[Congressional Bills 105th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 773 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







105th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                 S. 773

To designate certain Federal lands in the State of Utah as wilderness, 
                        and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                              May 21, 1997

   Mr. Durbin (for himself, Mr. Torricelli, Ms. Moseley-Braun, Mrs. 
Murray, Mr. Feingold, Mr. Kennedy, Mr. Kerry, Mrs. Boxer, and Mr. Reed) 
introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the 
               Committee on Energy and Natural Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To designate certain Federal lands in the State of Utah 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,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``America's Red Rock Wilderness Act of 
1997''.

SEC. 2. GENERAL PROVISIONS.

    (a) Definition of Secretary.--In this Act, the term ``Secretary'' 
means the Secretary of the Interior.
    (b) Name.--Each wilderness area named in a table contained in title 
I shall--
            (1) consist of the land referenced in the table, as 
        generally depicted on the map entitled ``Utah BLM Wilderness 
        Proposed by H.R. 1500, 102d Congress''; and
            (2) be known by the name given to it in the table.
    (c) Map and Description.--
            (1) In general.--As soon as practicable after the date of 
        enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall file a map and a 
        legal description of each wilderness area designated by this 
        Act with the Committee on Resources of the House of 
        Representatives and with the Committee on Energy and Natural 
        Resources of the Senate.
            (2) Force of law.--A map and legal description filed under 
        paragraph (1) shall have the same force and effect as if 
        included in this Act, except that the Secretary may correct 
        clerical and typographical errors in the map and legal 
        description.
            (3) Public availability.--Each map and legal description 
        filed under paragraph (1) shall be filed and made available for 
        public inspection in the Office of the Director of the Bureau 
        of Land Management, Department of the Interior.

                   TITLE I--DESIGNATION OF WILDERNESS

SEC. 101. GREAT BASIN WILDERNESS AREAS.

    (a) Findings.--Congress finds that the Great Basin region of 
western Utah is comprised of starkly beautiful mountain ranges that 
rise as islands from the desert floor. Some, like the Wah Wah 
Mountains, are arid and austere, with massive cliff faces and leathery 
slopes speckled with pinyon and juniper. Others, like the Deep Creek 
and Stansbury Mountains, are high enough to draw moisture from passing 
clouds and support ecosystems found nowhere else on earth. From 
bristlecone pine, the world's oldest living thing, to newly flowered 
mountain meadows, these islands of nature support remarkable biological 
diversity and provide opportunities to experience the colossal silence 
of the Great Basin.
    (b) Designation.--To protect and manage so as to preserve the 
natural conditions of the Great Basin wilderness areas in western Utah 
in accordance with the Wilderness Act (16 U.S.C. 1131 et seq.), the 
following lands in the State of Utah are designated as wilderness and 
as components of the National Wilderness Preservation System:

  
                                                            Approximate
Name of Wilderness Area
                                                                Acreage
        Cedar Mountains Wilderness...................            62,100
        Conger Mountain Wilderness...................            20,400
        Deep Creek Mountains Wilderness..............            90,200
        Dugway Mountains Wilderness..................            23,100
        Fish Springs Range Wilderness................            55,200
        Granite Peak Wilderness......................            16,000
        House Range Wilderness.......................           139,400
        King Top Wilderness..........................            78,800
        Little Goose Creek Wilderness................             1,300
        Newfoundland Mountains Wilderness............            23,300
        Rockwell Wilderness..........................            13,400
        Silver Island Mountains Wilderness...........            27,200
        Stansbury Mountains Wilderness...............            22,500
        Wah Wah Mountains Wilderness.................           109,700
        White Rock Range Wilderness..................             3,900

SEC. 102. ZION AND MOJAVE DESERT WILDERNESS AREAS.

    (a) Findings.--Congress finds that Zion National Park's renowned 
landscape of soaring cliff walls, forested plateaus, and deep narrow 
gorges extends beyond the boundaries of the park onto surrounding 
public lands managed by the Secretary through the Bureau of Land 
Management. From the pink sand dunes of Moquith Mountain to the golden 
pools of Beaver Dam Wash, the Zion and Mojave Desert wilderness areas 
encompass 3 major provinces of the Southwest--the sculpted canyon 
country of the Colorado Plateau, the Mojave Desert, and portions of the 
Great Basin--a rich mosaic of biological, archaeological, and scenic 
diversity. One of the last remaining populations of threatened desert 
tortoise is found within this wilderness.
    (b) Designation.--To protect and manage so as to preserve the 
natural conditions of the Zion and Mojave Desert wilderness areas of 
Utah in accordance with the Wilderness Act (16 U.S.C. 1131 et seq.), 
the following lands in the State of Utah are designated as 
wilderness and as components of the National Wilderness Preservation 
System:

  
                                                            Approximate
Name of Wilderness Area
                                                                Acreage
        Beaver Dam Slopes Wilderness:
                Beaver Dam Wash......................            24,900
                Joshua Tree..........................            13,500
                Cottonwood Canyon Wilderness.........            11,500
                Cougar Creek-Docs Pass Wilderness....            29,400
                Upper Kanab Creek Wilderness.........            42,200
                Moquith Mountain Wilderness..........            26,500
                Red Mountain Wilderness..............            18,500
        Zion Wilderness:
                Beartrap Canyon......................                40
                Black Ridge..........................            21,800
                Canaan Mountain......................            52,100
                Deep Creek...........................             7,100
                Goose Creek..........................                89
                LaVerkin Creek.......................               567
                Orderville Canyon....................             6,500
                North Fork Virgin River..............             1,040
                Parunuweap Canyon....................            37,700
                Red Butte............................               804
                Spring Canyon........................             4,400
                Taylor Creek Canyon..................                35
                The Watchman.........................               600

SEC. 103. GRAND STAIRCASE AND KAIPAROWITS PLATEAU WILDERNESS AREAS.

    (a) Grand Staircase.--
            (1) Findings.--Congress finds that the area known as the 
        Grand Staircase rises more than 6,000 feet in a series of great 
        cliffs and plateaus from the depths of the Grand Canyon to the 
        forested rim of Bryce Canyon. It spans 6 major life zones, from 
        the lower Sonoran Desert to alpine forest, and encompasses 
        geologic formations that display 3,000,000,000 years of earth 
        history. Wildlands, managed by the Secretary through the Bureau 
        of Land Management, line the intricate canyon system of the 
        Paria River and form a vital wilderness corridor connection to 
        the deserts and forests of these national parks. Each of the 
        lands described in paragraph (2) is located within the Grand 
        Staircase-Escalante National Monument.
            (2) Designation.--To protect and manage so as to preserve 
        the natural conditions of the wilderness area known as the 
        Grand Staircase in accordance with the Wilderness Act (16 
        U.S.C. 1131 et seq.), the following lands in the State of Utah 
        are designated as wilderness and as components of the National 
        Wilderness Preservation System:

  
                                                            Approximate
Name of Wilderness Area
                                                                Acreage
                  Grand Staircase Wilderness:
                          Box Canyon.................             2,300
                          Cockscomb..................            10,300
                          East of Bryce..............               900
                          Mud Spring Canyon..........            55,100
                          Paria-Hackberry............           158,700
                          Squaw and Willis Creek.....            22,300
                          The Blues-Table Cliff......            18,700
    (b) Kaiparowits Plateau.--
            (1) Findings.--Congress finds that east of the Paria River 
        lies the Kaiparowits Plateau, 1 of the most rugged and isolated 
        wilderness regions in the United States, a lonely, windswept 
        land of harsh beauty, distant vistas, and a remarkable variety 
        of plant and animal species. Ancient forests, abundant big game 
        animals, and 22 species of raptors thrive undisturbed on its 
        grassland mesa tops. Each of the lands described in paragraph 
        (2) is located within the Grand Staircase-Escalante National 
        Monument.
            (2) Designation.--To protect and manage so as to preserve 
        the Kaiparowits Plateau in accordance with the Wilderness Act 
        (16 U.S.C. 1131 et seq.), the following lands in the State of 
        Utah are designated as wilderness and as components of the 
        National Wilderness Preservation System:

  
                                                            Approximate
Name of Wilderness Area
                                                                Acreage
                  Kaiparowits Wilderness:
                          Burning Hills..............            68,400
                          Carcass Canyon.............            72,600
                          Cave Point.................             4,800
                          Fiftymile Bench............            11,100
                          Fiftymile Mountain.........           173,900
                          Horse Spring Canyon........            27,900
                          Nipple Bench...............            31,600
                          Squaw Canyon...............            11,200
                          Wahweap-Paradise Canyon....           228,000
                          Warm Creek.................            21,000

SEC. 104. ESCALANTE CANYONS WILDERNESS AREAS.

    (a) Findings.--Congress finds that enchanting glens and coves 
carved in massive sandstone cliffs, spring-watered hanging gardens, and 
the silence of ancient Anasazi ruins are exemplary of the unique 
features that entice hikers, campers, and sightseers from around the 
world to Escalante Canyon. This wilderness links the spruce fir forests 
of the 11,000 foot Aquarius Plateau with winding slickrock canyons that 
flow into Lake Powell. It protects critical habitat for deer, elk, and 
wild bighorn sheep, as well as the scenic integrity of one of Utah's 
most popular natural areas. Each of the lands described in subsection 
(b) (other than Dogwater Creek, Long Canyon, and Notom Bench) is 
located within the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument.
    (b) Designation.--To protect and manage so as to preserve the 
Escalante Canyon wilderness areas in accordance with the Wilderness Act 
(16 U.S.C. 1131 et seq.), the following lands in the State of Utah are 
designated as wilderness and as components of the National Wilderness 
Preservation System:

  
                                                            Approximate
Name of Wilderness Area
                                                                Acreage
        Colt Mesa....................................            23,500
        Dogwater Creek...............................             3,500
        Fortymile Gulch..............................               640
        Fremont Gorge................................            19,400
        Hurricane Wash...............................             4,300
        Long Canyon..................................            16,400
        North Escalante Canyons......................           144,000
        Notom Bench..................................             8,400
        Phipps-Death Hollow..........................            43,500
        Scorpion.....................................            38,100
        Steep Creek..................................            34,400
        Studhorse Peaks..............................             9,500

SEC. 105. HENRY MOUNTAINS WILDERNESS AREAS.

    (a) Findings.--Congress finds that the last mountain range to be 
discovered and named by early explorers in the contiguous United 
States, the Henry Mountains, still retains its wild and mysterious 
character. Fluted badlands adorn the flanks of 11,000 foot Mount Ellen 
and Mount Pennell, containing islands of critical habitat for mule deer 
and the largest herd of free-roaming buffalo in the Nation. Despite 
their relative accessibility, the Henry Mountains remain 1 of the 
wildest, least-known ranges in the United States.
    (b) Designation.--To protect and manage so as to preserve the Henry 
Mountains in accordance with the Wilderness Act (16 U.S.C. 1131 et 
seq.), the following lands in the State of Utah are designated as 
wilderness and as components of the National Wilderness Preservation 
System:

  
                                                            Approximate
Name of Wilderness Area
                                                                Acreage
        Henry Mountains Wilderness:
                Bull Mountain........................            12,400
                Bullfrog Creek.......................            36,900
                Mount Ellen-Blue Hills...............           116,900
                Mount Hillers........................            18,600
                Mount Pennell........................           141,200
                Ragged Mountain......................            23,300

SEC. 106. DIRTY DEVIL RIVER WILDERNESS AREAS.

    (a) Findings.--Congress finds that the Dirty Devil River, once the 
fortress hideout of outlaw Butch Cassidy's Wild Bunch, has sculpted a 
maze of slickrock canyons through an imposing landscape of monoliths 
and inaccessible mesas. This isolated and remote area, long a barrier 
to civilization and would-be colonists, now beckons a different type of 
explorer, the modern recreationist, who seeks to experience solitude 
and isolation amid spectacular beauty.
    (b) Designation.--To protect and manage so as to preserve the Dirty 
Devil River wilderness areas in the State of Utah in accordance with 
the Wilderness Act (16 U.S.C. 1131 et seq.), the following lands in the 
State of Utah are designated as wilderness and as components of the 
National Wilderness Preservation System:

  
                                                            Approximate
Name of Wilderness Area
                                                                Acreage
        Dirty Devil Wilderness:
                Dirty Devil-French Springs...........           175,300
                Fiddler Butte........................            88,200

SEC. 107. CEDAR MESA WILDERNESS AREAS.

    (a) Findings.--Congress finds that more than a thousand years ago, 
the Anasazi Indian culture flourished in the slickrock canyons and on 
the pinyon-covered mesas of southeastern Utah. Evidence of the ancient 
presence of the Anasazi pervades the Cedar Mesa area where haunting 
cliff dwellings, rock art, and ceremonial kivas embellish sandstone 
overhangs and isolated benchlands. This area cries out for protection 
from the vandalism and theft of these unique cultural resources. The 
Cedar Mesa wilderness areas are created to protect both the Nation's 
archaeological heritage and extraordinary wilderness scenic and 
ecological values.
    (b) Designation.--To protect and manage so as to preserve the Cedar 
Mesa wilderness areas in accordance with the Wilderness Act (16 U.S.C. 
1131 et seq.), the following lands in the State of Utah are designated 
as wilderness and as components of the National Wilderness Preservation 
System:

  
                                                            Approximate
Name of Wilderness Area
                                                                Acreage
        White Canyon Wilderness:
                Gravel and Long Canyon...............            35,000
                Cheesebox Canyon.....................            28,500
                Harmony Flat.........................             9,100
                Fortknocker Canyon...................            12,400
        San Juan-Anasazi Wilderness:
                Arch and Mule Canyon.................            15,300
                Comb Ridge...........................            15,000
                Fish and Owl Creek...................            59,000
                Grand Gulch..........................           139,800
                Nokai dome...........................            93,400
                Road Canyon..........................            60,100
                San Juan River.......................            13,200
        Squaw and Cross Canyons Wilderness:
                Squaw and Papoose Canyons............             6,580
                Cross Canyon.........................             1,000
        Dark Canyon Wilderness:
                Dark Canyon..........................           126,500
                Sheep Canyon.........................             3,700
        Glen Canyon Wilderness:
                Mancos Mesa..........................           108,700
                Little Rockies.......................            60,000

SEC. 108. CANYONLANDS WILDERNESS AREAS.

    (a) Findings.--Congress finds that Arches National Park and 
Canyonlands National Park safeguard only a small portion of the 
extraordinary red-hued, cliff-walled canyonland region of the Colorado 
Plateau. Canyons with rushing perennial streams, natural arches, 
bridges, and towers, and the gorges of the Green River, Colorado River, 
and Dolores River lie on adjacent wildlands managed by the Secretary 
through the Bureau of Land Management. Designation of these wilderness 
areas achieves a wholeness of protection for this erosional masterpiece 
of nature and the rich pockets of wildlife found within its expanded 
boundaries.
    (b) Designation.--To protect and manage so as to preserve the 
Canyonlands wilderness areas near Arches National Park and Canyonlands 
National Park in accordance with the Wilderness Act (16 U.S.C. 1131 et 
seq.), the following lands in the State of Utah are designated as 
wilderness and as components of the National Wilderness Preservation 
System:

  
                                                            Approximate
Name of Wilderness Area
                                                                Acreage
        Canyonlands Basin Wilderness:
                Bridger Jack Mesa....................            32,700
                Butler Wash..........................            28,300
                Goose Neck...........................             8,300
                Harts Point..........................            62,800
                Indian Creek.........................            27,000
                Shafer Canyon........................             3,000
        Labyrinth Wilderness:
                Labyrinth Canyon.....................           120,000
                Horseshoe Canyon.....................            51,700
                Arches-Lost Spring Wilderness........            16,900
        La Sal Canyons Wilderness:
                Beaver Creek.........................            28,200
                Fisher Towers........................            15,100
                Granite Creek........................             5,100
                Mary Jane Canyon.....................            24,200
                Mill Creek...........................            15,700
                Negro Bill Canyon....................            20,600
                Seweump Mesa.........................               600
        Behind-The-Rocks Wilderness:
                Hunter Canyon........................             4,000
                Goldbar Canyon.......................            12,500
                Hatch Wash...........................            14,300
                Behind-The-Rocks.....................            20,300
        Westwater Wilderness:
                Black Ridge..........................             5,100
                Westwater Canyon.....................            32,500

SEC. 109. SAN RAFAEL SWELL WILDERNESS AREAS.

    (a) Findings.--Congress finds that the San Rafael Swell towers 
above the desert like a wilderness castle, ringed by thousand-foot 
ramparts of Navajo Sandstone. Its highlands have been fractured by 
uplift and scooped hollow by erosion over countless millennia, leaving 
a tremendous basin punctuated by mesas, buttes, and canyons and 
traversed by sediment-laden desert streams. Among other places, the San 
Rafael wilderness offers exceptional back country opportunities in the 
colorful Wild Horse Badlands, the monoliths of North Caineville Mesa, 
the rock towers of Cliff Wash, and the dark volcanic mountains 
bordering Capitol Reef National Park. The mountains within these 
wilderness areas are among Utah's most productive habitat for Desert 
Bighorn Sheep.
    (b) Designation.--To protect and manage so as to preserve the San 
Rafael Swell wilderness areas in accordance with the Wilderness Act (16 
U.S.C. 1131 et seq.), the following lands in the State of Utah are 
designated as wilderness and as components of the National Wilderness 
Preservation System:

  
                                                            Approximate
Name of Wilderness Area
                                                                Acreage
        San Rafael Wilderness:
        Cedar Mountain...............................            14,500
        Devils Canyon................................            21,500
        Hondu Country................................            18,900
        Jones Bench..................................             2,800
        Limestone Cliffs.............................            21,300
        Mexican Mountain.............................           102,600
        Muddy Creek..................................           246,300
        Mussentuchit Badlands........................            23,000
        Red Desert...................................            36,800
        San Rafael Reef..............................            95,000
        Sids Mountain................................            95,800
        Upper Muddy Creek............................            17,000
        Wild Horse Mesa..............................            57,400

SEC. 110. BOOK CLIFFS AND UINTA BASIN WILDERNESS AREAS.

    (a) Findings.--Congress finds that the Book Cliffs and Uinta Basin 
wilderness areas offer a unique quality of wilderness big game hunting 
opportunities in verdant high-plateau forests, float trips of several 
days duration down the Green River in Desolation Canyon, and 
opportunity for calm water canoe weekends on the White River. The long 
rampart of the Book Cliffs bounds the area on the south, while seldom-
visited uplands, dissected by the rivers and streams, slope away to the 
north into the Uinta Basin. Bighorn sheep, elk, mule deer, bear, and 
cougar all flourish in the back country of the Book Cliffs.
    (b) Designation.--To protect and manage so as to preserve the Book 
Cliffs wilderness areas in accordance with the Wilderness Act (16 
U.S.C. 1131 et seq.), the following lands in the State of Utah are 
designated as wilderness and as components of the National Wilderness 
Preservation System:

  
                                                            Approximate
Name of Wilderness Area
                                                                Acreage
        Desolation Canyon Wilderness:
                Eastern Book Cliffs..................           154,600
                Desolation Canyon....................           527,100
                Turtle Canyon........................            36,900
                White River Wilderness...............             9,700
        Greater Dinosaur Wilderness:
                Bull Canyon..........................               500
                Diamond Breaks.......................             7,800
                Daniels Canyon.......................             5,300
                Moonshine Draw.......................             3,500
                Cold Springs Mountain................             3,400
                Wild Mountain........................               600

                  TITLE II--ADMINISTRATIVE PROVISIONS

SEC. 201. ADMINISTRATION.

    Subject to valid rights in existence on the date of enactment of 
this Act, each wilderness area designated under this Act shall be 
administered by the Secretary in accordance with--
            (1) section 603 of the Federal Land Policy and Management 
        Act of 1976 (43 U.S.C. 1782); and
            (2) the provisions of the Wilderness Act (16 U.S.C. 1131 et 
        seq.) governing areas designated by that Act as wilderness.

SEC. 202. STATE SCHOOL TRUST LANDS WITHIN WILDERNESS AREAS.

    (a) In General.--Subject to subsection (b), if State-owned land is 
included in an area designated by this Act as wilderness, the Secretary 
shall offer to exchange land owned by the United States in the same 
State of approximately equal value.
    (b) Mineral Interests.--The Secretary shall not transfer any 
mineral interests under subsection (a) unless the State transfers to 
the Secretary any mineral interests in land designated by this Act as 
wilderness.

SEC. 203. WATER.

    (a) Reservation.--
            (1) In general.-- With respect to each wilderness area 
        designated by this Act, Congress reserves a quantity of water 
        sufficient for the wilderness area. The priority date of the 
        reserved right shall be the date of enactment of this Act.
            (2) Protection of rights.--The Secretary, and other 
        officers of the United States, shall take any steps necessary 
        to protect the rights reserved by paragraph (1), including the 
        filing of a claim for the quantification of the rights in any 
        present or future appropriate stream adjudication in the courts 
        of the State of Utah in which the United States is or may be 
        joined and that is conducted in accordance with section 208 of 
        the Department of Justice Appropriation Act, 1953 (66 Stat. 
        560, chapter 651).
    (b) Prior Rights Not Affected.--Nothing in this Act relinquishes or 
reduces any water rights reserved or appropriated by the United States 
in the State of Utah on or before the date of enactment of this Act.
    (c) Rule of Construction.--The Federal water rights reserved by 
this Act are specific to the wilderness areas located in the State of 
Utah designated by this Act. Nothing in this Act related to reserved 
Federal water rights shall establish a precedent with regard to any 
future designation of water rights or affect the interpretation of any 
other Act or any designation made under any other Act.
                                 <all>