[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 822 Introduced in House (IH)]







108th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 822

To enhance ecosystem protection and the range of outdoor opportunities 
    protected by law in the Skykomish River valley of the State of 
  Washington by designating certain lower-elevation Federal lands as 
                  wilderness, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           February 13, 2003

 Mr. Larsen of Washington (for himself, Mr. Dicks, Ms. Dunn, Mr. Smith 
of Washington, Mr. McDermott, Mr. Baird, and Mr. Inslee) introduced the 
    following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To enhance ecosystem protection and the range of outdoor opportunities 
    protected by law in the Skykomish River valley of the State of 
  Washington by designating certain lower-elevation Federal lands 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 ``Wild Sky Wilderness Act of 2003''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND STATEMENT OF POLICY.

    (a) Findings.--Congress finds the following:
            (1) Americans cherish the continued existence of diverse 
        wilderness ecosystems and wildlife found on their Federal lands 
        and share a strong sense of moral responsibility to protect 
        their wilderness heritage as an enduring resource to cherish, 
        protect, and bequeath undisturbed to future generations of 
        Americans.
            (2) The values an area of wilderness offer to this and 
        future generations of Americans are greatly enhanced to the 
        degree that the area is diverse in topography, elevation, life 
        zones and ecosystems, and to the extent that it offers a wide 
        range of outdoor recreational and educational opportunities 
        accessible in all seasons of the year.
            (3) Large blocks of wildlands embracing a wide range of 
        ecosystems and topography, including low-elevation forests, 
        have seldom remained undisturbed due to many decades of 
        development.
            (4) Certain wildlands on the western slope of the Cascade 
        Range in the Skykomish River valley of the State of Washington 
        offer an outstanding representation of the original character 
        of the forested landscape, ranging from high alpine meadows and 
        extremely rugged peaks to low-elevation mature and old-growth 
        forests, including groves with some of the largest and most 
        spectacular trees in Washington, with diameters of eight feet 
        and larger.
            (5) These diverse, thickly forested mountain slopes and 
        valleys of mature and old-growth trees in the Skykomish River 
        valley harbor nearly the full complement of the original 
        wildlife and fish species found by settlers of the 19th 
        century, including mountain goats, bald eagles, black bear, 
        pine marten, black-tailed deer, as well as rare and endangered 
        wildlife such as northern spotted owls and goshawks, Chinook 
        and Coho salmon, and steelhead and bull trout.
            (6) An ecologically and topographically diverse wilderness 
        area in the Skykomish River valley accessible in all seasons of 
        the year will be enjoyable to users of various kinds, such as 
        hikers, horse riders, hunters, anglers, and educational groups, 
        but also to the many who cherish clean water and clean air, 
        fish and wildlife (including endangered species such as wild 
        salmon), and pristine mountain and riverside scenery.
    (b) Statement of Policy.--Congress hereby declares that it is the 
policy of the United States--
            (1) to better serve the diverse wilderness and 
        environmental education needs of the people of the State of 
        Washington and its burgeoning metropolitan regions by granting 
        wilderness protection to certain lower elevation wildlands in 
        the Skykomish River valley of the State of Washington; and
            (2) to protect additional lands adjacent to the Henry M. 
        Jackson Wilderness designated by section 3(8) of the Washington 
        State Wilderness Act of 1984 (Public Law 98-339; 98 Stat. 300), 
        in further tribute to the ecologically enlightened vision of 
        the distinguished Senator from the State of Washington and 
        former Chairman of the Committee on Energy and Natural 
        Resources of the Senate.

SEC. 3. ADDITION TO NATIONAL WILDERNESS PRESERVATION SYSTEM, STATE OF 
              WASHINGTON.

    (a) Wild Sky Wilderness.--Certain Federal lands in the State of 
Washington comprising approximately 106,000 acres, as generally 
depicted on the map entitled ``Wild Sky Wilderness Proposal, Map #1'' 
and dated January 7, 2003, are hereby designated as wilderness and, 
therefore, as a component of the National Wilderness Preservation 
System. The Federal lands designated as wilderness by this subsection 
shall be known as the Wild Sky Wilderness.
    (b) Maps and Legal Descriptions.--As soon as practicable after the 
date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Agriculture shall file 
a map and a legal description for the Wild Sky Wilderness with the 
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources of the Senate and the 
Committee on Resources of the House of Representatives. The map and 
description shall have the same force and effect as if included in this 
Act, except that the Secretary of Agriculture may correct clerical and 
typographical errors in the legal description and map. 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.--Subject to valid existing rights, the 
Secretary of Agriculture shall manage the Wild Sky Wilderness in 
accordance with the Wilderness Act (16 U.S.C. 1131 et seq.) and this 
Act, except that, with respect to the Wild Sky Wilderness, any 
reference in the Wilderness Act to the effective date of the Wilderness 
Act shall be deemed to be a reference to the date of enactment of this 
Act. To fulfill the purposes of this Act and the Wilderness Act and to 
achieve administrative efficiencies, the Secretary may manage the Wild 
Sky Wilderness as  a comprehensive part of the larger complex of 
adjacent and nearby wilderness areas.
    (d) New Trails.--
            (1) Trail plan.--The Secretary of Agriculture shall 
        establish, in consultation with interested parties, a trail 
        plan for National Forest System lands described in this 
        paragraph in order to develop the following:
                    (A) A system of hiking and equestrian trails within 
                the Wild Sky Wilderness in a manner consistent with the 
                Wilderness Act (16 U.S.C. 1131 et seq.).
                    (B) A system of trails adjacent to or to provide 
                access to the Wild Sky Wilderness.
            (2) Implementation report.--Within two years after the date 
        of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Agriculture shall 
        submit to Congress a report on the implementation of the trail 
        plan established under paragraph (1). The report shall include 
        the identification of priority trails for development.
    (e) Maintenance and Use of Certain Structures.--
            (1) Repeater site.--Within the Wild Sky Wilderness, the 
        Secretary of Agriculture is authorized to use helicopter access 
        to construct and maintain a joint Forest Service and Snohomish 
        County repeater site, in compliance with a Forest Service 
        approved communications site plan, for the purposes of 
        improving communication for safety, health, and emergency 
        services.
            (2) Evergreen mountain lookout.--The designation of the 
        Wild Sky Wilderness shall not preclude the operation and 
        maintenance of the Evergreen Mountain Lookout, in the same 
        manner and degree in which the operation and maintenance of the 
        lookout was occurring as of the date of enactment of this Act.
    (f) Access.--
            (1) Private inholdings.--Consistent with section 5(a) of 
        the Wilderness Act (16 U.S.C. 1134(a)), the Secretary of 
        Agriculture shall assure adequate access to private inholdings 
        in the Wild Sky Wilderness.
            (2) Float plane access.--As provided by section 4(d)(1) of 
        the Wilderness Act (16 U.S.C. 1133(d)(1)), the use of 
        floatplanes on Lake Isabel in the Wild Sky Wilderness, where 
        such use was established before the date of enactment of this 
        Act, shall be permitted to continue subject to such reasonable 
        restrictions as the Secretary of Agriculture determines 
        desirable.
    (g) Land Acquisition Authority.--
            (1) In general.--The Secretary of Agriculture may acquire 
        lands and interests therein in the Wild Sky Wilderness by 
        purchase, donation, or exchange. The Secretary shall give 
        priority consideration to the acquisition of those lands 
        identified as Priority Acquisition Lands on the map described 
        in subsection (a).
            (2) Appraisal.--Valuation of private lands shall be 
        determined without reference to any restrictions on access or 
        use that arise out of designation of the Wild Sky Wilderness.
            (3) Boundary adjustment.--The boundaries of the Mt. Baker-
        Snoqualmie National Forests and the Wild Sky Wilderness shall 
        be adjusted to reflect any land acquisitions or exchanges 
        conducted under this subsection.

SEC. 4. LAND EXCHANGES, CHELAN COUNTY PUBLIC UTILITY DISTRICT, 
              WASHINGTON.

    (a) Land Exchanges Required.--In accordance with this section, the 
Secretary of Agriculture shall carry out a land exchange with the 
Chelan County Public Utility District in the State of Washington to 
exchange lands and interests in lands, as generally depicted on the map 
entitled ``Chelan County Public Utility District Exchange'' and dated 
May 22, 2002.
    (b) Acceptance of Lands.--If, within 90 days after the date of 
enactment of this Act, the Chelan County Public Utility District offers 
to the Secretary of Agriculture approximately 371.8 acres of lands held 
by the Utility District in the Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forests in 
the State of Washington, the Secretary shall accept such lands if the 
title is acceptable to the Secretary and there is no hazardous material 
on such lands, which is objectionable to the Secretary.
    (c) Conveyance of Easement.--Upon acceptance of title by the 
Secretary of Agriculture under subsection (b), the Secretary shall 
convey to the Chelan County Public Utility District a permanent 
easement, including helicopter access, consistent with such levels as 
used as of the date of enactment of this Act, to maintain an existing 
snowtel site on 1.82 acres of Federal land in the Wenatchee National 
Forest in the State of Washington.
    (d) Reversion.--As a condition on the conveyance under subsection 
(c), the Chelan County Public Utility District shall notify the 
Secretary of Agriculture if the Utility District determines that there 
is no longer a need to maintain a snowtel site on the lands subject to 
the easement conveyed under subsection (c) to monitor the snow pack for 
calculating expected runoff into the Lake Chelan hydroelectric project 
and the hydroelectric projects in the Columbia River Basin. Upon 
receipt of such notice, the easement shall be extinguished and all 
rights conveyed under such subsection shall revert to the United 
States.
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