Winding Stair Mountain National Recreation and Wilderness Area Act
PL 100-499 (H.R.4354), enacted 10/18/1988

PUBLIC LAW 100-499—OCT. 18, 1988 
102 STAT. 2491 
Public Law 100-499 
100th Congress 
An Act 
To designate certain National Forest System lands in the State of Oklahoma for 
inclusion in the National Wilderness Preservation System, create the Winding 
Stair Mountain National Recreation and Wilderness Area, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be referred to as the "Winding Stair Mountain 
National Recreation and Wilderness Area Act". 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSES. 
(a) FINDINGS.—The Congress finds that— 
(1) select areas of undeveloped National Forest System lands 
in the State of Oklahoma 
possess outstanding 
natural 
characteristics which give them high values as wilderness and 
will, if properly preserved, contribute as an enduring resource 
of wilderness for the benefit of the American people; 
(2) the Department of Agriculture's second roadless area 
review and evaluation (RARE II) and other studies of National 
Forest System lands in the State of Oklahoma and the related 
congressional review of such lands have identified areas which, 
on the basis of their landform, ecosystem, associated wildlife, 
and location, will help to fulfill the National Forest System's 
share of a quality National Wilderness Preservation System; 
(3) the Department of Agriculture's second roadless area 
review and evaluation, of National Forest System lands in the 
State of Oklahoma and the related congressional review of such 
lands have also identified areas which do not possess outstand-
ing wilderness attributes or which possess outstanding energy, 
mineral, timber, grazing, dispersed recreation and other values, 
and which should not be designated as components of the 
National Wilderness Preservation System but should be avail-
able for nonwilderness multiple uses under the land manage-
ment planning process and other applicable laws; 
(4) many aresis of the Ouachita National Forest possess quali-
ties that can only be expressed and utilized in such a manner 
that designation of such areas as a national recreation area is 
appropriate for the maximum potential and enjoyment of the 
area by the American people; 
(5) select areas possess unique plant and tree species and 
plant communities that are significant in their occurrence, 
variety and location and warrant designation as botanical 
areas; and 
(6) select areas possess unique scenic and wildlife qualities 
that designation of such areas as a national scenic area and a 
national scenic and wildlife area is appropriate for the preserva-
tion of the natural beauty and wildlife habitat for the enjoy-
ment of the American people. 
Oct. 18, 1988 
[H.R. 4354] 
Winding Stair 
Mountain 
National 
Recreation and 
Wilderness Area 
Act. 
Conservation. 
Environmental 
protection. 
Historic 
preservation. 
16 u s e 460w 
note. 
16 u s e 460w. 
102 STAT. 2492 
PUBLIC LAW 100-499—OCT. 18, 1988 
(b) PURPOSES.—The purposes of this Act are to— 
(1) designate certain National Forest System lands in the 
State of Oklahoma as components of the National Wilderness 
Preservation System, in order to promote, perpetuate, and pre-
serve the wilderness character of the lands, protect watersheds 
and wildlife habitat, preserve scenic and historic resources, and 
promote scientific research, primitive recreation, solitude, phys-
ical and mental challenge, and inspiration for the benefit of all 
the American people, to a greater extent than is possible in the 
absence of wilderness designation; and to ensure that certain 
other National Forest System lands in the State of Oklahoma be 
available for nonwilderness multiple uses; and 
(2) designate certain National Forest System lands in the 
State of Oklahoma as a national recreation area, 2 botanical 
areas, a national scenic area, and a national scenic and wildlife 
area in order to enhance and further certain natural resources 
characteristics. 
16 use 460W-1. 
SEC. 3. ADDITIONS TO NATIONAL WILDERNESS PRESERVATION SYSTEM. 
In furtherance of the purposes of the Wilderness Act of 1964 (78 
Stat. 890, 16 U.S.C. 1131 et seq.) the following lands in the State of 
Oklahoma are hereby designated as v^dlderness and, therefore, as 
components of the National Wilderness Preservation System: 
(1) Certain lands in the Ouachita National Forest, Oklahoma, 
which comprise approximately 4,583 acres, as generally de-
picted on a map entitled "Black Fork Mountain Wilderness— 
Proposed", dated March 1988, and which shall be known as the 
Black Fork Mountain Wilderness. 
(2) Certain lands in the Ouachita National Forest, Oklahoma, 
which comprise approximately 9,371 acres, as generally de-
picted on a map entitled "Upper Kiamichi River Wilderness— 
Proposed", dated March 1988, and which shall be known as the 
Upper Kiamichi River Wilderness. 
16 use 460W-2. 
SEC. 4. MAPS AND DESCRIPTIONS. 
As soon as practicable after this Act takes effect, the Secretary of 
Agriculture shall file the maps referred to in section 3 of this Act 
and legal descriptions of each wilderness area designated by section 
3 of this Act with the Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs and 
the Committee on Agriculture of the United States House of Rep-
resentatives and the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and 
Forestry of the United States Senate. Each such map and legal 
description shall have the same force and effect as if included in this 
Act; except that correction of clerical and typc^raphical errors in 
Public 
such l^al descriptions and maps may be made. Each such map and 
information. 
l^al description shall be on file and available for public inspection 
in the Office of the Chief of the Forest Service, Department of 
Agriculture. 
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SEC. 5. ADMINISTRATION. 
Subject to valid existing rights, each wilderness area designated 
by section 3 of this Act shall be administered by the Secretary of 
Agriculture in accordance with the provisions of the Wilderness Act 
of 1964 governing areas designated by that Act as wilderness areas, 
except that with respect to any area designated in section 3 of this 
Act, any reference in such provisions to the effective date of the 
16 use 1132 
note. 
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note. 
PUBLIC LAW 100-499—OCT. 18, 1988 
102 STAT. 2493 
Wilderness Act of 1964 shall be deemed to be a reference to the 
effective date of this Act. 
SEC. 6. WILDERNESS REVIEW. 
16 USC 460w-4. 
(a) FINDINGS.—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 Oklahoma and of the 
environmental impacts associated with alternative allocations 
of such areas. 
(b) CONGRESSIONAL DETERMINATION AND DIRECTION.—On the basis 
of such review, the Congress hereby determines and directs that— 
(1) without passing on the questions of the legal and factual 
sufficiency of the RARE II Final Environmental Impact State-
ment (dated January 1979) with respect to National Forest 
System lands in States other than Oklahoma, such statement 
shall not be subject to judicial review with respect to National 
Forest System lands in the State of Oklahoma; 
(2) with respect to the National Forest System lands in the 
State of Oklahoma 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-
ment 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 revision 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 Oklahoma reviewed in such final 
environmental statement or referenced in subsection (d) £md 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 Renew-
able Resources Planning Act of 1974, as amended by the Na-
tional Forest Management Act of 1976, except that such areas 
need not be managed for the purpose of protecting their suit-
ability for wilderness designation prior to or during revision of 
the initial land management plans; 
(4) in the event that revised land management plans in the 
State of Oklahoma 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 
102 STAT. 2494 
PUBLIC LAW 100-499—OCT. 18, 1988 
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 the National Forest System lands 
in the State of Oklahoma for the purpose of determining their 
suitability for inclusion in the National Wilderness Preserva-
tion System. 
(c) USE OF TERM.—As used in this section, and as provided in 
section 6 of the Forest and Rangeland Renewable Resources Plan-
ning 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) APPUCATION OF PROVISIONS.—The provisions of this section 
shall also apply to: 
(1) those National Forest System roadless lands in the State of 
Oklahoma in the Ouachita National Forest which were evalu-
ated in the Rich Mountain and Beech Creek unit plans; and 
(2) National Forest System roadless lands in the State of 
Oklahoma which are less than five thousand acres in size. 
16 u s e 460W-5. 
SEC. 7. ADJACENT MANAGEMENT. 
Congress does not intend that designation of wilderness areas in 
the State of Oklahoma 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 activities or 
uses up to the boundary of the wilderness area. 
16 u s e 460W-6. 
SEC. 8. WINDING STAIR MOUNTAIN NATIONAL RECREATION AREA. 
Fish and fishing. 
PubHc 
information. 
Public 
information. 
(a) EsTABUSHMENT.—In order to ensure the conservation and 
protection of certain natured, scenic, historic, pastoral, and fish and 
wildlife values and to provide for the enhancement of the rec-
reational values associated therewith, there is hereby established 
the Winding Stair Mountain National Recreation Area located in 
the Ouachita National Forest, Oklahoma. 
(b) AREA INCLUDED.—The Winding Stair Mountain National 
Recreation Area (hereafter in this Act referred to as the "recreation 
area") shall comprise approximately 26,445 acres as generally de-
picted on the map entitled "Winding Stair Mountain National 
Recreation Area—Proposed", dated March 1988, which shall be on 
file and available for public inspection in the Office of the Chief, 
Forest Service, Department of Agriculture. 
(c) MAPS AND DESCRIPTION.—The Secretary of Agriculture (herein-
after in this section referred to as the "Secretary") shall, as soon as 
practicable after the date of enactment of this Act, file a map and a 
legal description of the recreation area with the Committee on 
Interior and Insular Affairs and the Committee on Agriculture of 
the United States House of Representatives and the (Ik)mmittee on 
Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the United States Senate 
and each such map and l^al description shall have the same force 
and effect as if included in this Act; except that correction of clerical 
and typ(^raphical errors in such l^al description and map may be 
made. The map and l^al description shall be on file and available 
for public inspection in the Office of the Chief of the Forest Service, 
Department of Agriculture. 
Sfl^^v? 
PUBLIC LAW 100-499—OCT. 18, 1988 
102 STAT. 2495 
(d) ADMINISTRATION.—The Secretary shall administer the recre-
ation area in accordance with the laws, rules and regulations ap-
plicable to the national forests in such manner as will best further 
the purposes of this section, as set forth in subsection (a). Manage-
ment and utilization of natural resources within the recreation area 
shall be permitted to the extent such management and utilization is 
compatible with and does not impair the purposes for which the 
recreation area is established. 
(e) TIMBER MANAGEMENT.—Any sales of timber from within the 
recreation area shall be designed so as to not detract from the scenic 
values of the recreation area. Management practices that would 
detract from the scenic quality and natural beauty within view from 
the Talimena Drive or the Holson Valley Road shall not be con-
ducted in the recreation area. Unevenaged timber management 
shall be the timber management practice in the recreation area, 
except that the Secretary may use evenaged management practices 
in order to promote public safety, mitigate the effects of fire, insects, 
and disease, or allow scenic vistas and recreational development or 
if such practices result in irregular cuts behind geographic barriers 
blocking the view from the Talimena Drive and the Holson Valley 
Road. 
SEC. 9. BOTANICAL AREAS. 
(a) DESIGNATION.—In order to protect and interpret to the public 
area within the Ouachita National Forest which contain unique 
plant species and unique plant communities that are significant in 
their occurrence, variety and location, the following lands are 
hereby designated as botanical areas: 
(1) Certain lands in the Ouachita National Forest, Oklahoma, 
which comprise approximately eight thousand and twenty-six 
acres as generally depicted on a map entitled "Robert S. Ken-
Memorial Arboretum, Nature Center and Botanical Area— 
Proposed", dated March 1988, which shall be known as the 
"Robert S. Kerr Memorial Arboretum, Nature Center and 
Botanical Area". 
(2) Certain lands in the Ouachita National Forest, Oklahoma, 
which comprise approximately four hundred acres as generally 
depicted on a map entitled "Beech Creek Botanical Area— 
Proposed", dated March 1988, which shall be known as the 
"Beech Creek Botanical Area". 
flt)) MAP AND DESCRIPTION.—The Secretary of Agriculture shall, as 
soon as practicable after the date of enactment of this Act, file a 
map and a legal description of the botanical areas with the Commit-
tee on Interior and Insular Affairs and the Committee on Agri-
culture of the United States House of Representatives and the 
Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the United 
States Senate. Each such map and legal description shall have the 
same force and effect as if included in this Act; except that correc-
tion of clerical and tjrpographical errors in such legal description 
and map may be made. The map and legal description shall be on 
file and available for public inspection in the Office of the Chief of 
the Forest Service, Department of Agriculture. 
(c) ADMINISTRATION.—The Secretary shall administer the botani-
cal areas in accordance with the laws, rules and regulations ap-
plicable to the national forests in such manner as will best further 
the purposes of this section, as set forth in subsection (a). Except as 
provided in section 16 of this Act, vegetative manipulation, includ-
Safety. 
Pests and 
pesticides. 
16 u s e 460W-7. 
Public 
information. 
102 STAT. 2496 
PUBLIC LAW 100-499—OCT. 18, 1988 
Public 
information. 
ing the cutting of trees, shall be permitted in such areas only when 
necessary for the protection and interpretation of the unique plant 
species and unique plant communities within the area. The Sec-
retary may permit expansion of roads, improvements, and other 
facilities in the vicinity of the Robert S. Kerr Nature Center. 
16 u s e 460W-8. 
SEC. 10. INDIAN NATIONS NATIONAL SCENIC AND WILDLIFE AREA. 
(a) DESIGNATION.—In order to protect and enhance certain scenery 
and wildlife within the Ouachita National Forest, Oklahoma, cer-
tain lands within such national forest, as generally depicted on a 
map entitled "Indian Nations National Scenic and Wildlife Area— 
Proposed", dated March 1988, are hereby designated as the "Indian 
Nations National Scenic and Wildlife Area" (hereinafter in this Act 
referred to as the "national scenic and wildlife area"). 
(b) MAP AND DESCRIPTION.—The Secretary of Agriculture (herein-
after in this section referred to as the "Secretary") shall, as soon as 
practicable after the enactment of this Act, file a map and a legal 
description of the national scenic and wildlife area with the Commit-
tee on Interior and Insular Affairs and the Committee on Agri-
culture of the United States House of Representatives and the 
Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the United 
States Senate. Each such map and legal description shall have the 
same force and effect as if included in this Act; except that correc-
tion of clerical and typographical errors in such legal description 
and map may be made. The map and legal description shall be on 
file and available for public inspection in the Office of the Chief of 
the Forest Service, Department of Agriculture. 
(c) ADMINISTRATION.—The Secretary shall administer the national 
scenic and wildlife area in accordance with the laws, rules and 
regulations applicable to the national forests in such manner as will 
best further the purposes of this section, as set forth in subsection 
(a). Management practices within the national scenic and wildlife 
area that would detract from the scenic quality and natural beauty 
of the Talimena Drive and Holson Valley Road viewsheds shall be 
prohibited. Timber management practices within the national 
scenic and wildlife area shall promote a mixed hardwood and conifer 
forest with species and age class diversity approximating natural 
succession and with significant mast production and den trees for 
wildlife. Unevenaged timber management shall be the timber 
management practice in the national scenic and wildlife area, 
except that the Secretary may use evenaged management practices 
in onler to promote public safety, mitigate the efiects of fire, insects, 
and disease, or if such practices result in irr^ular cuts behind 
geographic barriers blocking the view from the Talimena Drive and 
the Holson Valley Road. 
16 u s e 460W-9. 
SEC. 11. BEECH CREEK NATIONAL SCENIC AREA. 
(a) DESIGNATION.—In order to protect and enhance certain scenery 
and wildlife within the Ouachita National Forest, Oklahoma, cer-
tain lands within such national forest, as generally depicted on a 
map entitled "Beech Creek National Scenic Area—Proposed", dated 
March 1988, are hereby designated as the "Beech Creek National 
Scenic Area" (hereinafter in this Act referred to as the "national 
scenic area"). 
(b) MAP AND DESCRIPTION.—The Secretary of Agriculture (herein-
after in this section referred to as the "Secretary') shall, as soon as 
practicable after the enactment of this Act, file a map and a legal 
Safety. 
Pests and 
pesticides. 
PUBLIC LAW 100-499—OCT. 18, 1988 
102 STAT. 2497 
description of the national scenic area with the Committee on 
Interior and Insular Affairs and the Committee on Agriculture of 
the United States House of Representatives and the Committee on 
Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the United States Senate. 
Each such map and legal description shall have the same force and 
effect as if included in this Act; except that correction of clerical and 
typographical errors in such legal description and map may be 
made. The map and legal description shall be on file and available 
for public inspection in the Office of the Chief of the Forest Service, 
Department of Agriculture. 
(c) ADMINISTRATION.—The Secretary shall administer the national 
scenic area in accordance with the laws, rules, and regulations 
applicable to the national forests in such manner as will best 
further the purposes of this section, as set forth in subsection (a). 
Timber management practices within the area shall promote a 
mixed hardwood and conifer forest with species and age class diver-
sity approximating natural succession and with significant mast 
production and den trees for wildlife. Unevenaged management 
shall be the timber management practice in the area, except that 
the Secretary is authorized to use evenaged management practices 
in order to promote public safety or to mitigate the effects of fire, 
insects, and disease. 
SEC. 12. NOMENCLATURE. 
The wilderness areas, the national recreation area, the national 
scenic and wildlife area, the national scenic area, and the botanical 
areas designated in this Act shall be referred to as the "Winding 
Stair Mountain National Recreation £md Wilderness Area". 
SEC. 13. TIMBER MANAGEMENT REPORT. 
The Secretary of Agriculture shall submit to the Committee on 
Interior and Insular Affairs and the Committee on Agriculture of 
the United States House of Representatives and the Committee on 
Energy and Natural Resources and the Committee on Agriculture, 
Nutrition, and Forestry of the United States Senate a report on the 
timber management program on those lands of the Ouachita Na-
tional Forest located in Le Flore County, Oklahoma, each year after 
the enactment of this Act for a period of 20 years. Each such report 
shall include information on timber management practices, sale 
preparation, harvest levels, reforestation, forest pest and damage 
problems, multiple use mitigation practices, including wildlife 
enhancement, recreation, protection of scenery, vegetation conver-
sion, roads, and vegetative cover along streams, roads and trails. 
The report shall also include an economic impact statement of the 
Ouachita National Forest in Le Flore County, Oklahoma, on the 
timber industry and the tourism and recreation industry. 
SEC. 14. ADVISORY COMMITTEE. 
Pursuant to the Federsd Advisory Committee Act (Public Law 
92-463), no later than 90 days after the date of enactment of this 
Act, the Secretary is directed to establish an advisory committee for 
Ouachita National Forest lands in Le Flore County, Oklahoma. The 
Committee's purpose shall be advisory in nature and the Committee 
shall provide information and recommendations to the Secretary 
regarding the operation of the Ouachita National Forest in Le Flore 
County. The Committee shall be composed of representatives from 
the local area in which the Ouachita National Forest is located 
Public 
information. 
Safety. 
Pests and 
pesticides. 
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460W-10. 
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460W-11. 
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19-194 O—91—Part 3 
18 : QL 3 
102 STAT. 2498 
PUBLIC LAW 100-499—OCT. 18, 1988 
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460W-13. 
Corporations. 
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460W-14. 
equally divided among conservation, timber, fish and wildlife, tour-
ism and recreation, and economic development interests. 
SEC. 15. PLANNING. 
(a) FOREST MANAGEMENT PLAN.—The Secretary shall amend the 
Ouachita National Forest land and resource management plan to 
include provisions regarding the wilderness areas, the botanical 
areas, the national recreation area, the national scenic and wildlife 
area, and the national scenic area designated by this Act. The 
amendment shall further the purposes for these areas as specified in 
this Act and shall be developed in accordance with the provisions of 
the National Forest Management Act, including provisions for 
public involvement. The Secretary shall consult with the local 
advisory committee established under section 14 of this Act regard-
ing the development and implementation of the amendment re-
quired under this subsection. 
(b) TOURISM AND RECREATION.—The plan shall include a section 
with provisions to promote tourism and recreation in ways consist-
ent with the purposes for which the wilderness areas, the botanical 
areas, the national recreation area, the national scenic and wildlife 
area and the national scenic area are designated. 
(c) LOCAL ADVISORY GROUP.—No later than 90 days after the date 
of enactment of this Act the Secretary shall designate a special 
advisory group from the local area in which the Ouachita National 
Forest is located to assist in the preparation of the tourism and 
recreation section of the amendment as required under subsection 
Oi). The Secretary shall request the group to submit to the Secretary, 
within 12 months after its designation as an advisory group, a draft 
for such section. No later than 90 days after receiving such draft, 
the Secretary shall make any revisions and provide them to the 
group for review. The Secretary shall allow at least 60 dajrs for the 
group to submit to the Secretary its comments on the revisions. The 
Secretary shall attempt to resolve any differences prior to his 
approval or disapproval of the amendment to the forest plan. 
(d) AUTHORIZATION.—^There are hereby authorized to be appro-
priated not to exceed $15,000,000 for tourism and recreation 
improvements related to the Winding Stair Mountain National 
Recreation and Wilderness Area in Ouachita National Forest in Le 
Flore County, Oklahoma. 
(e) IMPLEMENTATION.—^The Secretary is authorized and encour-
aged to seek local nonprofit entities and the private sector for 
development of tourism and recreation initiatives in implementing 
the tourism and recreation section of the plan. 
SEC 16. FIRE. INSECT, AND DISEASE. 
Nothing in this Act shall preclude the Secretary of Agriculture 
from carrying out such measures in the recreation area, the na-
tional scenic and wildlife area, the national scenic area, or in the 
botanical areas established by this Act as the Secretary, in his 
discretion, deems necessary in the event of fire, or infestation of 
insects or disease or for public health and safety. As provided in 
section 4(dXl) of the Wilderness Act, the Secretary may take such 
measures as may be necessary to control fire, insects, and diseases 
within the wilderness areas designated by this Act. 
PUBLIC LAW 100-499—OCT. 18, 1988 
102 STAT. 2499 
SEC. 17. GRAZING. 
Subject to such limitations, conditions, or regulations as he may 
prescribe, the Secretary of Agriculture shall permit grazing on lands 
within the Ouachita National Forest, Le Flore County, Oklahoma. 
SEC. 18. FISHING AND WILDLIFE. 
Nothing in this Act shall be construed as affecting the jurisdiction 
or responsibilities of the State with respect to wildlife and fish in the 
areas designated by this Act. 
SEC. 19. PERMITS. 
The Secretary shall cooperate with other Federal agencies, with 
State and local public agencies and bodies, and with private individ-
uals and organizations in the issuance of permits for facilities, 
services, and recreational facilities in the Winding Stair Mountain 
National Recreation and Wilderness Area. In issuing such permits, 
the Secretary is authorized and encouraged to consider local non-
profit entities and the private sector. 
SEC. 20. LAND ACQUISITION. 
(a) AUTHORITY.—The Secretary of Agriculture is authorized to 
acquire by donation, purchase with donated or appropriated funds, 
or exchange, any lands or interests therein, which the Secretary 
determines are needed to establish and manage the Winding Stair 
Mountain National Recreation and Wilderness Area. 
(b) OFFERS.—In exercising the authority conferred by this section 
to acquire lands, the Secretary of Agriculture shall give prompt and 
careful consideration to any offer made by an individual owning any 
land, or interest in land, within the Winding Stair Mountain Na-
tional Recreation and Wilderness Area. In considering any such 
offer, the Secretary shall take into consideration any hardship to the 
owner which might result from any undue delay in acquiring the 
property. 
(c) ADDITIONAL FACILITIES.—The Secretary of Agriculture may 
acquire sites at locations outside such boundaries of the Winding 
Stair Mountain National Recreation and Wilderness Area, as he 
determines necessary, for visitor orientation and the establishment 
of a lodge and additional facilities to enhance the quality of the area. 
(d) ADDITIONAL LANDS.—Notwithstanding the limitations con-
tained in section 7(aXl) of the Land and Water Conservation Fund 
Act of 1965, the Secretary of Agriculture may acquire by purchase, 
exchange, donation or otherwise any right, title, and interest in 
lands in Le Flore County, Oklahoma, which are outside the bound-
aries of the Ouachita National Forest. No such right, title or interest 
may be acquired without the consent of the owner thereof. All lands 
and interests therein acquired under this subsection shall be 
administered by the Secretary of Agriculture in accordance with the 
Act of March 1, 1911, commonly referred to as the Weeks Act 
(36 Stat. 961) and in accordance with the laws, rules, and regulations 
generally applicable to units of the national forest system. The 
Secretary of Agriculture shall extend the boundaries of the 
Ouachita National Forest to include such lands. 
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State and local 
governments. 
Corporations. 
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Gifts and 
property. 
Gifts and 
property. 
102 STAT. 2500 
PUBLIC LAW 100-499—OCT. 18, 1988 
1
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SEC. 21. ACREAGES. 
460w-19 
The acreage specified in this Act is approximate and in the event 
of discrepancies between cited acreage and the lands depicted on 
reference maps, the maps shall control. 
Approved October 18, 1988. 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY—H.R. 4354 (S. 2571): 
HOUSE REPORTS: No. 100-792, Pt. 1 (Comm. on Interior and Insular Affairs) and 
Pt. 2 (Comm. on Agriculture). 
SENATE REPORTS: No. 100-576 accompanying S. 2571 (Comm. on Agriculture, 
Nutrition, and Forestry). 
CONGRESSIONAL RECORD, Vol. 134 (1988): 
Aug. 8, considered and passed House. 
Sept. 30, considered and passed Senate, amended, in lieu of S. 2571. 
Oct. 3, 4, House concurred in Senate amendment. 
o