Sec. 2. Findings
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Congress finds that— wilderness and wild and scenic river designations provide myriad benefits to the local community and beyond, including— recreation, as evidenced by the more than 12,000,000 visitors each year to wilderness areas who participate in recreation activities such as hiking, horseback riding, hunting, fishing, skiing, climbing, camping, and floating and rafting; wildlife habitat, by providing permanent and durable protection for habitat for varied wildlife species, including endangered species; clean water for local communities that rely on the Olympic National Forest as the source for clean and safe drinking water; municipal watersheds for cities such as Port Townsend, Washington; the ancient forests, salmon streams, and unique scenery of the Olympic National Forest, which provide local businesses with a competitive edge over other regions in attracting and retaining the talented people required by local companies; the popular National Parks, monuments, wilderness areas, and other public land of the West, which have provided a competitive advantage to the growing high technology and professional services industries of the West, such as health care, education, and business, enabling the West to outperform the rest of the United States economy in key measures of growth, including employment, population, and personal income during the 4 decades immediately preceding the date of enactment of this Act; and protecting and enhancing local travel, tourism, hunting, fishing, and outdoor recreation industries; under the Wilderness Act (16 U.S.C. 1131 et seq.)— land designated as wilderness protects ecological, geological, or other features of scientific, scenic, or historical value ;
Federal agencies retain the ability to use any means necessary to protect and control fire, insects, and diseases, subject to such terms and conditions as the Secretary determines to be appropriate; and wilderness designations do not apply to private land; this Act does not designate private land inholdings as wilderness; under the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act (16 U.S.C. 1271 et seq.)— certain rivers are preserved to safeguard outstanding natural, cultural, and recreational values for current and future generations; designation as a wild and scenic river does not give the Federal Government control over private property and provides no additional authority for expanding designated river segments, except as provided in this Act and other Acts; existing water rights are not impacted; the jurisdiction of the States and the Federal Government over waters are not impacted, as determined by established principles of law; and river segments classified as scenic or recreational allow construction of new access points, restoration thinning, and motorized access; the areas protected under this Act unquestionably meet all requirements under Federal law (including regulations), as the areas contain— old growth stands, temperate rain forests, and large swaths of roadless forests, more than 99 percent of which could not be commercially harvested under existing Federal law (including regulations); the wilderness areas established under this Act are areas that are prized by hikers, hunters, anglers, and others and will be preserved and protected for recreational enjoyment for generations to come; and rivers and tributaries that— are a source of clean water for many communities on the Olympic Peninsula; and provide important habitat for salmon and other species of fish and supply the cold freshwater that feeds the Puget Sound and creates the necessary conditions for clams, oysters, and mussels, whose growers contribute more than $250,000,000 to the economy and support thousands of jobs in the State of Washington; as a result of this Act— no roads would be closed; management decisions by local Forest Service managers as to which roads should be closed, maintained, or remain open for public access will not be impacted and any ongoing travel management processes will continue to be the manner by which those decisions are made, along with public input; and no private land would be subject to management under the Wilderness Act (16 U.S.C. 1131 et seq.) or the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act (16 U.S.C. 1271 et seq.); private property rights are central to the United States and the economy of the United States, and it shall be the policy of the United States to encourage, support, and promote the private ownership of property to ensure that the constitutional and other legal rights of private property owners are not abridged by the Federal Government; the Olympic Peninsula is home to 8 federally recognized Indian tribes; and the United States acknowledges the trust obligations of the Federal Government to Indian tribes and recognizes that— the case styled United States v.
Washington (384 F. Supp. 312) guaranteed certain Indian tribes in the State of Washington harvest rights to Pacific salmon, leading to employment opportunities for tribal members; tribal governments provide a wide range of critical services to enrolled members, including education and cultural activities; Indian tribes engage in ongoing efforts to restore and improve salmon populations and habitat across the Olympic Peninsula, frequently in conjunction with Federal, State, and local governments and private stakeholders; and ongoing tribal efforts to protect and improve salmon habitat and the habitats of other threatened species populations are encouraged and supported in order to support the long-term health of the ecosystem and the economic benefit those resources provide.
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- 384 F. Supp. 312
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