The President of the United States Transmitting
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93d Congress, 2d Session House Document No. 93- 403 PROPOSED ADDITIONS TO THE NATIONAL WILDERNESS PRESERVATION SYSTEM COMMUNICATION FHOVI THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES TRANSMITTING PROPOSALS FOR THIRTY-SEVEN ADDITIONS TO THE NATIONAL WILDERNESS PRESERVATION SYSTEM AND DEFERRAL OF ACTION ON FIVE AREAS SUITABLE FOR INCLUSION IN THE SYSTEM, AND RECOMMENDATIONS AGAINST THE INCLUSION OF FOUR OTHER AREAS STUDIED, PURSUANT TO SECTION 3 OF THE WILDER- NESS ACT OF 1964 [16 USC 1132] PART 31 UL BEND WILDERNESS MONTANA DECEMBER 4, 197 4. - Referred to the Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs and ordered to be printed with illustrations. U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE WASHINGTON: 1974 THE WHITE HOUSE • WASHINGTON D e cembe r 4, 1974 Dear Mr. Speaker: Pursuant to the Wilderness Act of September 3, 1964, I am pleased to transmit herewith proposals for thirty-seven additions to the National Wilderness Preservation System. As described in the Wilderness Message that I am con currently sending to the Congress today, the proposed new wilderness areas cover a total of over nine million primeval acres. In addition, the Secretary of the Interior has recommended that Congressional action on five other areas which include surface lands suitable for wilderness be deferred for the reasons set forth below: A. Three areas which are open to mining might be needed in the future to provide vital minerals fer the Nation, but these areas have not been adequately surveyed for mineral deposits. The areas are the • Kofa Game Range, Arizona; Charles Sheldon Antelope Range, Nevada and Oregon; and, Charles M. Russell National Wildlife Range, Montana. B. One area is subject to withdrawals for power purposes and additional study is needed of the West's potential energy needs before a wilderness decision can be made. This is Lake Mead National Recreation Area, located in Arizona and Nevada. c. Certain parts of one area are subject to selection by the village of Mekoryuk under the terms of the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act and a wilderness recommenda tion should be made only after the completion of the Native selection process. The area in question is the Nunivak National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska. Four other possibilities considered by the Secretary of the Interior in his review of roadless areas of 5,000 acres or more were found to be unsuitable for inclusion in the Wilderness System: Deer Flat National Wildlife Refuge, Oregon and Idaho; Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge, Maryland; Mammoth Cave National Park, Kentucky; and, Upper Mississippi River Wildlife and Fish Refuge, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa and Illinois. I concur in this finding and in the other recommendations of the Secretaries of the Interior and Agriculture, all of which are transmitted herewith. Wilderness designation of both of these new wilderness areas and those already submitted that are pending be fore the Congress would dramatically demonstrate our commitment to preserve America's irreplaceable heritage, and I urge the Congress to act promptly in this regard. Sincerely, The Honorable Carl Albert Speaker of the House of Representatives Washington, D.C. 20515 • • United States Department of the Interior OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY WASHINGTON, D.C. 20240 AUG 2 8 1974 Dear Mr. President: It is with pleasure that I recommend the establishment of areas totaling approximately 19,693 acres in UL Bend National Wildlife Refuge as part of the I~ational Wilderness Preservation System. The recommendation stems from this Department's responsibility under the Wilderness Act ( 78 Stat. 890) to recommend to the President areas within its jurisdiction suitable for designation as wilderness. Having reviewed potential areas in UL Bend National Wildlife Ref'uge, we conclude that 19,693 of the ref'uge's 46,264 acres should be designated wilderness. Named after a hairpin turn in the Missouri River, UL BenC. is located along that river's Fort Peck Reservoir in north-central Montana. The refuge was established by the Migratory Bird Conservation Commission on February 7, 1967, and includes 2,800 acres of unacquired State lands and 9,225 acres of land acquired by the Corps of Engineers and managed by the refuge under a cooperative agreement. Flat to rolling grasslands, broken by draws and ridges, make up the terrain of the ref'uge, whose primary objective is to provide habitat for migratory waterfowl. The cli.llla.te of the ar~a is quite cold, with an average of only 124 frost-free days per year. Such typical northern prairie waterfowl as Canada geese, widgeon, mallards, pintails, gadwall, and blue-winged teal occur on the refuge. Among other birds found there is the unique burrowing owl, which nests in abandoned "dwellings" in prairie dog towns. The area recanmended for wilderness designation constitutes about 40 percent of the refuge; the remainder of the ref'uge is required to meet manageme~t objectives. In accordance with the requirements of the Wilderness Act, a public hearing on the recommendation was held at Malta, Montana, on May 20, 1974. Analyses of the hearing records and written expressions received, t ogether with the letters received from other Federal agencies, are contained in the enclosed synopsis. Complete records have been compiled and are avail able for inspection by the public. Enclosed is a draft bill which, if enacted, would incorporate the recommended area of UL Bend National Wildlife Refuge into the National Wilderness Preservation System. Sincerely yours, ~'la;:•-,_, <jd ;:/ Assistant Secretary of the Interior The President The White House Washington, D.C. 20500 Enclosure • • • A BILL • To design.ate certain lands in the UL Bend National Wildlife Refuge, Phillips County, M~ntana, as wilderness. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That, in accordance with section 3(c) of the Wilderness Act of September 3, 1964 (78 Stat. 890, 892; U.S.C. 1132(c)), certain lands in the UL Bend National Wildlife Re:fuge, Montana, which comprise about 19,693 acres, and which are depicted on the map entitled ''uL Bend Wilderness Proposal" and dated June 1974, are hereby designated as wilderness. The map and a description of the boundaries of such lands shall be on file and available for public inspection in the offices of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Department of the Interior. SEC. 2. As soon as practicable after this Act takes effect, a map of the wilderness and a description of its boundaries shall be filed with the Interior and Insular Affairs Committees of the United States Senate and House of Representatives, and such map and description shall have the same rorce and effect as if included in this Act: Provided, however, That correction of clerical and typographical errors in such description and map ma.y be made. SEC. 3. The wilderness area designated by this Act shall be kno'Wil as the "UL Bend Wilderness" and shall be administered by the Secretary or the Interior in accordance with the provisions of the Wilderness Act governing areas designated by that Act as wilderness areas, and where appropriate any reference in that Act to the Secretary of Agriculture shall be deemed to be a reference to the Secretary of the Interior. SEC. 4. Subject to all valid rights existing on the date of enactment of this Act, lands designated as wilderness by the Act are hereby withdra"Wl1 f'rom all forms of appropriations. under the mining laws and f'rom disposition under all laws pertaining to mineral leasing and all amendments thereto. SEC. 5. Nothing in this Act shall affect the operation and maintenance of the Fort Peck Reservoir as administered by the Secretary of the Army, acting through the Chief of Engineers, at authorized water levels. The Fort Peck Reservoir shoreline boundaries of the area designated as wilderness by this Act shall not extend below the 2,270 foot contour and shall not affect the purposes of the Fort Peck project. SEC. 6. No~hing in this Act shall be construed to diminish the authority of the Coast Guard, pursuant to 14 U.S.C. 2 and 81 and title 1 of the Ports and Waterways Safety Act of 1972 (33 U.S.C. 1221), to use the area designated wilderness by this Act for navigational, and maritime safety purposes. PUBLIC HEARING ANALYSIS UL BEND NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE On May 20, 1974 pursuant to the requirements of the Wilderness Act, a public hearing was held at Malta, Montana to ascertain public views on the desirability to include the UL Bend National Wildlife Refuge in the National Wilderness Preservation System. The hearing record remained open until June 20, 1974 in order to al low sufficient time for interested agencies and individuals to submit written statements for inclusion in the official record. The public hearing was officially opened at 9 a.m. on May ,20, 1974 at Malta City Hall, Malta, Montana. The hearing officer was Lotario D. Ortega, Field Solicitor, Albuquerque, New Mexico. Prepared statements were read by Mr. Ortega and Mr. Burton Rounds, Area Manager, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Billings, Montana. The proposal made by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service at the hearing was as follows: "Approximately 20,893 acres, consisting of two separate units - Beauchamp Unit at approximately 2,984 acres and the Lower Unit at approximately 17,909 acres - are recommended for inclusion in the National Wilderness Preservation System. The remaining 25,371 acres were found unsuitable and should not be considered." A total of 43 individuals cttended the hearing proceedings. No elected fficials were present. Nine statements were presented. Speakers were lled upon to make statements in the order in which they registered. Organizational representatives that presented statements in favor of the U.S.