[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 103 (Tuesday, July 26, 2005)]
[Senate]
[Pages S9031-S9032]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    WILD SKY WILDERNESS ACT OF 2005

  The Senate proceeded to consider the bill (S. 152) 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, which had been reported from the Committee on 
Energy and Natural Resources with amendments, as follows:
  [Strike the parts shown in black bracket and insert the parts shown 
in italic.]

                                 S. 152

       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 
     2005''.

     SEC. 2. 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.] 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. 3. 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:] 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 trails 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] trails 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

[[Page S9032]]

     and Snohomish County telecommunications 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 to be 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. 4. 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 2(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 ensure 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. 5. 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] 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 telemetry site to 
     monitor snow pack 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 telemetry 
     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.
  The committee amendments were agreed to.
  The bill (S. 152), as amended, was read the third time and passed, as 
follows:

                                 S. 152

       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 
     2005''.

     SEC. 2. 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 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.

     SEC. 3. 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 (16 U.S.C. 1131 et seq.); and
       (B) a system of trails 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 telecommunications 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 to be 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. 4. 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 2(a). 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 16 U.S.C. 1134(a)), the Secretary of Agriculture shall 
     ensure 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. 5. 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 telemetry site to 
     monitor snow pack 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 telemetry 
     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.


     

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