proposed additions thereto and deletions therefrom, comprising an area of approximately eighty-seven thousand seven hundred and fifty-five acres, and which are generally depicted on a map entitled "Proposed Eagles Nest Wilderness", which shall be known as the "Eagles Nest Wilderness"; (e) the area classified as the "Flat Tops Primitive Area", within the Routt and White River National Forests, Colorado, with the proposed additions thereto and deletions therefrom, comprising an area of approximately one hundred forty-two thousand acres, and which are generally depicted on a map entitled "Proposed Flat Tops Wilderness", dated April 24, 1967, which shall be known as the "Flat Tops Wilderness"; (f) the area classified as the "San Juan and Upper Rio Grande Primitive Areas", within the Rio Grande and San Juan National Forests, Colorado, with the proposed addition thereto and deletions therefrom, comprising an area of approximately three hundred and forty-six thousand eight hundred acres, and which are generally depicted on a map entitled "Proposed Weminuche Wilderness", which shall be known as the "Weminuche Wilderness"; (g) the area classified as the "Mission Mountains Primitive Area", within the Flathead National Forest, Montana, with the proposed additions thereto and deletions therefrom, comprising an area of approximately seventy-three thousand two hundred acres, and which are generally depicted on a map entitled "Proposed Mission Mountains Wilderness", which shall be known as the "Mission Mountains Wilderness"; (h) the area classified as the "Spanish Peaks Primitive Area”, within the Gallatin National Forest, Montana, with the proposed additions thereto and deletion therefrom, comprising an area of approximately sixty-five thousand acres and which are generally depicted on a map entitled "Proposed Spanish Peaks Wilderness", dated June 1967, which shall be known as the "Spanish Peaks Wilderness"; (i) the area classified as the "Aldo Leopold Primitive Area", within the Gila National Forest, New Mexico, with the proposed additions thereto and deletions therefrom, comprising an area of approximately one hundred eighty-eight thousand and ninety-five acres, and which are generally depicted on a map entitled "Proposed Aldo Leopold Wilderness", which shall be known as the "Aldo Leopold Wilderness"; (j) the area classified as the "High Uintas Primitive Area", within the Ashley and Wasatch National Forests, Utah, with the proposed additions thereto and deletions therefrom, comprising an area of approximately three hundred twenty-three thousand acres, and which are generally depicted on a map entitled "Proposed High Uintas Wilderness", dated August 21, 1967, which shall be known as the "High Uintas Wilderness"; and (k) the area classified as the "Glacier Primitive Area", within the Shoshone National Forest, Wyoming, with the proposed additions thereto and deletions therefrom, comprising an area of approximately one hundred and eighty-two thousand five hundred acres, and which are generally depicted on a map entitled "Proposed Glacier Wilderness", which shall be known as the "Glacier Wilderness". ADMINISTRATIVE PROVISIONS SEC. 3. All primitive area classifications of areas herein designated wilderness are hereby abolished. SEC. 4. As soon as practicable after this Act takes effect, a map and a legal description of each wilderness area shall be filed with the Interior and Insular Affairs Committees of the United States Senate and the House of Representatives, and such description shall have the same force and effect as if included in this Act: Provided, however, That correction of clerical and typographical errors in such legal description and map may be made. SEC. 5. Wilderness areas designated by this Act shall be administered in accordance with 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, and any references to the Secretary of Agriculture shall be deemed to be a reference to the Secretary who has administrative jurisdiction over the area. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY, Washington, D.C., March 15, 1973. Hon. JAMES A. HALEY, Chairman, Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs, DEAR MR. CHAIRMAN: As you asked, here is our report on H.R. 5422, a bill "To designate certain lands as wilderness." Insofar as H.R. 5422 affects the responsibilities of the Department of Agriculture, we strongly recommend that the bill be enacted. We defer to the Department of the Interior regarding recommendations on those areas to be designated by the bill within the National Wildlife Refuge System. The Wilderness Act of 1964 (78 Stat. 890) established the National Wilderness Preservation System. Subsection 3(b) of the Wilderness Act directed the Secretary of Agriculture to review the areas then classified as National Forest Primitive Areas, within ten years, as to their suitability or nonsuitability for preservation as wilderness. The Act provided that the Secretary is to report his findings to the President, and the President is to submit his recommendations to the Congress. The eleven national forests wilderness proposals included in H.R. 5422 resulted from a review of the corresponding Primitive Areas in accordance with the review procedures set forth by the Wilderness Act. The Secretary of Agriculture submitted a report of his findings on each of the areas to the President. The President submitted his recommendation to the Congress on March 29, 1968 for the Flat Tops and Spanish Peaks proposals, on January 17, 1969 for the High Uintas proposal, and on February 8, 1972 on Blue Range, Agua Tibia, Emigrant, Eagles Nest, Weminuche, Mission Mountains, Aldo Leopold, and Glacier proposals. These recommendations are embodied in their entirety in H.R. 5422. We feel that each of the areas proposed for wilderness designation meets the definition of wilderness as contained in subsection 3(c) of the Wilderness Act. Each area is unique and will make its own contribution to the National Wilderness Preservation System. The specific characteristics and attributes of each area are fully discussed in Secretary's reports which accompanied the President's recommendations to Congress. Environmental statements relating to the proposed wilderness areas have been prepared pursuant to section 102(2)(c) of the National Environmental Policy Act (83 Stat. 852). The lands proposed for designation as wilderness which are under the jurisdiction of the Secretary of Agriculture are presently being administered as a part of the National Forest System; consequently, no new budget authority or additional appropriations would be required as a result of enactment of the proposed legislation. The Office of Management and Budget advises that there is no objection to the presentation of this report and the enactment of legislation to designate the national forest wilderness areas included in H.R. 5422 would be consistent with the Administration's objectives. Sincerely, J. PHIL CAMPBELL, Hon. JAMES A. HALEY, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR, Chairman, Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs, House of Representatives, Washington, D.C. DEAR MR. CHAIRMAN: This is in response to your request for the views of this Department on H.R. 5422, a bill "To designate certain lands as wilderness." In accordance with your request, we will confine our comments in this report to the following portions only of H.R. 5422: 1. Section 2(g)-The Mission Mountains Primitive Area, within the Flathead National Forest, Montana. 2. Section 2(h)-The Spanish Peaks Primitive Area, within Gallatin National Forest, Montana. 3. Section 2(k)-The Glacier Primitive Area, within the Shoshone National Forest, Wyoming. We recommend that these three areas be enacted into the National Wilderness Preservation System. The Mission Mountains and Glacier Primitive areas were recommended for wilderness designation by the President on February 8, 1972, while Spanish Peaks was transmitted to Congress on March 29, 1968. We feel that these areas have significant wilderness value. For example, we favor the designation of Mission Mountains as wilderness because it would afford protection to habitat badly needed by both the mountain goat and the grizzly bear. The Bureau of Mines and Geological Survey have completed mineral surveys of all three of the areas proposed for wilderness designation. The results have been published in the Geological Survey wilderness series bulletin. The studies disclosed that these three areas contain no mineralization of significant economic importance or possibilities for future development. The Office of Management and Budget has advised that the presentation of this report is consistent with the Administration's objectives. Sincerely yours, NATHANIEL REED, Assistant Secretary of the Interior. Mr. MELCHER. The Presidential recommendations for these three areas will not be placed in the record, but in the files of the committee. The Mission Mountains and the Glacier proposals are found in House Document 92-248, parts 15 and 18. The Spanish Peaks proposal in House Document 90-292, part 15. We will now proceed with the consideration of the Mission Mountains proposal. The bell you just heard is a vote on the floor and I will now recess for 10 minutes and we will start testimony immediately after that. [Brief recess.] Mr. MELCHER. The subcommittee will come to order. We will now hear from Hon. Philip L. Thornton, Deputy Chief, Programs and Legislation, Forest Service. STATEMENT OF HON. PHILIP L. THORNTON, DEPUTY CHIEF, PROGRAMS AND LEGISLATION, FOREST SERVICE, ACCOMPANIED BY BILL WORF, ASSISTANT REGIONAL FORESTER Mr. MELCHER. Mr. Thornton, we welcome you here. I might add that the request for presentations of 5 minutes does not apply to the Forest Service. You are expected to take longer than 5 minutes for your presentation. Proceed. Mr. THORNTON. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. We are pleased to have this opportunity to participate in your consideration of H.R. 5422, a bill to designate certain lands as wilderness. I speak today in support of the designation of the Mission Mountains Wilderness. The proposal for designation of the Mission Mountains Wilderness results from our study of the Mission Mountains Primitive Area, in accord with the procedures set forth in section 3 (b) and (d) of the Wilderness Act. Our proposal was transmitted to the Congress on February 8, 1972, with a recommendation to classify 73,207 acres as wilderness. This includes 71,927 acres of the Mission Mountains Primitive Area and 1,280 additional contiguous acres. We also recommend that primitive area status be lifted for 2,018 acres. The proposed wilderness is a part of the Flathead National Forest. It is located on the east slope of the Mission Mountain Range in northwestern Montana. It is 65 miles south of Kalispell and 85 miles north of Missoula, Mont. The Flathead Indian Reservation borders the proposed wilderness along its entire western boundary. The Mission Range is an outstandingly scenic part of America. Its beauty is highlighted by snow-capped peaks, permanent glaciers and snow fields, high lakes, clear streams, and waterfalls. The topography is severe, made up of vertical cliffs, knife-edged ridges, cirques, and talus slopes. The wilderness resource of the area is truly outstanding. The forestcovered lower hills, the high elevation cirques and lakes, and the craggy mountain peaks offer abundant opportunities for primitive and unconfined recreation, for solitude and for challenge. Vegetative cover varies with elevation. On the lower slopes are western larch, Douglas fir, and spruce forests. Higher up in the Mission Range are the meadows, parks, and subalpine forest. Above timberline are the sedges, lichens, moss, and small forbs which can adapt to the severe sites. About 14 percent of the proposed wilderness supports a stand of trees which could be considered economically operable for sawtimber purposes. Estimated volume of sawtimber on these lands is 101 million board feet. There is little or no suitable range for grazing of cattle or sheep and there is no commercial grazing in the proposed wilderness. Limited forage is available in some of the high elevation meadows for use by recreation stock but careful control is required to prevent damage to these areas. The varied wildlife is one of the area's main attractions. The Missions contain grizzly bear, mountain goat, elk, mule deer, whitetail deer, black bear, and moose. They also have wolverine, mountain lion, lynx, pine martin, other small mammals, and bird life. The lakes and streams contain cutthroat, Dolly Varden, whitefish, rainbow, brook, and golden trout. The Mission Range is important to dependent downstream users for its water production. There are no water storage structures, power withdrawals, or irrigation distribution systems within the proposed wilderness. A mineral survey of the Mission Mountain Primitive Area was made by the U.S. Geological Survey and U.S. Bureau of Mines. Their survey did not reveal any mineral deposits of economic significance. No valuable occurrences of building stone were found. The mineral examination and report concluded that a very low mineral potential exists in this area. Interested individuals, groups, and organizations participated in the study of the Mission Mountain Primitive Area, and commented on various management alternatives. A public hearing was held on the Forest Service proposal on September 9, 1970, in Kalispell, Mont. A large majority of the oral and written comments which were received favored the Forest Service proposal. There were recommendations submitted favoring addition of several areas to the proposed wilderness and opposing the possible exclusions. The various areas involved in these recommendations are shown in appendix A of the Secretary's report and on the display map before you. At this point, I would like to discuss the various areas involved in our proposal, as well as those areas recommended by others. These will be pointed out on the display map. Our study of the Mission Mountain Primitive Area and the vast majority of public comment favored inclusion of most of the present Primitive Area in the National Wilderness Preservation System. The black squares on the map show private ownership. Each block is a square mile. We have shown the private ownership along the edge. Much of the area east of the proposal unit is also privately owned. Let's talk about the additions first. After review of information presented during and after the field hearing, we conclude that areas A and B should be included in the proposed wilderness. These are the two green blocks. Mr. Chairman, we have some large photographs. If you care to see them, we can show you the areas to be added and the suggested deletions. Addition A contains 640 acres in lower Cedar Creek. Part of this area is extremely steep with numerous rock outcrops and cliffs. Cedar Creek flows at the bottom of the cliffs through a lake and series of ponds and meadows. The area is undeveloped and is a natural expansion of the proposed wilderness. Addition B contains 640 acres in lower Elk Creek. This area is also extremely steep with scattered rock outcrops and cliffs. This parcel is completely undeveloped and we believe fully meets the Wilderness criteria. Now, let's talk about the exclusions. We recommend that a number of relatively small areas which are now a part of the Primitive Area not be included in the Mission Mountains Wilderness. These are designated as areas 1-6 on the map. I will discuss these collectively because of their similarity. These are those orange pieces on the map. In the early 1950's a spruce bark beetle epidemic built up in and adjacent to the Mission Mountains Primitive Area. Both private and national forest lands were involved. The Chief of the Forest Service granted authority for control operations in the primitive area to provent further spread of the epidemic. The control effort required. removal of infected trees. Upon completion of logging, roads were closed at the primitive area boundary and motorized travel prohibited. With the passage of 15 years these areas have revegetated and have partially returned to a natural condition. In spite of these changes, the evidence of man's activity is quite noticeable and the community of life has been significantly affected by man. Consequently we recommend that these areas not be given wilderness designation. Mr. Chairman, here we have just a few large photographs again to illustrate why we take that position. We recognize that management in these exclusions must be coordinated to complement wilderness objectives in the adjacent areas. Special management prescriptions have been written for these areas and included in appendix C of the Secretary's report. Now, let's turn to the additions proposed by others. Three additional areas were recommended by various groups and individuals as expansions of our proposal. These areas are shown as area C, D, and E on display map. |