(2) conservation of scenic, scientific, historic, and other values contributing to public enjoyment; and (3) such management, utilization, and disposal of renewable natural resources and the continuation of such existing uses and developments as will promote or are compatible with, or do not significantly impair public recreation and conservation of the scenic, scientific, historic, or other values contributing to public enjoyment. In administering the recreation areas, the Secretary may utilize such statutory authorities pertaining to the administration of the national park system, and such statutory authorities otherwise available to him for the conservation and management of natural resources as he deems appropriate for recreation and preservation purposes and for resource development compatible therewith. (b) The lands within the recreation areas, subject to valid existing rights, are hereby withdrawn from location, entry, and patent under the United States mining laws. The Secretary, under such reasonable regulations as he deems appropriate, may permit the removal of the nonleasable minerals from lands or interest in lands within the recreation areas in the manner prescribed by section 10 of the Act of August 4, 1939, as amended (53 Stat. 1196; 43 U.S.C. 387), and he may permit the removal of leasable minerals from lands or interests in lands within the recreation areas in accordance with the Mineral Leasing Act of February 25, 1920, as amended (30 U.S.C. 181 et seq.), or the Acquired Lands Mineral Leasing Act of August 7, 1947 (30 U.S.C. 351 et seq.), if he finds that such disposition would not have significant adverse effects on the administration of the recreation areas. (c) All receipts derived from permits and leases issued on lands or interests in lands within the recreation areas under the Mineral Leasing Act of February 25, 1920, as amended, or the Acquired Lands Mineral Leasing Act of August 7, 1947, shall be disposed of as provided in the applicable Act; and receipts from the disposition of nonleasable minerals within the recreation areas shall be disposed of in the same manner as moneys received from the sale of public lands. (d) The Secretary shall permit hunting and fishing on lands and waters under his jurisdiction within the boundaries of the recreation areas in accordance with applicable laws of the United States and of the State of Washington, except that the Secretary may designate zones where, and establish periods when, no hunting or fishing shall be permitted for reasons of public safety, administration, fish and wildlife management, or public use and enjoyment. Except in emergencies, any regulations of the Secretary pursuant to this section shall be put into effect only after consultation with the Department of Game of the State of Washington. (e) The Secretary shall not permit the construction or use of any road within the park which would provide vehicular access from the North Cross State Highway to the Stehekin Road. Neither shall he permit the construction or use of any permanent road which would provide vehicular access between May Creek and Hozomeen along the east side of Ross Lake. TITLE V-SPECIAL PROVISIONS SEC. 501. The distributive shares of the respective counties of receipts from the national forests from which the national park and recreation areas are created, as paid under the provisions of the Act of May 23, 1908 (35 Stat. 260), as amended (16 U.S.C. 500), shall not be affected by the elimination of lands from such national forests by the enactment of this Act. SEC. 502. Where any Federal lands included in the park or recreation areas are legally occupied or utilized on the effective date of this Act for any purpose, pursuant to a contract, lease, permit, or license issued or authorized by any department, establishment, or agency of the United States, the Secretary shall permit the persons holding such privileges to continue in the exercise thereof, subject to the terms and conditions thereof, for the remainder of the term of the contract, lease, permit, or license or for such longer period of time as the Secretary deems appropriate. SEC. 503. Nothing in this Act shall be construed to affect adversely or to authorize any Federal agency to take any action that would affect adversely any rights or privileges of the State of Washington in property within the Ross Lake National Recreation Area which is being utilized for the North Cross State Highway. SEC. 504. Within two years from the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of Agriculture shall agree on the designation of areas within the park or recreation areas or within national forests adjacent to the park and recreation areas needed for public use facilities and for administrative purposes by the Secretary of Agriculture or the Secretary of the Interior, respectively. The areas so designated shall be administered in a manner that is mutually agreeable to the two Secretaries, and such public use facilities, including interpretive centers, visitor contact stations, lodges, campsites, and ski lifts, shall be constructed according to a plan agreed upon by the two Secretaries. SEC. 505. Nothing in this Act shall be construed to supersede, repeal, modify, or impair the jurisdiction of the Federal Power Commission under the Federal Power Act (41 Stat. 1063), as amended (16 U.S.C. 791a et seq.), in the recreation areas. SEC. 506. There are hereby authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be necessary to carry out the purposes of this Act, but not more than $3,500,000 shall be appropriated for the acquisition of lands or interest in lands. TITLE VI-WILDERNESS SEC. 601. (a) In order to further the purposes of the Wilderness Act, there is hereby designated, subject to valid existing rights, the Pasayten Wilderness within and as a part of the Okanogan National Forest and the Mount Baker National Forest, comprising an area of about five hundred thousand acres lying east of Ross Lake, as generally depicted in the area designated as "Pasayten Wilderness" on the map referred to in section 101 of this Act. (b) The previous classification of the North Cascades Primitive Area is hereby abolished. SEC. 602. The boundaries of the Glacier Peak Wilderness, an area classified as such more than thirty days before the effective date of the Wilderness Act and being within and a part of the Wenatchee National Forest and the Mount Baker National Forest, subject to valid existing rights, are hereby extended to include portions of the Suiattle River corridor and the White Chuck River corridor on the western side thereof, comprising areas totaling about ten thousand acres, as depicted in the area designated as "Additions to Glacier Peak Wilderness" on the map referred to in section 101 of this Act. SEC. 603. (a) As soon as practicable after this Act takes effect, the Secretary of Agriculture shall file a map and legal description of the Pasayten Wilderness and of the Glacier Peak Wilderness, as hereby modified, with the Interior and Insular Affairs Committees of the United States Senate and House of Representatives, and such descriptions shall have the same force and effect as if included in this Act: Provided, however, That correction of clerical or typographical errors in such legal descriptions and maps may be made. (b) Upon the filing of the legal descriptions and maps as provided for in subsection (a) of this section the Pasayten Wilderness and the additions to the Glacier Peak Wilderness shall be administered by the Secretary of Agriculture in accordance with the provisions of the Wilderness Act and thereafter shall be subject to the provisions of the Wilderness Act governing areas designated by that Act as wilderness areas, except that any reference in such provisions to the effective date of the Wilderness Act shall be deemed to be a reference to the effective date of this Act. SEC. 604. Within two years from the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of the Interior shall review the area within the North Cascades National Park, including the Picket Range area and the Eldorado Peaks area, and shall report to the President, in accordance with subsections 3(c) and 3(d) of the Wilderness Act (78 Stat. 890; 16 U.S.C. 1132 (c) and (d)), his recommendation as to the suitability or nonsuitability of any area within the park for preservation as wilderness, and any designation of any such area as a wilderness area shall be accomplished in accordance with said subsections of the Wilderness Act. Amend the title so as to read: A bill to establish the North Cascades National Park and Ross Lake and Lake Chelan National Recreation Areas, to designate the Pasayten Wilderness and to modify the Glacier Peak Wilderness, in the State of Washington, and for other purposes. PURPOSE H.R. 8970, as amended, proposes the establishment of a vast, contiguous recreation complex in the State of Washington. As amended, the bill provides for the creation of the North Cascades National Park, Ross Lake National Recreation Area, and Lake Chelan National Recreation Area. It would also add the Pasayten Wilderness Area to the national wilderness preservation system and expand the existing Glacier Peak Wilderness Area. Similar bills before the committee during the consideration of H.R. 8970 included those by Representative Pelly (H.R. 12139, by request), by Representative May (H.R. 16252), and S. 1321, as approved by the Senate. BACKGROUND For many years after the United States established title to the Oregon Territory in 1846, this entire area was administered as a part of the public domain. During the 1890's, pursuant to an act of Congress, two large forest reserves, administered by the General Land Office of the Department of the Interior, were established. It was from one of these forest reserves, that the Congress created the Mount Rainier National Park in 1899. Administrative jurisdiction over the remainder of the forest reserves was transferred to the Department of Agriculture in 1905 and, ultimately, all or part of five national forests were established in the area. During the years that followed, suggestions were made that various portions of this scenic mountain country be incorporated into the national park system. In recognition of the outdoor values of the area, several sizable areas have been dedicated to, and protected for, public recreation uses. Included are the 75,000-acre Mount Baker Recreation Area; 973,000 acres of wild and roadless primitive areas; and four large limited areas where roadbuilding and other modifying resource management practices have been precluded for many years. In spite of the recognition of these values, no overall outdoor recreation survey was undertaken to ascertain the highest and best use of this entire area until early in 1963 when President John F. Kennedy and his Secretaries of Agriculture and Interior initiated a joint cooperative review of the complex and sometimes conflicting uses to which these lands might reasonably be put. As a result of this joint exploration of the North Cascades Mountain region, a detailed report containing the recommendations of the study team was published in December 1965. This comprehensive report and its recommendations, together with the separate views of some of the members of the study team, were the basis of the various legislative proposals considered by the committee. Hundreds of witnesses were heard and every conceivable viewpoint was expressed in the hearings conducted by the committee. In Seattle, in order to hear all of the witnesses who had the patience and the diligence to wait for an opportunity to testify, the committee was divided and simultaneous hearings were conducted in two separate rooms. More limited hearings were also held in Wenatchee, Wash., and in Washington, D.C. AREAS TO BE DESIGNATED H.R. 8970, as amended, involves 1,204,000 acres of land divided among five units as indicated below: 1 The existing Glacier Peak Wilderness Area was authorized by the Wilderness Act of 1964 and comprises 452,000 acres of land. The following map delineates the general boundaries of the proposed areas: |