[Congressional Bills 106th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2941 Engrossed in House (EH)]


  2d Session

                               H. R. 2941

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 AN ACT

 To establish the Las Cienegas National Conservation Area in the State 
                              of Arizona.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
106th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 2941

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 AN ACT


 
 To establish the Las Cienegas National Conservation Area in the State 
                              of Arizona.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. DEFINITIONS.

    For the purposes of this Act, the following definitions apply:
            (1) Conservation area.--The term ``Conservation Area'' 
        means the Las Cienegas National Conservation Area established 
        by section 4(a).
            (2) Acquisition planning district.--The term ``Acquisition 
        Planning District'' means the Sonoita Valley Acquisition 
        Planning District established by section 2(a).
            (3) Management plan.--The term ``management plan'' means 
        the management plan for the Conservation Area.
            (4) Public lands.--The term ``public lands'' has the 
        meaning given the term in section 103(e) of the Federal Land 
        Policy and Management Act of 1976 (43 U.S.C. 1702(e)), except 
        that such term shall not include interest in lands not owned by 
        the United States.
            (5) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
        of the Interior.

SEC. 2. ESTABLISHMENT OF THE SONOITA VALLEY ACQUISITION PLANNING 
              DISTRICT.

    (a) In General.--In order to provide for future acquisitions of 
important conservation land within the Sonoita Valley region of the 
State of Arizona, there is hereby established the Sonoita Valley 
Acquisition Planning District.
    (b) Areas Included.--The Acquisition Planning District shall 
consist of approximately 142,800 acres of land in the Arizona counties 
of Pima and Santa Cruz, including the Conservation Area, as generally 
depicted on the map entitled ``Sonoita Valley Acquisition Planning 
District and Las Cienegas National Conservation Area'' and dated 
October 2, 2000.
    (c) Map and Legal Description.--As soon as practicable after the 
date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit to 
Congress a map and legal description of the Acquisition Planning 
District. In case of a conflict between the map referred to in 
subsection (b) and the map and legal description submitted by the 
Secretary, the map referred to in subsection (b) shall control. The map 
and legal description shall have the same force and effect as if 
included in this Act, except that the Secretary may correct clerical 
and typographical errors in such map and legal description. Copies of 
the map and legal description shall be on file and available for public 
inspection in the Office of the Director of the Bureau of Land 
Management, and in the appropriate office of the Bureau of Land 
Management in Arizona.

SEC. 3. PURPOSES OF THE ACQUISITION PLANNING DISTRICT.

    (a) In General.--The Secretary shall negotiate with land owners for 
the acquisition of lands and interest in lands suitable for 
Conservation Area expansion that meet the purposes described in section 
4(a). The Secretary shall only acquire property under this Act pursuant 
to section 7.
    (b) Federal Lands.--The Secretary, through the Bureau of Land 
Management, shall administer the public lands within the Acquisition 
Planning District pursuant to this Act and the applicable provisions of 
the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 (43 U.S.C. 1701 et 
seq.), subject to valid existing rights, and in accordance with the 
management plan. Such public lands shall become part of the 
Conservation Area when they become contiguous with the Conservation 
Area.
    (c) Fish and Wildlife.--Nothing in this Act shall be construed as 
affecting the jurisdiction or responsibilities of the State of Arizona 
with respect to fish and wildlife within the Acquisition Planning 
District.
    (d) Protection of State and Private Lands and Interests.--Nothing 
in this Act shall be construed as affecting any property rights or 
management authority with regard to any lands or interest in lands held 
by the State of Arizona, any political subdivision of the State of 
Arizona, or any private property rights within the boundaries of the 
Acquisition Planning District.
    (e) Public Lands.--Nothing in this Act shall be construed as in any 
way diminishing the Secretary's or the Bureau of Land Management's 
authorities, rights, or responsibilities for managing the public lands 
within the Acquisition Planning District.
    (f) Coordinated Management.--The Secretary shall coordinate the 
management of the public lands within the Acquisition Planning District 
with that of surrounding county, State, and private lands consistent 
with the provisions of subsection (d).

SEC. 4. ESTABLISHMENT OF THE LAS CIENEGAS NATIONAL CONSERVATION AREA.

    (a) In General.--In order to conserve, protect, and enhance for the 
benefit and enjoyment of present and future generations the unique and 
nationally important aquatic, wildlife, vegetative, archaeological, 
paleontological, scientific, cave, cultural, historical, recreational, 
educational, scenic, rangeland, and riparian resources and values of 
the public lands described in subsection (b) while allowing livestock 
grazing and recreation to continue in appropriate areas, there is 
hereby established the Las Cienegas National Conservation Area in the 
State of Arizona.
    (b) Areas Included.--The Conservation Area shall consist of 
approximately 42,000 acres of public lands in the Arizona counties of 
Pima and Santa Cruz, as generally depicted on the map entitled 
``Sonoita Valley Acquisition Planning District and Las Cienegas 
National Conservation Area'' and dated October 2, 2000.
    (c) Maps and Legal Description.--As soon as practicable after the 
date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit to 
Congress a map and legal description of the Conservation Area. In case 
of a conflict between the map referred to in subsection (b) and the map 
and legal description submitted by the Secretary, the map referred to 
in subsection (b) shall control. The map and legal description shall 
have the same force and effect as if included in this Act, except that 
the Secretary may correct clerical and typographical errors in such map 
and legal description. Copies of the map and legal description shall be 
on file and available for public inspection in the Office of the 
Director of the Bureau of Land Management, and in the appropriate 
office of the Bureau of Land Management in Arizona.
    (d) Forest Lands.--Any lands included in the Coronado National 
Forest that are located within the boundaries of the Conservation Area 
shall be considered to be a part of the Conservation Area. The 
Secretary of Agriculture shall revise the boundaries of the Coronado 
National Forest to reflect the exclusion of such lands from the 
Coronado National Forest.

SEC. 5. MANAGEMENT OF THE LAS CIENEGAS NATIONAL CONSERVATION AREA.

    (a) In General.--The Secretary shall manage the Conservation Area 
in a manner that conserves, protects, and enhances its resources and 
values, including the resources and values specified in section 4(a), 
pursuant to the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 (43 
U.S.C. 1701 et seq.) and other applicable law, including this Act.
    (b) Uses.--The Secretary shall allow only such uses of the 
Conservation Area as the Secretary finds will further the purposes for 
which the Conservation Area is established as set forth in section 
4(a).
    (c) Grazing.--The Secretary of the Interior shall permit grazing 
subject to all applicable laws, regulations, and Executive Orders 
consistent with the purposes of this Act.
    (d) Motorized Vehicles.--Except where needed for administrative 
purposes or to respond to an emergency, use of motorized vehicles on 
public lands in the Conservation Area shall be allowed only--
            (1) before the effective date of a management plan prepared 
        pursuant to section 6, on roads and trails designated for use 
        of motorized vehicles in the management plan that applies on 
        the date of the enactment of this Act; and
            (2) after the effective date of a management plan prepared 
        pursuant to section 6, on roads and trails designated for use 
        of motor vehicles in that management plan.
    (e) Military Airspace.--Prior to the date of the enactment of this 
Act the Federal Aviation Administration approved restricted military 
airspace (Areas 2303A and 2303B) which covers portions of the 
Conservation Area. Designation of the Conservation Area shall not 
impact or impose any altitude, flight, or other airspace restrictions 
on current or future military operations or missions. Should the 
military require additional or modified airspace in the future, the 
Congress does not intend for the designation of the Conservation Area 
to impede the military from petitioning the Federal Aviation 
Administration to change or expand existing restricted military 
airspace.
    (f) Access to State and Private Lands.--Nothing in this Act shall 
affect valid existing rights-of-way within the Conservation Area. The 
Secretary shall provide reasonable access to nonfederally owned lands 
or interest in lands within the boundaries of the Conservation Area.
    (g) Hunting.--Hunting shall be allowed within the Conservation Area 
in accordance with applicable laws and regulations of the United States 
and the State of Arizona, except that the Secretary, after consultation 
with the Arizona State wildlife management agency, may issue 
regulations designating zones where and establishing periods when no 
hunting shall be permitted for reasons of public safety, 
administration, or public use and enjoyment.
    (h) Preventative Measures.--Nothing in this Act shall preclude such 
measures as the Secretary determines necessary to prevent devastating 
fire or infestation of insects or disease within the Conservation Area.
    (i) No Buffer Zones.--The establishment of the Conservation Area 
shall not lead to the creation of protective perimeters or buffer zones 
around the Conservation Area. The fact that there may be activities or 
uses on lands outside the Conservation Area that would not be permitted 
in the Conservation Area shall not preclude such activities or uses on 
such lands up to the boundary of the Conservation Area consistent with 
other applicable laws.
    (j) Withdrawals.--Subject to valid existing rights all Federal 
lands within the Conservation Area and all lands and interest therein 
which are hereafter acquired by the United States are hereby withdrawn 
from all forms of entry, appropriation, or disposal under the public 
land laws and from location, entry, and patent under the mining laws, 
and from operation of the mineral leasing and geothermal leasing laws 
and all amendments thereto.

SEC. 6. MANAGEMENT PLAN.

    (a) Plan Required.--Not later than 2 years after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, the Secretary, through the Bureau of Land 
Management, shall develop and begin to implement a comprehensive 
management plan for the long-term management of the public lands within 
the Conservation Area in order to fulfill the purposes for which it is 
established, as set forth in section 4(a). Consistent with the 
provisions of this Act, the management plan shall be developed--
            (1) in consultation with appropriate departments of the 
        State of Arizona, including wildlife and land management 
        agencies, with full public participation;
            (2) from the draft Empire-Cienega Ecosystem Management 
        Plan/EIS, dated October 2000, as it applies to Federal lands or 
        lands with conservation easements; and
            (3) in accordance with the resource goals and objectives 
        developed through the Sonoita Valley Planning Partnership 
        process as incorporated in the draft Empire-Cienega Ecosystem 
        Management Plan/EIS, dated October 2000, giving full 
        consideration to the management alternative preferred by the 
        Sonoita Valley Planning Partnership, as it applies to Federal 
        lands or lands with conservation easements.
    (b) Contents.--The management plan shall include--
            (1) provisions designed to ensure the protection of the 
        resources and values described in section 4(a);
            (2) an implementation plan for a continuing program of 
        interpretation and public education about the resources and 
        values of the Conservation Area;
            (3) a proposal for minimal administrative and public 
        facilities to be developed or improved at a level compatible 
        with achieving the resource objectives for the Conservation 
        Area and with the other proposed management activities to 
        accommodate visitors to the Conservation Area;
            (4) cultural resources management strategies for the 
        Conservation Area, prepared in consultation with appropriate 
        departments of the State of Arizona, with emphasis on the 
        preservation of the resources of the Conservation Area and the 
        interpretive, educational, and long-term scientific uses of 
        these resources, giving priority to the enforcement of the 
        Archaeological Resources Protection Act of 1979 (16 U.S.C. 
        470aa et seq.) and the National Historic Preservation Act (16 
        U.S.C. 470 et seq.) within the Conservation Area;
            (5) wildlife management strategies for the Conservation 
        Area, prepared in consultation with appropriate departments of 
        the State of Arizona and using previous studies of the 
        Conservation Area;
            (6) production livestock grazing management strategies, 
        prepared in consultation with appropriate departments of the 
        State of Arizona;
            (7) provisions designed to ensure the protection of 
        environmentally sustainable livestock use on appropriate lands 
        within the Conservation Area;
            (8) recreation management strategies, including motorized 
        and nonmotorized dispersed recreation opportunities for the 
        Conservation Area, prepared in consultation with appropriate 
        departments of the State of Arizona;
            (9) cave resources management strategies prepared in 
        compliance with the goals and objectives of the Federal Cave 
        Resources Protection Act of 1988 (16 U.S.C. 4301 et seq.); and
            (10) provisions designed to ensure that if a road or trail 
        located on public lands within the Conservation Area, or any 
        portion of such a road or trail, is removed, consideration 
        shall be given to providing similar alternative access to the 
        portion of the Conservation Area serviced by such removed road 
        or trail.-
    (c) Cooperative Agreements.--In order to better implement the 
management plan, the Secretary may enter into cooperative agreements 
with appropriate Federal, State, and local agencies pursuant to section 
307(b) of the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 (43 U.S.C. 
1737(b)).
    (d) Research Activities.--In order to assist in the development and 
implementation of the management plan, the Secretary may authorize 
appropriate research, including research concerning the environmental, 
biological, hydrological, cultural, agricultural, recreational, and 
other characteristics, resources, and values of the Conservation Area, 
pursuant to section 307(a) of the Federal Land Policy and Management 
Act of 1976 (43 U.S.C. 1737(a)).

SEC. 7. LAND ACQUISITION.

    (a) In General.--
            (1) Priority to conservation easements.--In acquiring lands 
        or interest in lands under this section, the Secretary shall 
        give priority to such acquisitions in the form of conservation 
        easements.
            (2) Private lands.--The Secretary is authorized to acquire 
        privately held lands or interest in lands within the boundaries 
        of the Acquisition Planning District only from a willing seller 
        through donation, exchange, or purchase.
            (3) County lands.--The Secretary is authorized to acquire 
        county lands or interest in lands within the boundaries of the 
        Acquisition Planning District only with the consent of the 
        county through donation, exchange, or purchase.
            (4) State lands.--
                    (A) In general.--The Secretary is authorized to 
                acquire lands or interest in lands owned by the State 
                of Arizona located within the boundaries of the 
                Acquisition Planning District only with the consent of 
                the State and in accordance with State law, by 
                donation, exchange, or purchase.
                    (B) Consideration.--As consideration for the 
                acquisitions by the United States of lands or interest 
                in lands under this paragraph, the Secretary shall pay 
                fair market value for such lands or shall convey to the 
                State of Arizona all or some interest in Federal lands 
                (including buildings and other improvements on such 
                lands or other Federal property other than real 
                property) or any other asset of equal value within the 
                State of Arizona.
                    (C) Transfer of jurisdiction.--All Federal agencies 
                are authorized to transfer jurisdiction of Federal 
                lands or interest in lands (including buildings and 
                other improvements on such lands or other Federal 
                property other than real property) or any other asset 
                within the State of Arizona to the Bureau of Land 
                Management for the purpose of acquiring lands or 
                interest in lands as provided for in this paragraph.
    (b) Management of Acquired Lands.--Lands acquired under this 
section shall, upon acquisition, become part of the Conservation Area 
and shall be administered as part of the Conservation Area. These lands 
shall be managed in accordance with this Act, other applicable laws, 
and the management plan.

SEC. 8. REPORTS TO CONGRESS.

    (a) Protection of Certain Lands.--Not later than 2 years after the 
date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit to 
Congress a report describing the most effective measures to protect the 
lands north of the Acquisition Planning District within the Rincon 
Valley, Colossal Cave area, and Agua Verde Creek corridor north of 
Interstate 10 to provide an ecological link to Saguaro National Park 
and the Rincon Mountains and contribute to local government 
conservation priorities.
    (b) Implementation of This Act.--Not later than 5 years after the 
date of the enactment of this Act, and at least at the end of every 10-
year period thereafter, the Secretary shall submit to Congress a report 
describing the implementation of this Act, the condition of the 
resources and values of the Conservation Area, and the progress of the 
Secretary in achieving the purposes for which the Conservation Area is 
established as set forth in section 4(a).

            Passed the House of Representatives October 5, 2000.

            Attest:

                                                                 Clerk.