H.R. 2420 — Northern Rockies Ecosystem Protection Act of 2025

This section states the purpose of this title to designate certain National Forest System lands, National Park System lands, and public lands administered by the Bureau of Land Management in Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington, and Wyoming as wilderness areas and components of the National Wilderness Preservation System under the Wilderness Act.

This section designates federal lands in Montana as wilderness in the Greater Glacier/Northern Continental Divide ecosystem, as identified on the map entitled “Greater Glacier” dated April 10, 2023 (except the Glacier Wilderness, which uses the map entitled “Glacier National Park Wilderness” dated April 29, 2016). (1) Incorporates lands into the Bob Marshall Wilderness Complex, including 429,647 acres (Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest, Lolo National Forest, and BLM Lewistown Field Office) into the Bob Marshall and Scapegoat Wildernesses; 352,025 acres (Flathead National Forest) into the Bob Marshall and Great Bear Wildernesses; 24,295 acres and 22,086 acres (Flathead National Forest) into the Great Bear Wilderness. (2) Incorporates 29,000 acres (Lolo and Flathead National Forests) into the Mission Mountains Wilderness. (3) Designates the following new components of the National Wilderness Preservation System: Glacier Wilderness (925,000 acres, Glacier National Park); Sawtooth Ridge Wilderness (15,693 acres, Lewis and Clark National Forest); Tuchuck Wilderness (144,615 acres, Flathead and Kootenai National Forests); Le Beau Wilderness (6,523 acres, Flathead and Kootenai National Forests); Ten Lakes Wilderness (48,545 acres, Kootenai National Forest); Coal Ridge Wilderness (63,517 acres, Flathead National Forest); Standard Peak Wilderness (18,561 acres, Flathead National Forest); Demers Wilderness (6,955 acres, Flathead National Forest); Lincoln Gulch Wilderness (8,250 acres, Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest); Anaconda Hill Wilderness (18,546 acres, Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest); Devil Mountain Wilderness (10,890 acres, BLM Missoula Field Office); Specimen Creek Wilderness (12,327 acres, Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest); Nevada Mountain Wilderness (50,135 acres, Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest); and Crater Mountain Wilderness (approximately 9,000 acres, Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest).

This section designates approximately 3.9 million acres of federal land within the Custer Gallatin, Shoshone, Bridger-Teton, Beaverhead-Deerlodge, and Caribou-Targhee National Forests; Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks; and certain Bureau of Land Management (BLM) field offices (Lander, Pinedale, and Dillon)—as identified on the map entitled “Greater Yellowstone” dated April 10, 2023—to protect the Greater Yellowstone ecosystem by incorporating lands into existing wilderness areas or establishing new components of the National Wilderness Preservation System. Specifically, it (1) incorporates approximately 1.53 million acres as additions to the Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness (307,069 acres), North Absaroka Wilderness (173,000 acres), Washakie Wilderness (339,000 acres), Fitzpatrick Wilderness (11,943 acres), Teton Wilderness (24,000 acres), Gros Ventre Wilderness (134,761 acres), Bridger Wilderness (230,000 acres), Popo Agie Wilderness (60,000 acres), Jedediah Smith Wilderness (56,618 acres), and Lee Metcalf Wilderness (191,001 acres); and (2) designates the Yellowstone Wilderness (2,030,000 acres in Yellowstone National Park), Grand Teton Wilderness (123,000 acres in Grand Teton National Park), Snowcrest Wilderness (104,174 acres), Freezeout Mountain Wilderness (68,853 acres), and Lone Butte Wilderness (13,913 acres).

This section designates approximately 2.2 million acres of federal land in Idaho national forests (Boise, Bitterroot, Idaho Panhandle, Lolo, Nez Perce-Clearwater, Payette, Salmon-Challis, and Sawtooth) and BLM districts (Cottonwood and Challis field offices), as identified on the map entitled “Greater Salmon Selway” dated April 10, 2023, as wilderness to protect the Greater Salmon/Selway ecosystem. Specifically, the section (1) incorporates approximately 746,149 acres into the Frank Church-River of No Return Wilderness, 55,170 acres into the Gospel-Hump Wilderness, 559,195 acres into the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness, 547,811 acres into the Sawtooth Wilderness, 124,873 acres into the Cecil D. Andrus-White Clouds Wilderness, 76,836 acres into the Hemingway-Boulders Wilderness, and 94,252 acres into the Jim McClure-Jerry Peak Wilderness; and (2) establishes 11 new wilderness areas within the Great Burn Wildlands Complex as components of the National Wilderness Preservation System, including the Great Burn (Hoodoo) Wilderness (256,084 acres), Meadow Creek/Upper North Fork Wilderness (62,200 acres), Sheep Mountain/State Line Wilderness (65,563 acres), Mallard-Larkins Wilderness (258,972 acres), Bighorn-Weitas Wilderness (250,535 acres), Eldorado Creek Wilderness (7,000 acres), Moose Mountain Wilderness (22,023 acres), Fish and Hungery Creeks Wilderness (116,898 acres), Pot Mountain Wilderness (51,111 acres), Siwash Wilderness (9,992 acres), and Weir-Post Office Wilderness (22,075 acres). (Thus, these lands are subject to the Wilderness Act of 1964, which generally prohibits motorized access, new infrastructure, and commercial activities to preserve wilderness character.)

This section designates approximately 444,000 acres of federal land within the Kootenai, Lolo, Idaho Panhandle, and Colville National Forests as wilderness to protect the greater Cabinet-Yaak-Selkirk ecosystem (i.e., priority grizzly bear recovery areas in northern Idaho and northwestern Montana). Specifically, it (1) incorporates approximately 104,720 acres, identified on Map 1 (entitled “Greater Cabinet-Yaak Selkirk” and dated April 10, 2023), into the Cabinet Mountains Wilderness; (2) incorporates approximately 43,587 acres, identified on Map 1, into the Salmo-Priest Wilderness; and (3) establishes 21 new components of the National Wilderness Preservation System comprising approximately 296,000 acres—primarily in the Kootenai National Forest and some in the Lolo National Forest—including the Cube Iron-Silcox Wilderness (37,621 acres), Cataract Peak Wilderness (34,888 acres), Allen Peak Wilderness (30,000 acres), and Roderick Wilderness (29,677 acres), as identified on Map 1 or Map 2 (entitled “Northern Rockies Ecosystem Protection Act (2023)” and dated April 10, 2023). (Thus, these areas generally prohibit roads, structures, motorized equipment, and commercial timber harvest.)

This section designates federal lands in the Greater Hells Canyon ecosystem—primarily in the Payette, Nez Perce-Clearwater, Umatilla, and Wallowa-Whitman National Forests and certain Bureau of Land Management (BLM) lands administered by the Baker Field Office—as additions to existing wilderness areas and as new components of the National Wilderness Preservation System. Specifically, the section (1) incorporates approximately 364,895 acres into the Hells Canyon Wilderness, including 152,942 acres in the Payette National Forest and Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forests and 211,953 acres in the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest; (2) incorporates approximately 112,143 acres into the Eagle Cap Wilderness in the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest; and (3) incorporates approximately 12,478 acres into the Wenaha-Tucannon Wilderness in the Umatilla National Forest. The section also designates the following new wilderness areas: (A) Willow Springs Wilderness (10,414 acres in Umatilla NF); (B) Asotin Creek Wilderness (16,395 acres in Umatilla NF); (C) Spangler Wilderness (5,936 acres in Umatilla NF); (D) Wenatchee Creek Wilderness (15,315 acres in Umatilla NF); (E) Walla Walla River Wilderness (69,102 acres in Umatilla NF); (F) Grande Ronde Wilderness (22,164 acres in Umatilla NF and Wallowa-Whitman NF); (G) Lake Fork Wilderness (32,607 acres in Wallowa-Whitman NF); (H) Gumboot Butte Wilderness (10,753 acres in Wallowa-Whitman NF); (I) Homestead Wilderness (21,108 acres in Wallowa-Whitman NF and BLM lands); (J) Black Canyon Wilderness (7,449 acres in BLM lands); (K) Lookingglass Wilderness (5,218 acres in Umatilla NF); (L) Joseph Canyon Wilderness (40,468 acres in Wallowa-Whitman NF); (M) Tope Creek Wilderness (17,997 acres in Wallowa-Whitman NF); (N) Cottonwood-Broady Creek Wilderness (24,680 acres in Wallowa-Whitman NF); (O) Lick Creek Wilderness (5,075 acres in Wallowa-Whitman NF); (P) Bear Gulch Wilderness (17,779 acres in Wallowa-Whitman NF); (Q) Big and Little Sheep Creek Wilderness (41,124 acres in Wallowa-Whitman NF); (R) Echo Canyon Wilderness (7,397 acres in Wallowa-Whitman NF); and (S) Sheep Gulch Wilderness (in Payette NF). (Thus, these lands generally must be managed to preserve wilderness character under the Wilderness Act, prohibiting roads, motorized equipment, structures, and most commercial activities.)

This section designates approximately 763,000 acres of federal land in Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington, and Wyoming—primarily in national forests and one Bureau of Land Management (BLM) field office—as components of the National Wilderness Preservation System to protect isolated mountain ranges in the Northern Rockies Bioregion, as depicted on maps entitled "Islands in the Sky Map 1," "Islands in the Sky Map 2," "Islands in the Sky Map 3," and "Northern Rockies Ecosystem Protection Act (2023)," all dated April 10, 2023. Specifically, the section— (1) incorporates approximately 145,319 acres in the Malheur, Umatilla, and Wallowa-Whitman National Forests into the North Fork John Day Wilderness; (2) incorporates approximately 190,790 acres in the Bighorn National Forest and Worland BLM Field Office into the Cloud Peak Wilderness; (3) incorporates approximately 6,740 acres in the Malheur National Forest into the Monument Rock Wilderness; (4) incorporates approximately 28,702 acres in the Caribou-Targhee National Forest (identified as "Cache Crest") into the Mount Naomi Wilderness; (5) designates approximately 156,313 acres in the Colville National Forest (Kettle Mountains) as new wilderness areas, including the Thirteen Mile Wilderness (14,259 acres), Bald Snow Wilderness (27,716 acres), Profanity Wilderness (35,538 acres), Huckleberry South Wilderness (16,774 acres), Cougar Mountain Wilderness (7,629 acres), Owl Mountain Wilderness (14,686 acres), Deer Creek Wilderness (9,316 acres), Jackknife Mountain Wilderness (9,564 acres), Paradise Wilderness (6,131 acres), Profanity East Wilderness (7,000 acres), and Hoodoo-Twin Sisters Wilderness (7,000 acres); and (6) designates approximately 243,938 acres primarily in the Bighorn National Forest (Bighorn Mountains) as new wilderness areas, including the Little Bighorn Wilderness (80,129 acres), Wolf Creek Wilderness (49,550 acres), Lodge Grass Wilderness (38,312 acres), Hideout Creek Wilderness (9,282 acres), Bear Rocks Wilderness (24,988 acres), and Horse Creek Mesa Wilderness (41,677 acres).

This section designates certain federal lands in Montana's Bitterroot, Beaverhead-Deerlodge, Helena, and Lolo National Forests and Bureau of Land Management (BLM) field offices (Missoula, Butte, and Dillon), as identified on the map entitled “Northern Rockies Ecosystem Protection Act (2023),” as wilderness to protect biological connecting corridors designated by section 202. It incorporates (1) approximately 194,009 acres (“North Big Hole, Storm Lake, North Carpp, Upper East Fork, and Sapphire”) into the Anaconda-Pintler Wilderness; and (2) approximately 6,377 acres (“Biglog-Holter”) into the Gates of the Mountain Wilderness. It further designates as new components of the National Wilderness Preservation System (1) Stony Mountain Wilderness (100,845 acres); (2) Quigg Peak Wilderness (80,473 acres); (3) Silver King Wilderness (51,380 acres); (4) Emerine Wilderness (16,627 acres); (5) Sleeping Child Wilderness (21,433 acres); (6) Mount Bushnell Wilderness (41,798 acres); (7) Cherry Peak Wilderness (37,662 acres); (8) Patrick's Knob/North Cutoff Wilderness (16,970 acres); (9) South Siegel/South Cutoff Wilderness (13,474 acres); (10) North Siegel Wilderness (9,208 acres); (11) Reservation Divide Wilderness (19,908 acres); (12) Burdette Wilderness (16,018 acres); (13) Petty Mountain/Deep Creek Wilderness (23,847 acres); (14) Fleecer Wilderness (36,118 acres); (15) Highlands Wilderness (21,215 acres); (16) Basin Creek Wilderness (9,681 acres); (17) Granulated Mountains Wilderness (15,180 acres); (18) Black Sage Wilderness (5,917 acres); (19) Ruby Range Wilderness (26,254 acres); (20) Humbug Spires Wilderness (11,327 acres); and (21) Gold Hill Wilderness.

This section directs the Secretary concerned to administer land designated as wilderness by this title in accordance with the Wilderness Act (16 U.S.C. 1131 et seq.), subject to valid existing rights, with modifications deeming references in that Act to its effective date as the date of this Act's enactment, references to the Secretary of Agriculture as the Secretary concerned, and requiring coordination between the Secretaries of the Interior and Agriculture—to the maximum extent practicable—for areas spanning their jurisdictions. The section further requires the Secretary concerned, as soon as practicable after enactment, to submit maps and legal descriptions of each such area to the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources and the House Committee on Natural Resources, which shall have the force of law (subject to correction of clerical and typographical errors) and be made available for public inspection in the offices of the Forest Service Chief, Bureau of Land Management Director, or National Park Service Director, as appropriate.

This section reserves, for lands designated as wilderness by this title, rights to a quantity of water sufficient to fulfill wilderness purposes (i.e., maintaining natural conditions and ecological integrity), with a priority date of the date of enactment. It directs the Secretaries of Agriculture and Interior, and other relevant U.S. officers, to protect these rights to the maximum extent practicable—including by filing claims for quantification in state court stream adjudications occurring on or after enactment in Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Oregon, or Washington where the United States is joined pursuant to the McCarran Amendment (43 U.S.C. 666).

This section requires the Secretary concerned to accept donations of valid existing grazing permits or leases—or portions thereof—authorizing grazing on public lands or National Forest System lands located wholly or partially within wilderness areas designated under title I, biological connecting corridors designated under title II, or recovery areas designated under title IV. Upon donation, the Secretary must terminate the permit, lease, or donated portion and ensure a permanent end to grazing on the covered land, except that for common allotments covered by a non-donated permit the Secretary must reduce—and not exceed—the authorized grazing level to reflect the donation, and for partial donations of less than the full authorized level the Secretary must reduce and modify the permit or lease accordingly.

This section states congressional findings that (1) scientific information underscores the need for biological connecting corridors between core ecosystem areas in the Northern Rockies Bioregion, including in response to climate-driven species dispersal; (2) no remaining major wildland ecosystems in the bioregion can independently sustain viable populations of native wildlife, biological diversity, and ecological processes, but an effective reserve system is feasible with protected corridors; (3) wildland areas addressed by the title, located between major core ecosystems, are essential for wildlife and plant migration and genetic interchange; and (4) those areas include some of the most beautiful and wild U.S. mountain ranges, such as the Bitterroot, Sapphire, Lost River, Lemhi, and Bridger ranges.

This section designates approximately 2,900,000 acres of Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management land in the Northern Rockies Bioregion, as generally depicted on the map entitled “Northern Rockies Ecosystem Protection Act (2023)” and dated April 10, 2023, as biological connecting corridors that link the Greater Yellowstone, Greater Glacier/Northern Continental Divide, Greater Hells Canyon, Greater Salmon/Selway, and Greater Cabinet-Yaak-Selkirk ecosystems to protect regional life flow. Such corridors shall be subject to the special corridor management requirements under section 203.

This section designates portions of the biological connecting corridors specified in section 202 as special corridor management areas to be managed in accordance with the Multiple-Use Sustained-Yield Act of 1960 and the following requirements: (1) prohibits even-aged silvicultural management (i.e., regenerating even-aged stands of trees through clearcutting or similar methods) and timber harvesting; (2) prohibits, subject to valid existing rights, mining, oil and gas exploration and development, and new road construction or reconstruction; and (3) requires the administering federal land management agency to immediately reduce road densities to approach zero miles per square mile (to the maximum extent practicable), not to exceed 0.25 miles per square mile using the "moving window" method.

This section limits applicability of this title to National Forest System lands and lands under the jurisdiction of the Bureau of Land Management. It specifies that no private land is affected and no private landowner adjacent to designated biological connecting corridors may be compelled to comply, while allowing private landowners to enter voluntary cooperative agreements or sales with the federal government to include their land in such corridors.

This section directs the Secretaries of the Interior and Agriculture to seek cooperative agreements with private, state, corporate landowners, and sovereign Indian Tribes whose land is adjacent to public land in biological connecting corridors designated under this title, if such agreements would benefit the corridors' ecological integrity and function. It authorizes those Secretaries to undertake land trades or acquisitions to carry out the purposes of this title if the action is deemed appropriate and compliant with applicable law (including regulations). It requires those Secretaries to describe progress on such cooperative agreements, acquisitions, and proposed land exchanges in the report required by section 501.

This section exempts specified roads and highways in Idaho and Montana—including U.S. Highways 2, 10, 12, 20, 89, 91, 93, 95, and 287; Interstate Highways 15 and 90; Idaho State Highways 3, 28, 29, and 87; Montana State Highways 2, 37, 38, 41, 43, 56, 58, 83, 87, 135, 200, 278, 287, 293, 294, 298, and 324; Montana Secondary Roads 92, 278, 279, 294, 298, 324, 411, and 508; and various county, national forest, and other named roads—from this title. It further authorizes the Secretary concerned to exempt any federal, state, county, or private road mistakenly omitted from the list if the Secretary determines the exemption is necessary to carry out the purposes of this title.

This section designates additional river segments in Idaho as components of the national wild and scenic rivers system by adding paragraphs (233) through (255) to Section 3(a) of the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act. (As background, the national wild and scenic rivers system protects outstanding free-flowing rivers and adjacent lands from new dams and development, with classifications of wild, scenic, or recreational determining allowable uses and access.) The new designations, administered by the Secretary of Agriculture unless otherwise noted, are as follows: (1) South Fork Payette River—the approximately 54-mile segment within the Boise and Sawtooth National Forests from the Sawtooth Wilderness boundary downstream to the Middle Fork confluence and then on the main stem to the North Fork confluence; (2) Middle Fork Payette River—the approximately 33-mile segment within the Boise National Forest from Railroad Pass downstream to the national forest boundary; (3) Deadwood River—the approximately 22-mile segment within the Boise National Forest from Threemile Creek downstream to the South Fork Payette; (4) Upper Priest River—the approximately 19-mile segment within the Panhandle National Forests from the Canadian border downstream to Upper Priest Lake; (5) Coeur d'Alene River—the approximately 58-mile segment within the Panhandle National Forests from the headwaters downstream to the national forest boundary; (6) Little North Fork Clearwater River—the approximately 37-mile segment within the Idaho Panhandle and Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forests from the headwaters downstream to the national forest boundary; (7) Kelly Creek—the approximately 31-mile segment within the Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forests from the headwaters downstream to the North Fork Clearwater River; (8) Cayuse Creek—the approximately 39-mile segment within the Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forests from the headwaters downstream to Kelly Creek; (9) Bargamin Creek—the approximately 21-mile segment within the Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forests; (10) Lake Creek—the approximately 10-mile segment within the Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forests from the wilderness boundary downstream to Crooked Creek; (11) Meadow Creek—the approximately 34-mile segment within the Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forests from the headwaters downstream to the Selway River; (12) Running Creek—the approximately 20-mile segment within the Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forests; (13) Salmon River— (A) Vinegar Creek—the approximately 25-mile segment within the Nez Perce-Clearwater and Payette National Forests downstream to the Little Salmon River; (B) main stem—the approximately 45-mile segment on public lands managed by the Bureau of Land Management from Hammer Creek downstream to the Snake River confluence, administered by the Secretary of the Interior; (C) main stem—the approximately 60-mile segment on public lands within the Sawtooth National Recreation Area from the headwaters downstream to the recreation area boundary; (14) East Fork Salmon River—the approximately 42-mile segment within the Sawtooth National

This section defines key terms for purposes of this title, including "recovery" (i.e., restoration of the natural, untrammeled condition or undeveloped, roadless character of land damaged by a land management activity), "recovery area" (i.e., any area designated as a wildland recovery area under section 402(a)), and "Secretary" (i.e., the Secretary of Agriculture).

This section designates approximately 1,023,000 acres in nine specified areas of national forests, as depicted on the map entitled “Northern Rockies Ecosystem Protection Act (2023)” and dated April 10, 2023, as wildland recovery areas: (1) Skyland area, approximately 10,000 acres administered by the Flathead National Forest; (2) Hungry Horse area (except Hungry Horse Dam and Reservoir), approximately 205,000 acres administered by the Flathead National Forest; (3) Lolo Creek area, approximately 59,000 acres administered by the Lolo or Clearwater National Forest; (4) Yellowstone West area, approximately 164,000 acres administered by the Caribou-Targhee National Forest; (5) Mt. Leidy area, approximately 70,000 acres administered by the Bridger-Teton National Forest; (6) Cabinet/Yaak area, approximately 100,000 acres administered by the Kootenai National Forest; (7) Lightning Creek area, approximately 31,000 acres administered by the Idaho Panhandle National Forests; (8) Coeur d'Alene River area, approximately 372,000 acres administered by the Idaho Panhandle National Forests; and (9) Magruder Corridor area, approximately 12,000 acres administered by the Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forests or Bitterroot National Forest. Subject to subsection (c), the section exempts from this title private roads; federally, state, or locally owned roads (including National Forest System roads) used to access existing authorized uses; and essential facilities (e.g., developed campgrounds, ranger stations) as determined by the Chief of the Forest Service. Notwithstanding those exemptions and in accordance with plans developed under section 403, the section requires the Secretary to recover and restore the portion of the Magruder Corridor between Magruder Crossing and Dry Saddle and authorizes recovery and restoration of any National Forest System road or Forest Service facility in a recovery area.

This section establishes management requirements for land within recovery areas, directing that such land be managed, to the maximum extent practicable, to (1) restore native vegetative cover; (2) reduce or eliminate invasive nonnative species; (3) facilitate native species diversity, subject to climate change conditions; (4) stabilize slopes and soils to prevent erosion; (5) recontour slopes to original contours; (6) remove barriers to natural fish spawning runs; and (7) restore a natural roadless and wild condition, with special consideration given to water quality restoration. This section further directs the Secretary to develop a wildland recovery plan for each recovery area not later than three years after enactment of this Act, including descriptions of projects, activities, and funding required for compliance; and requires the Secretary to use measurable criteria to evaluate the success of recovery actions.

This section requires the Secretaries concerned to jointly submit to the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources and the House Committee on Natural Resources, not later than 3 years after enactment, a report prepared by a panel of independent scientists appointed by the National Academy of Sciences (in consultation with the Society for Conservation Biology) that describes (1) implementation of this Act during the preceding 3-year period and (2) any additional projects, activities, and funding required to achieve the purposes of this Act.

This section establishes an interagency team, with equal participants from public and private sectors, to monitor, evaluate, and recommend actions ensuring achievement of the Act's long-term results for the Northern Rockies Bioregion. The team must (1) develop a satellite-based geographic information system (GIS) with periodically updated maps and databases tracking vegetation cover (including species occurrence and densities), human impacts, water and air quality, activities affecting forest husbandry and restoration, and status reports on ecosystem protection, corridor consolidation, forest recovery, and threatened and endangered species; and (2) assess wildlife movement across or under major highways and rail lines in biological corridors established under title II, identifying major crossing points and practicable actions such as underpasses and overpasses.

This section defines roadless land as National Forest System land greater than 1,000 acres in the Wild Rockies Bioregion in Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington, or Wyoming that is not designated wilderness. It directs a panel of independent scientists to identify and evaluate such land using existing satellite and geographic information system data from the Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; study its role in Northern Rockies biological diversity and the Forest Reserve System; and include management recommendations in a report. Effective upon completion of the evaluation, it prohibits road construction or reconstruction, timber harvesting (except firewood gathering), and oil or gas leasing, mining, or other development impairing roadless qualities on such land, subject to valid existing rights.

This section exempts from disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA, 5 U.S.C. §552) any information relating to a sacred site or cultural activity that an Indian Tribe identifies as confidential. (Thus, federal agencies receiving such information from or about tribes are not required to release it in response to FOIA requests.)

This section defines "protected area" as land designated under the Act as a wilderness area, recovery area, wild or scenic river, or biological corridor. It directs the Secretaries concerned to ensure nonexclusive access by Indians to protected areas for traditional cultural or religious purposes (in recognition of past use), consistent with the American Indian Religious Freedom Act (42 U.S.C. 1996)—which protects the inherent right of American Indians, Eskimos, Aleuts, and Native Hawaiians to believe, express, and exercise traditional religions, including access to sites, sacred objects, and worship through rites—and, for wilderness areas, the Wilderness Act (16 U.S.C. 1131 et seq.). It authorizes the Secretaries, upon request from an Indian tribe, to temporarily close specific portions of a protected area to the general public to protect the privacy of religious activities or cultural uses. It requires the Secretaries, when preparing a protected area management plan, to solicit recommendations from applicable tribal governments on (1) ensuring Indian access to important sites, (2) enhancing privacy for traditional cultural and religious activities, and (3) protecting Indian cultural and religious sites.

This section preserves all water rights reserved, appropriated, or otherwise secured by the United States in Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington, or Wyoming on or before the date of enactment.