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Oregon Recreation Enhancement Act
To designate certain land administered by the Bureau of Land Management and the Forest Service in the State of Oregon as wilderness and national recreation areas, to withdraw certain land located in Curry County and Josephine County, Oregon, from all forms of entry, appropriation, or disposal under the public land laws, location, entry, and patent under the mining laws, and operation under the mineral leasing and geothermal leasing laws, and for other purposes.
Summary
This bill designates approximately 98,150 acres as the Rogue Canyon Recreation Area and 29,884 acres as the Molalla Recreation Area in Oregon to protect their recreational, ecological, scenic, and cultural values. The bill adds approximately 59,512 acres to the existing Wild Rogue Wilderness and establishes new protections for both recreation areas and the wilderness, including prohibitions on mining and mineral leasing. The bill requires the Secretary of the Interior and Agriculture to conduct a wildfire risk assessment and develop a wildfire mitigation plan for the designated areas, and prohibits new permanent roads except for public safety or wildfire mitigation purposes. The bill also withdraws additional federal land in Curry and Josephine Counties from mining and mineral leasing while continuing to allow hunting, fishing, and other recreational uses.
AI-generated plain-language summary of the bill text — neutral, and may be imperfect. See the full text below for the exact wording.
Sponsor (1)
- Sen. Wyden, Ron [D-OR] (D-OR)
1 cosponsor
- Sen. Merkley, Jeff [D-OR] (D-OR)
Actions (3)
- Dec 2, 2025 Committee on Energy and Natural Resources Subcommittee on Public Lands, Forests, and Mining. Hearings held. · senate
- Mar 6, 2025 Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. · senate
- Mar 6, 2025 Introduced in Senate
More bills on these subjects (8)
Other bills that carry the most legislative subjects in common with this one (topical discovery — distinct from the procedural related bills above).
Similar bills (6)
Bills with similar text or summary — includes reintroductions across Congresses. Ranked by semantic similarity of the bill text (computed locally); a neutral discovery aid, not a claim the bills are duplicates.
Committee action
What happened to this bill in committee — the meetings where it was considered and every recorded vote taken on it.
Meetings where this bill was on the agenda
- Business meeting to consider S.365 and H.R.1729, bills to amend the John D. Dingell, Jr. Conservation, Management, and Recreation Act to allow for additional entities to be eligible to complete the maintenance work on Bolts Ditch and the Bolts Ditch Headgate within the Holy Cross Wilderness, Colorado, S.764, to provide for the designation of certain wilderness areas, recreation management areas, and conservation areas in the State of Colorado, S.791, to establish the Justice Thurgood Marshall National Historic Site in the State of Maryland as an affiliated area of the National Park System, S.888, to designate certain land administered by the Bureau of Land Management and the Forest Service in the State of Oregon as wilderness and national recreation areas, to withdraw certain land located in Curry County and Josephine County, Oregon, from all forms of entry, appropriation, or disposal under the public land laws, location, entry, and patent under the mining laws, and operation under the mineral leasing and geothermal leasing laws, S.945, to amend the Smith River National Recreation Area Act to include certain additions to the Smith River National Recreation Area, to amend the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act to designate certain wild rivers in the State of Oregon, S.1005, to provide for conservation and economic development in the State of Nevada, S.1088, to provide that the memorial to commemorate the sacrifice and service of the women who worked on the home front to support the efforts of the United States military during World War II may be located on the National Mall, S.1195, to promote conservation, improve public land management, and provide for sensible development in Pershing County, Nevada, S.1257, to amend the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act to authorize the use of funds for certain additional Carey Act projects, S.1341, to amend the Colorado Wilderness Act of 1993 to add certain land to the Sarvis Creek Wilderness, S.1349, to withdraw the National Forest System land in the Ruby Mountains subdistrict of the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest and the National Wildlife Refuge System land in Ruby Lake National Wildlife Refuge, Elko and White Pine Counties, Nevada, from operation under the mineral leasing laws, S.1476, to amend the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act to designate certain segments of the Gila River system in the State of New Mexico as components of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System, to provide for the transfer of administrative jurisdiction over certain Federal land in the State of New Mexico, S.1737, to designate and expand wilderness areas in Olympic National Forest in the State of Washington, and to designate certain rivers in Olympic National Forest and Olympic National Park as wild and scenic rivers, S.1777, to amend the California Desert Protection Act of 1994 to expand the boundary of Joshua Tree National Park, to redesignate the Cottonwood Visitor Center at Joshua Tree National Park as the "Dianne Feinstein Visitor Center", S.1870, to adjust the boundary of the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area to include the Rim of the Valley Corridor, S.2498, to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to extend certain leases within units of the National Park System without opening the lease to bidding, S.2767 and H.R.5254, bills to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to enter into an agreement with the Gateway Arch Park Foundation to host private events in Gateway Arch National Park buildings, S.2801, to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a study to assess the suitability and feasibility of designating the Canterbury Shaker Village National Heritage Area, S.2887, to amend the National Trails System Act to designate the Route 66 National Historic Trail, S.2933, to redesignate a playground in the New River Gorge National Park and Preserve in the State of West Virginia as the "Hearts of Gold Playground: In Honor of West Virginia Children and Families Impacted by Childhood Cancer", S.2968, to ensure access to certain public land, S.3194, to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a study to assess the suitability and feasibility of designating certain land in California as the Monterey Bay National Heritage Area, S.3313 and H.R.6365, bills to require the Secretary of the Interior to issue a right-of-way for an emergency exit on certain National Park Service land in the State of Virginia, S.3409, to reaffirm that the Bureau of Reclamation retains exclusive ownership, operational control, and financial responsibility for the Lower Yellowstone Fish Bypass Channel, ensuring long-term conservation of the endangered pallid sturgeon and other native aquatic species in the Yellowstone River while protecting the Lower Yellowstone Irrigation Project and District from undue financial and operational burdens, S.3635 and H.R. 7250, bills to reauthorize the Fort Peck Reservation Rural Water System Act of 2000, S.3715 and H.R.6380, bills to establish the Chiricahua N
- Business meeting to consider S.365 and H.R.1729, bills to amend the John D. Dingell, Jr. Conservation, Management, and Recreation Act to allow for additional entities to be eligible to complete the maintenance work on Bolts Ditch and the Bolts Ditch Headgate within the Holy Cross Wilderness, Colorado, S.764, to provide for the designation of certain wilderness areas, recreation management areas, and conservation areas in the State of Colorado, S.791, to establish the Justice Thurgood Marshall National Historic Site in the State of Maryland as an affiliated area of the National Park System, S.888, to designate certain land administered by the Bureau of Land Management and the Forest Service in the State of Oregon as wilderness and national recreation areas, to withdraw certain land located in Curry County and Josephine County, Oregon, from all forms of entry, appropriation, or disposal under the public land laws, location, entry, and patent under the mining laws, and operation under the mineral leasing and geothermal leasing laws, S.945, to amend the Smith River National Recreation Area Act to include certain additions to the Smith River National Recreation Area, to amend the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act to designate certain wild rivers in the State of Oregon, S.1088, to provide that the memorial to commemorate the sacrifice and service of the women who worked on the home front to support the efforts of the United States military during World War II may be located on the National Mall, S.1175, to amend section 6903 of title 31, United States Code, to provide for additional population tiers, S.1341, to amend the Colorado Wilderness Act of 1993 to add certain land to the Sarvis Creek Wilderness, S.1349, to withdraw the National Forest System land in the Ruby Mountains subdistrict of the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest and the National Wildlife Refuge System land in Ruby Lake National Wildlife Refuge, Elko and White Pine Counties, Nevada, from operation under the mineral leasing laws, S.1413, to authorize additional funding for the San Joaquin River Restoration Settlement Act, S.1476, to amend the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act to designate certain segments of the Gila River system in the State of New Mexico as components of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System, to provide for the transfer of administrative jurisdiction over certain Federal land in the State of New Mexico, S.1737, to designate and expand wilderness areas in Olympic National Forest in the State of Washington, and to designate certain rivers in Olympic National Forest and Olympic National Park as wild and scenic rivers, S.1870, to adjust the boundary of the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area to include the Rim of the Valley Corridor, S.2554, to provide for the recognition of certain Alaska Native communities and the settlement of certain claims under the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act, S.2754 and H.R.5911, to direct the Secretary of Agriculture to convey to the City of Ouray, Colorado, certain land managed by the Forest Service, together with a reservoir, S.3526, to provide for the protection of and investment in certain Federal land in the State of California, S.3725, to require the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a study to determine the feasibility of constructing a project to supply municipal, rural, and industrial water to expand the capacity and reach of the Lewis and Clark Rural Water System, Inc. (doing business as "Lewis & Clark Regional Water System"), in the States of Iowa, Minnesota, and South Dakota, S.3732, to amend the Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation Act to authorize assistance under the storage program, H.R.249, to redesignate certain facilities at Paterson Great Falls National Historical Park in honor of Congressman Bill Pascrell, Jr, and the nominations of William Hague, of Washington, to be an Assistant Secretary, Kevin Lilly, of Texas, to be Assistant Secretary for Fish and Wildlife, both of the Department of the Interior, and Kaveh Farzad, of Maryland, to be an Assistant Secretary of Energy (International Affairs).
- Business meeting to consider S.140, to address the forest health crisis on the National Forest System and public lands, S.332, to require a study on Holocaust education efforts of States, local educational agencies, and public elementary and secondary schools, S.365 and H.R.1729, bills to amend the John D. Dingell, Jr. Conservation, Management, and Recreation Act to allow for additional entities to be eligible to complete the maintenance work on Bolts Ditch and the Bolts Ditch Headgate within the Holy Cross Wilderness, Colorado, S.764, to provide for the designation of certain wilderness areas, recreation management areas, and conservation areas in the State of Colorado, S.789, to require reports on critical mineral and rare earth element resources around the world and a strategy for the development of advanced mining, refining, separation, and processing technologies, S.791, to establish the Justice Thurgood Marshall National Historic Site in the State of Maryland as an affiliated area of the National Park System, S.888, to designate certain land administered by the Bureau of Land Management and the Forest Service in the State of Oregon as wilderness and national recreation areas, to withdraw certain land located in Curry County and Josephine County, Oregon, from all forms of entry, appropriation, or disposal under the public land laws, location, entry, and patent under the mining laws, and operation under the mineral leasing and geothermal leasing laws, S.945, to amend the Smith River National Recreation Area Act to include certain additions to the Smith River National Recreation Area, to amend the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act to designate certain wild rivers in the State of Oregon, S.1088 and H.R.2290, bills to provide that the memorial to commemorate the sacrifice and service of the women who worked on the home front to support the efforts of the United States military during World War II may be located on the National Mall, S.1288, to amend the John D. Dingell, Jr. Conservation, Management, and Recreation Act to designate as a component of the National Heritage Area System the Finger Lakes National Heritage Area in the State of New York, S.1341, to amend the Colorado Wilderness Act of 1993 to add certain land to the Sarvis Creek Wilderness, S.1349, to withdraw the National Forest System land in the Ruby Mountains subdistrict of the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest and the National Wildlife Refuge System land in Ruby Lake National Wildlife Refuge, Elko and White Pine Counties, Nevada, from operation under the mineral leasing laws, S.1413, to authorize additional funding for the San Joaquin River Restoration Settlement Act, S.1476, to amend the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act to designate certain segments of the Gila River system in the State of New Mexico as components of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System, to provide for the transfer of administrative jurisdiction over certain Federal land in the State of New Mexico, S.1547, to amend title 54, United States Code, to reauthorize the National Parks and Public Land Legacy Restoration Fund, S.1737, to designate and expand wilderness areas in Olympic National Forest in the State of Washington, and to designate certain rivers in Olympic National Forest and Olympic National Park as wild and scenic rivers, S.1870, to adjust the boundary of the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area to include the Rim of the Valley Corridor, S.2437 and H.R.3857, bills to amend the Snow Water Supply Forecasting Program Authorization Act, S.2753, to amend the Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009 to authorize certain extraordinary operation and maintenance work for urban canals of concern, S.3500 and H.R.3657, bills to amend the Federal Power Act to require the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to annually submit to Congress a report on the status of ongoing hydropower relicensing applications, S.3518, to amend the Federal Power Act to address certain alterations in, and the maintenance and repair of, project works, to provide for the licensing of micro hydrokinetic energy projects, S.3526, to provide for the protection of and investment in certain Federal land in the State of California, S.3693, to extend the authorization for a large-scale water recycling and reuse grant program, S.3723, to require the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a study to determine the feasibility of constructing a project to supply municipal, rural, and industrial water from the Missouri River to the Western Dakota Regional Water System, S.3732, to amend the Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation Act to authorize assistance under the storage program, S.3736, to require the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a study to determine the feasibility of constructing a project to supply municipal, rural, and industrial water to the Dakota Mainstem Regional Water System service area in the States of South Dakota, Iowa, Nebraska, and Minnesota, S.3743, to direct the Secretary of
Full text
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
March 6, 2025
Mr. Wyden (for himself and Mr. Merkley) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources
A BILL
To designate certain land administered by the Bureau of Land Management and the Forest Service in the State of Oregon as wilderness and national recreation areas, to withdraw certain land located in Curry County and Josephine County, Oregon, from all forms of entry, appropriation, or disposal under the public land laws, location, entry, and patent under the mining laws, and operation under the mineral leasing and geothermal leasing laws, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the “Oregon Recreation Enhancement Act”.
SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act:
(1) Secretary.—The term “Secretary” means—
(A) the Secretary of the Interior, with respect to public land administered by the Secretary of the Interior; or
(B) the Secretary of Agriculture, with respect to National Forest System land.
(2) State.—The term “State” means the State of Oregon.
SEC. 3. ROGUE CANYON AND MOLALLA RECREATION AREAS, OREGON.
(a) Designation of Rogue Canyon and Molalla Recreation Areas.—For the purposes of protecting, conserving, and enhancing the unique and nationally important recreational, ecological, scenic, cultural, watershed, and fish and wildlife values of the areas, the following areas in the State are designated as recreation areas for management by the Secretary in accordance with subsection (c):
(1) Rogue canyon recreation area.—The approximately 98,150 acres of Bureau of Land Management land within the boundary generally depicted as the “Rogue Canyon Recreation Area” on the map entitled “Rogue Canyon Recreation Area Wild Rogue Wilderness Additions” and dated November 19, 2019, which is designated as the “Rogue Canyon Recreation Area”.
(2) Molalla recreation area.—The approximately 29,884 acres of Bureau of Land Management land within the boundary generally depicted on the map entitled “Molalla Recreation Area” and dated September 26, 2018, which is designated as the “Molalla Recreation Area”.
(b) Maps and Legal Descriptions.—
(1) In general.—As soon as practicable after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall prepare a map and legal description of each recreation area designated by subsection (a).
(2) Effect.—The maps and legal descriptions prepared under paragraph (1) shall have the same force and effect as if included in this Act, except that the Secretary may correct any minor errors in the maps and legal descriptions.
(3) Public availability.—The maps and legal descriptions prepared under paragraph (1) shall be available for public inspection in the appropriate offices of the Bureau of Land Management.
(c) Administration.—
(1) Applicable law.—The Secretary shall administer each recreation area designated by subsection (a)—
(A) in a manner that conserves, protects, and enhances the purposes for which the recreation area is established; and
(B) in accordance with—
(i) this section;
(ii) the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 (43 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.); and
(iii) other applicable laws.
(2) Uses.—The Secretary shall only allow those uses of a recreation area designated by subsection (a) that are consistent with the purposes for which the recreation area is established.
(3) Wildfire risk assessment.—Not later than 280 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary, in consultation with the Oregon Governor’s Council on Wildfire Response, shall conduct a wildfire risk assessment that covers—
(A) the recreation areas designated by subsection
(a);
(B) the Wild Rogue Wilderness; and
(C) any Federal land adjacent to an area described in subparagraph (A) or (B).
(4) Wildfire mitigation plan.—
(A) In general.—Not later than 1 year after the date on which the wildfire risk assessment is conducted under paragraph (3), the Secretary shall develop a wildfire mitigation plan, based on the wildfire risk assessment, that identifies, evaluates, and prioritizes treatments and other management activities that can be implemented on the Federal land covered by the wildfire risk assessment (other than Federal land designated as a unit of the National Wilderness Preservation System) to mitigate wildfire risk to communities located near the applicable Federal land.
(B) Plan components.—The wildfire mitigation plan developed under subparagraph (A) shall include—
(i) vegetation management projects (including mechanical treatments to reduce hazardous fuels and improve forest health and resiliency);
(ii) evacuation routes for communities located near the applicable Federal land, which shall be developed in consultation with State and local fire agencies; and
(iii) strategies for public dissemination of emergency evacuation plans and routes.
(C) Applicable law.—The wildfire mitigation plan under subparagraph (A) shall be developed in accordance with—
(i) this section; and
(ii) any other applicable law.
(5) Road construction.—
(A) In general.—Except as provided in subparagraph
(B) or as the Secretary determines necessary for public safety, no new permanent or temporary roads shall be constructed (other than the repair and maintenance of existing roads) within a recreation area designated by subsection (a).
(B) Temporary roads.—Consistent with the purposes of this Act, the Secretary may construct temporary roads within a recreation area designated by subsection
(a) to implement the wildfire mitigation plan developed under paragraph (4), unless the temporary road would be within an area designated as a unit of the National Wilderness Preservation System.
(C) Effect.—Nothing in this paragraph affects the administration by the Secretary of the Molalla Forest Road in accordance with applicable resource management plans.
(6) Effect on wildfire management.—Nothing in this section alters the authority of the Secretary (in cooperation with other Federal, State, and local agencies, as appropriate) to conduct wildland fire operations within a recreation area designated by subsection (a), consistent with the purposes of this Act.
(7) Withdrawal.—Subject to valid existing rights, all Federal surface and subsurface land within a recreation area designated by subsection (a) is withdrawn from all forms of—
(A) entry, appropriation, or disposal under the public land laws;
(B) location, entry, and patent under the mining laws; and
(C) disposition under all laws pertaining to mineral leasing, geothermal leasing, or mineral materials.
(8) No effect on wilderness areas.—Any wilderness area located within a recreation area designated by subsection (a) shall be administered in accordance with the Wilderness Act (16 U.S.C. 1131 et seq.).
(d) Adjacent Management.—Nothing in this section creates any protective perimeter or buffer zone around a recreation area designated by subsection (a).
SEC. 4. EXPANSION OF WILD ROGUE WILDERNESS AREA.
(a) Definitions.—In this section:
(1) Map.—The term “map” means the map entitled “Rogue Canyon Recreation Area Wild Rogue Wilderness Additions” and dated November 19, 2019.
(2) Wilderness additions.—The term “Wilderness additions” means the land added to the Wild Rogue Wilderness under subsection (b)(1).
(b) Expansion of Wild Rogue Wilderness Area.—
(1) Expansion.—The approximately 59,512 acres of Federal land in the State generally depicted on the map as “Proposed Wilderness” shall be added to and administered as part of the Wild Rogue Wilderness in accordance with the Endangered American Wilderness Act of 1978 (16 U.S.C. 1132 note; Public Law 95-237), except that—
(A) the Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of Agriculture shall administer the Federal land under their respective jurisdiction; and
(B) any reference in that Act to the Secretary of Agriculture shall be considered to be a reference to the Secretary of Agriculture or the Secretary of the Interior, as applicable.
(2) Map; legal description.—
(A) In general.—As soon as practicable after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall prepare a map and legal description of the wilderness area designated by paragraph (1).
(B) Force of law.—The map and legal description filed under subparagraph (A) shall have the same force and effect as if included in this section, except that the Secretary may correct typographical errors in the map and legal description.
(C) Public availability.—The map and legal description filed under subparagraph (A) shall be on file and available for public inspection in the appropriate offices of the Bureau of Land Management and Forest Service.
(3) Fire, insects, and disease.—The Secretary may take such measures within the Wilderness additions as the Secretary determines to be necessary for the control of fire, insects, and disease, in accordance with section 4(d)(1) of the Wilderness Act (16 U.S.C. 1133(d)(1)).
(4) Withdrawal.—Subject to valid existing rights, the Wilderness additions are withdrawn from all forms of—
(A) entry, appropriation, or disposal under the public land laws;
(B) location, entry, and patent under the mining laws; and
(C) disposition under all laws pertaining to mineral leasing, geothermal leasing, or mineral materials.
(5) Tribal rights.—Nothing in this subsection alters, modifies, enlarges, diminishes, or abrogates the treaty rights of any Indian Tribe.
SEC. 5. WITHDRAWAL OF FEDERAL LAND, CURRY COUNTY AND JOSEPHINE COUNTY, OREGON.
(a) Definitions.—In this section:
(1) Eligible federal land.—The term “eligible Federal land” means—
(A) any federally owned land or interest in land depicted on the Maps as within the Hunter Creek and Pistol River Headwaters Withdrawal Proposal or the Rough and Ready and Baldface Creeks Mineral Withdrawal Proposal; or
(B) any land or interest in land located within such withdrawal proposals that is acquired by the Federal Government after the date of enactment of this Act.
(2) Maps.—The term “Maps” means—
(A) the Bureau of Land Management map entitled “Hunter Creek and Pistol River Headwaters Withdrawal Proposal” and dated January 12, 2015; and
(B) the Bureau of Land Management map entitled “Rough and Ready and Baldface Creeks Mineral Withdrawal Proposal” and dated January 12, 2015.
(b) Withdrawal.—Subject to valid existing rights, the eligible Federal land is withdrawn from all forms of—
(1) entry, appropriation, or disposal under the public land laws;
(2) location, entry, and patent under the mining laws; and
(3) operation under the mineral leasing and geothermal leasing laws.
(c) Availability of Maps.—Not later than 30 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Maps shall be made available to the public at each appropriate office of the Bureau of Land Management.
(d) Existing Uses Not Affected.—Except with respect to the withdrawal under subsection (b), nothing in this section restricts recreational uses, hunting, fishing, forest management activities, or other authorized uses allowed on the date of enactment of this Act on the eligible Federal land in accordance with applicable law. <all>
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