S. 1681 — Shenandoah Mountain Act

This section defines terms used in the bill, including (1) "National Scenic Area," meaning the Shenandoah Mountain National Scenic Area established by section 3(a) and encompassing National Forest System lands within its boundary administered either as part of the scenic area or as wilderness under section 4; (2) "Secretary," meaning the Secretary of Agriculture acting through the Chief of the Forest Service; (3) "State," meaning Virginia; and (4) "Wilderness Area," meaning wilderness areas designated by paragraphs (21) through (25) of section 1 of Public Law 100-326 (16 U.S.C. 1132 note), as added by section 4.

This section establishes the Shenandoah Mountain National Scenic Area, consisting of approximately 92,562 acres of National Forest System land in the George Washington and Jefferson National Forests subject to valid existing rights. The purposes of the area include protecting scenic and water quality, wildlife and plant habitat (including for the Cow Knob salamander above 3,000 feet elevation), forests with old-growth potential, adjacent Wilderness Areas, and compatible recreation opportunities. The Secretary must administer the area under applicable National Forest System laws and this section (with Wilderness Areas under the Wilderness Act), without creating buffer zones or affecting external activities; existing authorized recreation continues or improves, including nonmotorized trails and special use authorizations consistent with area purposes. Not later than two years after enactment, the Secretary must develop a National Forest System trail plan for non-Wilderness lands in the area (potentially including nearby lands) that promotes sustainable nonmotorized trails with public input, prioritizes resource protection, and includes a specific trail in the Tillman Road corridor connecting the Wolf Ridge Trail parking area to the Wild Oak National Recreation Trail pending environmental analysis; the Secretary must submit an implementation report to Congress within two years. The establishment does not close any National Forest System roads.

This section designates four new wilderness areas and expands one existing wilderness area in the George Washington and Jefferson National Forests, as generally depicted on maps filed under section 5(a)(2) of the Shenandoah Mountain Act: (1) Skidmore Fork Wilderness, comprising approximately 5,088 acres; (2) addition of approximately 6,961 acres to the Ramseys Draft Wilderness (previously designated by Public Law 98-586); (3) Lynn Hollow Wilderness, comprising approximately 3,568 acres; (4) Little River Wilderness, comprising approximately 12,461 acres; and (5) Beech Lick Knob Wilderness, comprising approximately 5,779 acres.

This section directs the Secretary to file, as soon as practicable after enactment, maps and boundary descriptions of the National Scenic Area and each Wilderness Area with the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry and the House Committees on Natural Resources and Agriculture. The section states that such maps and descriptions have the force of law (except the Secretary may correct clerical and typographical errors), specifies that maps control in any acreage discrepancy, and requires their availability for public inspection in the office of the Chief of the Forest Service.