STATEMENT OF THE MANAGERS ON THE PART OF THE HOUSE The managers on the part of the House at the conference on the disagreeing votes of the two Houses on the amendments of the Senate to the bill (H.R. 13781) to amend title II of the Marine Resources and Engineering Development Act of 1966, submit the following statement in explanation of the effect of the action agreed upon by the conferees and recommended in the accompanying conference report: Amendment No. 1: This amendment increases the authorization for the sea grant colleges and programs for the fiscal year 1969 from the $6,000,000 provided in the House bill to $15,000,000. The Senate recedes. Amendment No. 2: This amendment increases the authorization for the sea grant colleges and programs for the fiscal year 1970 from the $8,000,000 provided in the House bill to $15,000,000. The House recedes. ALTON LENNON, Managers on the Part of the House. (2) о DESIGNATING THE MOUNT JEFFERSON WILDERNESS, WILLAMETTE, DESCHUTES, AND MOUNT HOOD NATIONAL FORESTS, IN THE STATE OF OREGON AUGUST 1, 1968.-Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the State of the Union and ordered to be printed Mr. BARING, from the Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs, submitted the following REPORT [To accompany H.R. 13512] The Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs, to whom was referred the bill (H.R. 13512) to designate the Mount Jefferson Wilderness, Willamette, Deschutes, and Mount Hood National Forests, in the State of Oregon, having considered the same, report favorably thereon with amendments and recommends that the bill do pass. The amendments are as follows: Page 1, line 8, after "dated" strike out "August 1967," and insert "July 1968,". Page 2, line 3, after "approximately" strike out "ninety-seven thousand" and insert "one hundred thousand". Page 2, lines 7 and 8, strike out "Interior and Insular Affairs Committees" and insert "Committees on Interior and Insular Affairs". PURPOSE H.R. 13512, introduced by Congressman Ullman, would designate certain land located in the Willamette, Deschutes, and Mount Hood National Forests, in Jefferson, Linn, and Marion Counties, Oreg., as the "Mount Jefferson Wilderness." This proposed addition to the national wilderness preservation system was recommended by the President, as provided in the act of September 3, 1964. That act, which initiated the system by covering 9.1 million acres of land into it, also provided that after review other suitable Federal areas could be added to it. NEED The proposed Mount Jefferson Wilderness area is located in the Cascade Range of Oregon and is approximately 60 miles southeast of Salem. It extends for about 25 miles northerly and southerly along the crest of the Cascade Range and varies in width from 3 to 10 miles. U.S. Highway 20 and State Highway 22 give access to near the boundaries of the proposed wilderness. The central Cascade Range of Oregon is characterized by volcanic peaks, glaciers, alpine meadows, conifer forests, and mountain lakes. The proposed Mount Jefferson Wilderness area displays outstanding examples of this type of scenery. It contains two volcanic cones, Mount Jefferson and Three Fingered Jack; it has nearly 150 lakes and 160 miles of hiking and riding trails. There are five major glaciers on Mount Jefferson. This peak rises to an elevation of 10,497 feet and is the second highest mountain in Oregon. There are opportunities for skiing, mountain climbing, hiking, fishing, and camping throughout the area. Vegetation consists chiefly of conifer forests with small scattered meadows. It is estimated that about 60 percent of the area is productive forest land with an estimated volume of 1.3 billion board feet of commercial timber. The timber potential on the lower elevation is good but decreases in value at the higher elevations. While the bulk of the 1.3 billion board feet of timber is considered to be an operable timber resource, it has not heretofore been considered in the calculation of the allowable cut because it has been within the administratively designated "Mount Jefferson Primitive Area." Thus, the designation of this area as wilderness will not substantially alter the present allowable cut for the three national forests involved. There is no history of mineral development within the area, and the recent mineral survey of the area by the Department of the Interior assigns a low mineral potential to this area. Cattle and sheep have not been permitted to graze within the area proposed for wilderness for several years so there will be no disruption of established grazing patterns. There are no existing reservoirs, power projects, transmission lines, or other water development facilities within the area, and no plans exist for the installation of such projects. The Federal Power Commission's current inventory of hydroelectric power projects indicates there is one potential project within the area, but there are no current plans for its utilization. The proposed wilderness area, as recommended by the President, would have consisted of 96,462 acres of national forest land, of which 81,761 acres were within the Mount Jefferson Primitive Area. The amendment adopted by the committee adds two additional areas and increases the acreage by approximately 3,170 acres. Under H.R. 13516, as amended, therefore, the total area of the Mount Jefferson Wilderness will be 99,632 acres. COMMITTEE AMENDMENTS The committee adopted and recommends to the House a boundary adjustment which, as just stated, would add two new tracts totaling 3,170 acres to the proposed Mount Jefferson Wilderness. The first tract, consisting of the Marion Lake area, contains approximately 1,970 acres. The second area, the Square Lake-Long Lake area, adds about 1,200 acres to the wilderness proposal. These two areas contain features deserving wildnerness preservation. Neither of the added areas contain sufficient merchantable timber to change the allowable cut significantly. COST No additional budgetary expenditures are involved in the enactment of H.R. 13512. COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION The Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs recommends that H.R. 13512, as amended, be enacted. EXECUTIVE COMMUNICATION AND DEPARTMENTAL REPORT The communication from the President, dated October 6, 1967, together with the report from the Secretary of Agriculture, dated August 11, 1967, follow: Hon. JOHN W. MCCORMACK, Speaker of the House of Representatives, THE WHITE HOUSE, Washington, October 6, 1967. DEAR MR. SPEAKER: Just 60 miles from the Los Angeles metropolitan area lies a wilderness of rocky cliffs and deep canyons inhabited only by rare California condors, deer, and other wildlife. Just last Feburary I asked the Congress to declare this area-the San Rafael Wilderness a part of the national wilderness preservation system, both for the enjoyment of our own and future generations and as a symbol of man's respect for nature's work. The Wilderness Act of 1964 gives us the authority to preserve this region and others like it. When I signed that act in September 1964, I noted that it was a major conservation measure which would preserve millions of "acres of this vast continent in their original and unchanging beauty and wonder." I now propose that three additional areas-in California, Oregon, and Wyoming-also be proclaimed wilderness areas. This action will not cost the American taxpayer a penny. But it will enrich the lives of every citizen. The Federal Government already has jurisdiction over these lands. They have been the subjects of open hearings and intensive studies and have been recommended by the Secretary of Agriculture for inclusion in the wilderness system. These three areas are admirably suited to become additions to that system. The proposed San Gabriel Wilderness in California is a part of the Angeles National Forest and comprises some 36,000 acres of primitive mountain terrain some 35 miles northeast of the city of Los Angeles. It is uninhabited and provides much needed opportunities for hiking, fishing, hunting, camping, and other public use. The Mount Jefferson Wilderness would comprise 96,000 acres now included within the Willamette, Deschutes, and Mount Hood National Forests, some 60 miles from Salem, Oreg. This wilderness contains the second tallest peak in Oregon, nearly 150 lakes, 160 miles of trails, and good fishing and hunting. The proposed Washakie Wilderness, Shoshone National Forest, Wyo., includes nearly 680,000 acres. This area provides excellent hunting, a rugged region for hiking, and an opportunity to discover petrified remains of ancient forests. I urge the Congress to preserve these priceless national assets by approving their inclusion in the wilderness system. Sincerely, LYNDON B. JOHNSON. The PRESIDENT, The White House. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, DEAR MR. PRESIDENT: I am pleased to give you a report recommending designation of the Mount Jefferson Wilderness, Willamette, Deschutes, and Mount Hood National Forests in Oregon as a unit of the national wilderness preservation system. Its designation would preserve for all times an outstanding wilderness resource on 96,462 acres. Public notice of our intent to recommend designation of the Mount Jefferson Wilderness was issued on August 26, 1966. A public hearing was held in Salem, Oreg. on October 26, 1966, and the hearing record was held open for additional written testimony until November 25, 1966. The public response is summarized on page 15 of the attached report. Oregon's Governor Mark Hatfield, the governing boards of Jefferson, Lynn, and Marion Counties, and all interested Federal departments and agencies were notified of the proposal. The comments they submitted are included in the appendix of the attached report beginning on page 33. The proposal presented for consideration at a public hearing recommended a wilderness of 95,450 acres. However, additional study by the Forest Service and an analysis of views presented as a result of the public notice show that two small contiguous areas are important to the integrity of the wilderness unit. Accordingly, the attached report recommends a wilderness containing 96,462 acres, which includes 81,761 acres of the Mount Jefferson primitive area and 14,701 contiguous acres which are predominantly valuable for their wilder ness resource. In accordance with direction given to them by Congress in the conference committee report on the Wilderness Act, the U.S. Geological Survey and U.S. Bureau of Mines have examined the proposed wilderness to determine its mineral values. They found no mineral commodities known to occur within the boundaries that can be mined economically at the present time. A copy of their full report is attached. The proposed Mount Jefferson Wilderness is relatively close to Portland, Salem, Albany, Bend, and many other western and central Oregon communities. Oregon has nine wildernesses at the present time which encompass 665,062 acres. The closest of these is the 46,655-acre |