wilderness study by this Act. The Secretary shall provide an interim 
report to the appropriate committees of Congress no later than one 
year after the date of enactment of this Act. 
PUBLIC LAW 98-586—OCT. 30, 1984 
98 STAT. 3109 
BUFFER ZONES 
SEC. 7. Congress does not intend that designation of wilderness 
areas in the State of Virginia lead to the creation of protective 
perimeters or buffer zones around each wilderness area. The fact 
that nonwilderness activities or uses can be seen or heard from 
areas within the wilderness shall not, of itself, preclude such activi-
ties or uses up to the boundary of the wilderness area. 
Approved October 30, 1984. 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY—H.R. 5121: 
HOUSE REPORT No. 98-712, Part 1 (Comm. on Interior and Insular Affairs). 
CONGRESSIONAL RECORD, Vol. 130 (1984): 
May 8, considered and passed House. 
Oct. 4, considered and passed Senate, amended. 
Oct. 9, House concurred in Senate amendment. 
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