[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 104 (Tuesday, July 22, 1997)]
[Senate]
[Pages S7865-S7866]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. SMITH of Oregon:
  S. 1049. A bill to require the Secretary of Agriculture to make a 
minor adjustment in the exterior boundary of the Hells Canyon 
Wilderness in the States of Oregon and Idaho to exclude an established 
Forest Service road inadvertently included in the wilderness; to the 
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.


           HELLS CANYON NATIONAL RECREATION AREA LEGISLATION

  Mr. SMITH of Oregon. Mr. President, today I introduce a bill that 
corrects a Forest Service mapping error on the border of the Hells 
Canyon National Recreation Area [HCNRA], in northeast Oregon, that has 
led to the closure of an important access road. The bill will restore 
public access to Hells Canyon, while preserving additional wilderness 
acreage for the enjoyment of generations to come.
  In 1975, Congress created the Hells Canyon National Recreation Area 
which includes the Wilderness Area and overlooks the Snake River and 
the Oregon-Idaho border. Along the western

[[Page S7866]]

rim of Hells Canyon lies Forest Service Road 3965. The 1975 act 
directed the development of a comprehensive management plan for the 
HCNRA and specifically addressed the need to analyze road access on the 
western rim of the canyon. The 1982 Comprehensive Management Plan, 
developed with extensive public participation, provided for continued 
motor vehicle use of Road 3965 for recreation and fire prevention 
purposes. The road existed prior to the HCNRA designation, but upon the 
discovery that the road crossed into the designated wilderness area, 
the road was closed.
  The Forest Service inadvertently erred in its location of the 
wilderness boundary in question. This legislation will, therefore, 
adjust the wilderness boundary to bring it in line with what Congress 
intended when the wilderness was established. This correction will 
actually increase wilderness acreage.
  For decades, Oregon residents have traveled this service road to 
experience the natural beauty of Hells Canyon. The recreation area is 
an important part of our heritage, and public access to it is vital. I 
look forward to the Forest Service managing the road with continued 
sensitivity to all cultural, environmental, and economic impacts.
  Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that this legislation be 
printed in the Record.
  There being no objection, the bill was ordered to be printed in the 
Record, as follows:

                                S. 1049

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

     SECTION 1. BOUNDARY ADJUSTMENT, HELLS CANYON WILDERNESS, 
                   HELLS CANYON NATIONAL RECREATION AREA.

       The Secretary of Agriculture shall revise the map and 
     detailed boundary description of the Hells Canyon Wilderness 
     designated by section 2 of Public Law 94-199 (16 U.S.C. 
     460gg-1) to exclude Forest Service Road 3965 from the 
     wilderness area so that the road may continue to be used by 
     motorized vehicles to its historical terminus at Squirrel 
     Prairie, as was the original intent of the Congress. The road 
     shall continue to be included in the Hells Canyon National 
     Recreation Area also established by such Act.
                                 ______