1.This Act may be cited as
the Beaver Basin Wilderness
Act
.
2.Congress finds that—
(1)since 1981, the National Park Service has
managed the land designated as the Beaver Basin Wilderness by section 4(a) as a
backcountry and wilderness area;
(2)the land designated by section 4(a) as the
Wilderness comprises approximately 16 percent of the area of Pictured Rocks
National Lakeshore;
(3)the decision to propose this portion of the
National Lakeshore as wilderness was made after 5 years of planning, which
involved extensive public involvement and culminated in the approval of a new
general management plan in 2004; and
(4)the fundamental
manner in which the land designated as Wilderness by section 4(a) is managed
for purposes of access, public use, and enjoyment will not change as a result
of this designation.
3.In this Act:
(1)The term line of demarcation means the
point on the bank or shore at which the surface waters of Lake Superior meet
the land or sand beach, regardless of the level of Lake Superior.
(2)The
term map means the map entitled Pictured Rocks National
Lakeshore Beaver Basin Wilderness Boundary
, numbered 625/80,051, and
dated April 16, 2007.
(3)The term National Lakeshore means the
Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore.
(4)The
term Secretary means the Secretary of the Interior.
(5)The
term Wilderness means the Beaver Basin Wilderness designated by
section 4(a).
4.Designation of
Beaver Basin Wilderness
(a)In accordance with the Wilderness Act (16 U.S.C. 1131 et
seq.), the land described in subsection (b) is designated as wilderness and as
a component of the National Wilderness Preservation System, to be known as the
Beaver Basin Wilderness
.
(b)The land referred to in subsection (a) is the land and
inland water comprising approximately 11,740 acres within the National
Lakeshore, as generally depicted on the map.
(c)
(1)The line of demarcation shall be the boundary for any
portion of the Wilderness that is bordered by Lake Superior.
(2)The surface water of Lake Superior, regardless of the
fluctuating lake level, shall be considered to be outside the boundary of the
Wilderness.
(d)Map and legal
description
(1)The map shall be on file and available for public inspection
in the appropriate offices of the National Park Service.
(2)As soon as practicable after the date of enactment of
this Act, the Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Energy and Natural
Resources of the Senate and the Committee on Natural Resources of the House of
Representatives a legal description of the boundary of the Wilderness.
(3)The map and the legal description submitted under
paragraph (2) shall have the same force and effect as if included in this Act,
except that the Secretary may correct any clerical or typographical errors in
the map and legal description.
5.
(a)Subject
to valid existing rights, the Wilderness shall be administered by the Secretary
in accordance with the Wilderness Act (16 U.S.C. 1131 et seq.), except
that—
(1)any reference in
that Act to the effective date of that Act shall be considered to be a
reference to the date of enactment of this Act; and
(2)with respect to
land administered by the Secretary, any reference in that Act to the Secretary
of Agriculture shall be considered to be a reference to the Secretary.
(b)The use of boats powered by electric motors on Little
Beaver and Big Beaver Lakes may continue, subject to any applicable laws
(including regulations).
6.Nothing in this Act—
(1)modifies, alters,
or affects any treaty rights;
(2)alters the
management of the water of Lake Superior within the boundary of the Pictured
Rocks National Lakeshore in existence on the date of enactment of this Act;
and
(3)prohibits—
(A)the use of motors
on the surface water of Lake Superior adjacent to the Wilderness; or
(B)the beaching of
motorboats at the line of demarcation.