[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 391 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







108th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                 S. 391

To enhance ecosystem protection and the range of outdoor opportunities 
  protected by statute 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 SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           February 13, 2003

  Mrs. Murray (for herself and Ms. Cantwell) introduced the following 
bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and 
                           Natural Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To enhance ecosystem protection and the range of outdoor opportunities 
  protected by statute 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 follwing:
            (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 of 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 the Washington Wilderness Act 
        of 1984 (Public Law 98-339), in further tribute to the 
        ecologically enlightened vision of the distinguished Senator 
        from the State of Washington and former Chairman of the Senate 
        Committee on Energy and Natural Resources (formerly the Senate 
        Interior and Insular Affairs Committee).

SEC. 3. ADDITIONS TO THE NATIONAL WILDERNESS PRESERVATION SYSTEM.

    (a) Additions.--The following Federal lands in the State of 
Washington are hereby designated as wilderness and, therefore, as 
components of the National Wilderness Preservation System: certain 
lands which comprise approximately 106,000 acres, as generally depicted 
on a map entitled ``Wild Sky Wilderness Proposal'', ``Map #1'', and 
dated January 7, 2003, which 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 wilderness area designated under 
this Act with the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources of the 
United States Senate and the Committee on Resources of the United 
States 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.

SEC. 4. ADMINISTRATION PROVISIONS.

    (a) In General.--
            (1) Subject to valid existing rights, lands designated as 
        wilderness by this Act shall be managed by the Secretary of 
        Agriculture in accordance with the Wilderness Act (16 U.S.C. 
        1131 et seq.) and this Act, except that, with respect to any 
        wilderness areas designated by this Act, 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.
            (2) To fulfill the purposes of this Act and the Wilderness 
        Act and to achieve administrative efficiencies, the Secretary 
        of Agriculture may manage the area designated by this Act as a 
        comprehensive part of the larger complex of adjacent and nearby 
        wilderness areas.
    (b) New Trails.--
            (1) The Secretary of Agriculture shall consult with 
        interested parties and shall establish a trail plan for Forest 
        Service lands in order to develop:
                    (a) a system of hiking and equestrian trails within 
                the wilderness designated by this Act in a manner 
                consistent with the Wilderness Act, Public Law 88-577 
                (16 U.S.C. 1131 et seq.); and
                    (b) a system of trail adjacent to or to provide 
                access to the wilderness designated by this Act.
            (2) Within two years after the date of enactment of this 
        Act, the Secretary of Agriculture shall complete a report on 
        the implementation of the trail plan required under this Act. 
        This report shall include the identification of priority trail 
        for development.
    (c) 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 communications for safety, health, and 
emergency services.
    (d) 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, where such use has already become established, shall be 
permitted to continue subject to such reasonable restrictions as the 
Secretary of Agriculture determines desirable.
    (e) Evergreen Mountain Lookout.--The designation under this Act 
shall not preclude the operation and maintenance of the existing 
Evergreen Mountain Lookout in the same manner and degree in which the 
operation and maintenance of such lookout was occurring as of the date 
of enactment of this Act.

SEC. 5. AUTHORIZATION FOR LAND ACQUISITION.

    (a) In General.--The Secretary of Agriculture is authorized to 
acquire lands and interests therein, by purchase, donation, or 
exchange, and shall give priority consideration to those lands 
identified as ``Priority Acquisition Lands'' on the map described in 
section 3(a)(1). The boundaries of the Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National 
Forest and the Wild Sky Wilderness shall be adjusted to encompass any 
lands acquired pursuant to this section.
    (b) Access.--Consistent with section 5(a) of the Wilderness Act 
(Public Law 88-577; 16 U.S.C. 1134(a)), the Secretary of Agriculture 
shall assure adequate access to private inholdings within the Wild Sky 
Wilderness.
    (c) Appraisal.--Valuation of private lands shall be determined 
without reference to any restrictions on access or use which arise out 
of designation as a wilderness area as a result of this Act.

SEC. 6. LAND EXCHANGES.

    The Secretary of Agriculture shall exchange lands and interests in 
lands, as generally depicted on a map entitled Chelan County Public 
Utility District Exchange and dated May 22, 2002, with the Chelan 
County Public Utility District in accordance with the following 
provisions:
            (1) If the Chelan County Public Utility District, within 
        ninety days after the date of enactment of this Act, offers to 
        the Secretary of Agriculture approximately 371.8 acres within 
        the Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest in the State of 
        Washington, the Secretary shall accept such lands.
            (2) Upon acceptance of title by the Secretary of 
        Agriculture to such lands and interests therein, the Secretary 
        of Agriculture shall convey to the Chelan County Public Utility 
        District a permanent easement, including helicopter access, 
        consistent with such levels as used as of date of enactment, to 
        maintain an existing snowtel site on 1.82 acres on the 
        Wenatchee National Forest in the State of Washington.
            (3) The exchange directed by this Act shall be consummated 
        if Chelan County Public Utility District conveys title 
        acceptable to the Secretary and provided there is no hazardous 
        material on the site, which is objectionable to the Secretary.
            (4) In the event Chelan County Public Utility District 
        determines there is no longer a need to maintain a snowtel site 
        to monitor the snow pack for calculating expected runoff into 
        the Lake Chelan hydroelectric project and the hydroelectric 
        projects in the Columbia River Basin, the secretary shall be 
        notified in writing and the easement shall be extinguished and 
        all rights conveyed by this exchange shall revert to the United 
        States.
                                 <all>