H.R. 3421 — Gunnison Outdoor Resources Protection Act of 2025

This section provides definitions for 18 terms used in the Act, including “collaboratively developed” (a project developed and implemented transparently with multiple interested persons representing diverse interests or via specified resource advisory committee processes), “County” (Gunnison County, Colorado), “covered area” (Special Management Areas, Wildlife Conservation Areas, Protection Areas, Recreation Management Areas, and the Scientific Research and Education Area), “decommission” (with respect to a road), “ecological integrity” and “restore” (as defined in specified Forest Service regulations), “off-highway vehicle” and “over-snow vehicle” (as defined in specified Forest Service and BLM regulations), “wildland-urban interface” (land within specified distance of mapped interface areas), and “winter travel management plan” (a decision designating routes for over-snow vehicle use under specified Forest Service and BLM regulations).

This section designates nine special management areas (SMAs) on approximately 214,650 acres of Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management (BLM)-administered federal lands in Gunnison County, Colorado, subject to valid existing rights, as generally depicted on maps entitled "Sheet 2: McClure Pass," "Sheet 3: Kebler and Schofield Pass," "Sheet 4: Brush Creek, Cement Creek, and Spring Creek," "Sheet 5: Union Park," "Sheet 8: Gunnison Valley and Ohio Pass," and "Sheet 9: Cabin Creek," all dated August 27, 2024: (1) American Flag SMA (~36,171 acres, Forest Service); (2) Beckwiths SMA (~24,031 acres, Forest Service); (3) Clear Fork SMA (~37,998 acres, Forest Service); (4) McIntosh Mountain SMA (~22,497 acres, BLM and Forest Service); (5) North Poverty Gulch SMA (~5,476 acres, Forest Service); (6) Pilot Knob SMA (~16,973 acres, Forest Service); (7) Signal Peak SMA (~28,345 acres, BLM and Forest Service); (8) Union Park SMA (~22,483 acres, Forest Service); and (9) Whetstone Headwaters SMA (~20,676 acres, Forest Service and BLM). The purpose of the SMAs is to conserve, protect, and enhance natural, scenic, scientific, cultural, watershed, recreation, and wildlife resources for present and future generations. (As background, SMAs provide congressional direction for land management agencies to prioritize resource protection over development while allowing compatible recreation and access.) The Secretary concerned (i.e., Secretary of Agriculture for Forest Service lands or Secretary of the Interior for BLM lands) must manage the SMAs to conserve, protect, and enhance those resources in accordance with the Act and applicable laws, permitting only uses that further the purpose. Off-highway vehicles and bicycles are allowed only on roads, trails, and areas designated for such use as of enactment, except as needed for administrative purposes, emergencies, or as authorized for winter travel or potential trails; for SMA portions lacking a winter travel management plan as of enactment, the Secretary must adopt one within three years and may permit interim over-snow vehicle use consistent with existing plans. This section does not affect potential development, per applicable law, of certain proposed trails (e.g., Big Grassy Trail of less than 50 inches width in American Flag SMA).

This section designates eight wildlife conservation areas comprising approximately 223,865 acres of federal land in Gunnison County, Colorado (with the Sawtooth area extending into Saguache County), managed by the Bureau of Land Management and/or Forest Service and subject to valid existing rights: (1) Cabin Creek (29,518 acres); (2) Flat Top (28,844 acres); (3) Lake Gulch and Cebolla Creek (50,535 acres); (4) Matchless (12,975 acres); (5) Munsey Creek (3,281 acres); (6) Pinnacles (27,935 acres); (7) Powderhorn (27,668 acres); and (8) Sawtooth (43,109 acres). The purposes of the areas are to conserve, protect, enhance, and restore wildlife, habitat, and natural, scenic, scientific, cultural, watershed, and recreation resources. The Secretary must manage the areas to further those purposes in accordance with the Act and applicable laws, allowing only compatible uses; off-highway vehicles and bicycles are permitted only on roads, trails, and areas designated for such use as of enactment (with exceptions for administrative needs, emergencies, and interim over-snow vehicle use pending winter travel management plans required within three years); such use is prohibited in the Matchless area except as authorized; and bicycles may be permitted on designated potential trails. This section does not affect potential development, under applicable law, of the proposed Gunnison to Crested Butte Trail in the Flat Top area or the proposed Crested Butte to Carbondale Trail in the Munsey Creek area.

This section designates four protection areas totaling approximately 20,542 acres of federal land in the county managed by the Forest Service and, in two areas, the Bureau of Land Management—subject to valid existing rights—as generally depicted on specified maps dated August 27, 2024: (1) Castle Protection Area (~6,390 acres); (2) Deer Creek Protection Area (~3,136 acres); (3) Granite Basin Protection Area (~9,666 acres); and (4) South Poverty Gulch Protection Area (~1,350 acres). The purposes of the areas are to protect their natural and undeveloped character and to conserve their natural, scenic, scientific, cultural, watershed, recreation, and wildlife resources for present and future generations. The Secretary must manage the areas to further these purposes and applicable law, allowing only compatible uses; prohibits off-highway vehicle use except for administrative purposes or emergencies (with over-snow vehicles permitted in the Deer Creek Protection Area on routes designated as of enactment); and permits bicycles only on routes designated as of enactment, for administrative or emergency purposes, or on three specified potential trails whose development is unaffected by this section (i.e., Deer Creek to Brush Creek Connector Trail, Eccher Exit Trail, and Lower Loop Trail Extension).

This section designates two recreation management areas on Forest Service-managed federal land in the County, subject to valid existing rights: (1) the Double Top Recreation Management Area, comprising approximately 14,734 acres as generally depicted on the map entitled “Sheet 4: Brush Creek, Cement Creek, and Spring Creek” dated August 27, 2024; and (2) the Horse Ranch Park Recreation Management Area, comprising approximately 3,513 acres as generally depicted on the map entitled “Sheet 3: Kebler and Schofield Pass” dated August 27, 2024. The areas are to be managed to improve recreation resources and conserve natural, scenic, scientific, cultural, watershed, and wildlife resources, with only uses permitted that further those purposes. In the Double Top area, off-highway vehicles (OHVs) and bicycles are allowed only on roads and trails designated for such use as of enactment; over-snow vehicles are prohibited except for administrative purposes or emergencies (including support for the Grand Traverse skiing event). In the Horse Ranch Park area, OHV use is prohibited except for over-snow vehicles on designated roads, trails, and areas as of enactment or for administrative/emergency purposes; bicycles are allowed only on such designations, for administrative/emergency purposes, or if designated by the Secretary on potential trails; and the provision does not affect potential development of the proposed Crested Butte to Paonia Trail, Crested Butte to Carbondale Trail, or Dark Canyon Loop Trail.

This section designates approximately 12,250 acres of Forest Service-managed federal land in the Rocky Mountain region, as generally depicted on the map entitled “Sheet 3: Kebler and Schofield Pass” dated August 27, 2024, as the Rocky Mountain Scientific Research and Education Area (subject to valid existing rights) to support ecological, evolutionary, geological, and other natural science research and education; opportunities for emerging research techniques; and conservation of natural, scenic, scientific, cultural, watershed, recreation, and wildlife resources. The Secretary must manage the area to further these purposes and applicable laws, permitting only compatible uses, limiting off-highway vehicles (except for administrative or emergency purposes) to roads designated as of enactment, and allowing bicycles only on roads and trails designated as of enactment or on new trails determined consistent with the research and education purposes. This section does not limit the Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory's authority to conduct scientific research or education activities inside or outside the area.

This section amends Section 2(a) of the Colorado Wilderness Act of 1993 to— (1) add approximately 2,096 acres (Crystal Creek Wilderness Addition and Lottis Creek Wilderness Addition) to the wilderness designated in paragraph (6); (2) expand paragraph (9) to include the White River National Forest (in addition to the Gunnison National Forest) and add approximately 11,780 acres (Poverty Gulch Wilderness Addition, Treasure Wilderness Addition, and Erickson Springs Wilderness Addition); (3) designate the Matchless Wilderness (8,656 acres), East Cement Wilderness (7,684 acres), and Star Peak Wilderness (7,210 acres) in the Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre, Gunnison, and White River National Forests; and (4) incorporate additional lands into existing wilderness areas, including the Maroon Bells-Snowmass Wilderness (3,321 acres), West Elk Wilderness (58,603 acres from BLM lands, national forest lands, and Curecanti National Recreation Area), Uncompahgre Wilderness (13,948 acres), and Powderhorn Wilderness (9,604 acres from BLM lands). This section also— (1) deems references to the effective date of the Colorado Wilderness Act of 1993 in the Wilderness Act or that Act to mean the date of enactment of this Act, for purposes of administering these wilderness areas; (2) authorizes the Secretary to control fire, insects, and diseases within these wilderness areas, subject to appropriate terms and conditions; (3) modifies the West Elk Wilderness boundary to exclude approximately 15 acres (West Elk Wilderness Boundary Pullback), which are withdrawn from entry and appropriation under public land laws, location and patent under mining laws, and operation of mineral leasing, mineral materials, and geothermal leasing laws, subject to valid existing rights; and (4) releases lands within the Powderhorn Wilderness Study Area not designated as wilderness by this section from further wilderness study requirements under the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976.

This section (1) withdraws federal lands in Delta County, Colorado, as depicted on the map entitled “Sheet 6: North Fork Valley” and dated August 27, 2024, from oil and gas mineral leasing laws, subject to valid existing rights, while authorizing the Secretary of the Interior to permit the use or destruction of methane gas leaking from active or inactive federally leased coal mines or abandoned coal mines where the federal government holds methane mineral rights; (2) subjects federal lands in Delta County, Colorado, as depicted on the map entitled “Sheet 1: Electric Mountain” and dated August 27, 2024, to a no surface occupancy restriction for oil and gas exploration, development, production, and distribution, subject to valid existing rights; and (3) authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to transfer a pre-designation special recreation use permit for motorized boats in the Gunnison Gorge Wilderness Area, notwithstanding the Gunnison Gorge National Conservation Area Approved Resource Management Plan dated November 2004 and subject to the Wilderness Act, if a federal, state, or local government acquires permanent public access to the Gunnison River boat ramp at Gunnison Forks Day Use Area in Delta County, Colorado, with reasonable fees.

This section directs the Secretary of the Interior, not later than one year after enactment and upon request by the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe, to take into trust approximately 19,080 acres of fee land owned by the tribe in the county—as generally depicted on the map entitled “Ute Mountain Ute Tribe; Pinecrest Ranch—Fee to Trust Legislation” dated September 20, 2024—subject to valid existing rights, designates the land as part of the tribe's reservation to be administered as federal trust land, and prohibits its use for gaming under the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act. The section further requires the Secretary to complete a boundary survey within one year if the land is taken into trust and preserves the county's rights, title, interests, and jurisdiction in County Road 25 or its right-of-way.

This section establishes general management provisions for covered areas and wilderness areas designated by the Act, including— (1) requiring the Secretary of the Interior or Agriculture, as applicable, to file maps and legal descriptions with the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources and the House Committee on Natural Resources, which shall have the force of law (with typographical corrections allowed) and be publicly available at Bureau of Land Management or Forest Service offices; (2) authorizing acquisition of land or interests therein only by exchange, donation, or purchase from willing sellers, with acquired lands managed as part of the applicable area; (3) withdrawing the areas from all forms of entry, appropriation, disposal under public land laws, location and patent under mining laws, and operation of mineral leasing, mining materials, and geothermal leasing laws, subject to valid existing rights; (4) preserving state jurisdiction over fish and wildlife; continuing existing grazing laws, regulations, and policies; and authorizing wildfire, insect, disease, and hazardous fuels management (with coordination as needed); (5) prohibiting commercial timber harvesting and limiting ecological restoration projects outside wildland-urban interfaces to collaboratively developed activities focused on small-diameter trees or biomass, retention of old growth and large trees, and prescribed fire using best available science; (6) prohibiting new roads except temporary roads for authorized vegetation management (to be decommissioned within three years of project completion), emergencies, or scientific equipment transport, while allowing trail rerouting for safety or resource protection; (7) preserving decreed state water rights in existence on the date of enactment; (8) prohibiting buffer zones around the areas and allowing non-area activities visible or audible from within the areas; and (9) directing seasonal closures for off-highway vehicles and bicycles to protect wildlife in specified areas (i.e., McIntosh Mountain and Signal Peak Special Management Areas and four named Wildlife Conservation Areas) and wet meadow and riparian restoration projects for climate resiliency and habitat in specified areas (i.e., McIntosh Mountain and Signal Peak Special Management Areas).