Full Text of H.R.1500
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the `America's Red Rock Wilderness Act of 1995'.
SEC. 2. GENERAL PROVISIONS.
(a) NAME- Each wilderness area named in a table contained in title I shall be--
(1) the area referenced in the table, as generally depicted on the map entitled `Utah BLM Wilderness Proposed by H.R. 1500, 102d Congress'; and
(2) known by the name given to it in that table.
(b) MAP AND DESCRIPTION- As soon as practicable after enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall file a map and a legal description of each wilderness area designated under this Act with the Committee on Natural Resources of the House of Representatives and with the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources of the Senate. Each such map and description shall have the same force and effect as if included in this Act, except that correction of clerical and typographical errors in such legal description and map may be made. Each such map and legal description shall be on file and available for public inspection in the Office of the Director of the Bureau of Land Management, Department of the Interior.
(c) SECRETARY- For the purposes of this Act, the term `Secretary' means the Secretary of the Interior.
TITLE I--DESIGNATION OF
WILDERNESS
SEC. 101. GREAT BASIN WILDERNESS AREAS.
(a) FINDINGS- The Congress finds that the Great Basin region of western Utah is comprised of starkly beautiful mountain ranges which rise as islands from the desert floor. Some, like Wah Wah Mountains, are arid and austere, with massive cliff faces and leathery slopes speckled with pinyon and juniper. Others, like the Deep Creek and Stansbury Mountains, are high enough to draw moisture from passing clouds and support ecosystems found nowhere else on earth. From bristlecone pine, the world's oldest living thing, to newly flowered mountain meadows, these islands of nature support remarkable biological diversity and provide opportunities to experience the colossal silence of the Great Basin.
(b) DESIGNATION- In order to protect and manage so as to preserve the natural conditions of the Great Basin wilderness areas in western Utah and in furtherance of the purposes of the Wilderness Act (16 U.S.C. 1131 et seq.), the following lands in the State of Utah are hereby designated as wilderness and therefore as components of the National Wilderness Preservation System:
| Name of Wilderness Area | Approximate Acreage |
| Cedar Mountains Wilderness | 62,100 |
| Conger Mountain Wilderness | 20,400 |
| Deep Creek Mountains Wilderness | 90,200 |
| Dugway Mountains Wilderness | 23,100 |
| Fish Springs Range Wilderness | 55,200 |
| Granite Peak Wilderness | 16,000 |
| House Range Wilderness | 139,400 |
| King Top Wilderness | 78,800 |
| Little Goose Creek Wilderness | 1,300 |
| Newfoundland Mountains Wilderness | 23,300 |
| Rockwell Wilderness | 13,400 |
| Silver Island Mountains Wilderness | 27,200 |
| Stansbury Mountains Wilderness | 22,500 |
| Wah Wah Mountains Wilderness | 109,700 |
| White Rock Range Wilderness | 3,900 |
SEC. 102. ZION AND MOJAVE DESERT WILDERNESS AREAS.
(a) FINDINGS- The Congress finds that Zion National Park's renowned landscape of soaring cliff walls, forested plateaus, and deep narrow gorges extends beyond the boundaries of the park onto surrounding public lands managed by the Secretary through the Bureau of Land Management. From the pink sand dunes of Moquith Mountain to the golden pools of Beaver Dam Wash, the Zion and Mojave Desert wilderness areas encompass three major provinces of the Southwest: the sculpted canyon country of the Colorado Plateau, the Mojave Desert, and portions of the Great Basin--a rich mosaic of biological, archeological, and scenic diversity. One of the last remaining populations of endangered desert tortoise is found within this wilderness .
(b) DESIGNATION- In order to protect and manage so as to preserve the natural conditions of the Zion and Mojave Desert wilderness areas of Utah and in furtherance of the purposes of the Wilderness Act (16 U.S.C. 1131 et seq.), the following lands in the State of Utah are hereby designated as wilderness and therefore as components of the National Wilderness Preservation System:
| Name of Wilderness Area and Unit | Approximate Acreage |
| Beaver Dam Slopes Wilderness :Beaver Dam Wash | 24,900 |
| Joshua Tree | 13,500 |
| Cottonwood Canyon Wilderness | 11,500 |
| Cougar Creek-Docs Pass Wilderness | 29,400 |
| Upper Kanab Creek Wilderness | 42,200 |
| Moquith Mountain Wilderness | 26,500 |
| Red Mountain Wilderness | 18,500 |
| Zion Wilderness: Beartrap Canyon | 40 |
| Black Ridge | 21,800 |
| Canaan Mountain | 52,100 |
| Deep Creek | 7,100 |
| Goose Creek | 89 |
| LaVerkin Creek | 567 |
| Orderville Canyon | 6,500 |
| North Fork Virgin River | 1,040 |
| Parunuweap Canyon | 37,700 |
| Red Butte | 804 |
| Spring Canyon | 4,400 |
| Taylor Creek Canyon | 35 |
| The Watchman | 600 |
SEC. 103. GRAND STAIRCASE AND KAIPAROWITS PLATEAU WILDERNESS AREAS.
(a) GRAND STAIRCASE-
(1) FINDINGS- The Congress finds that the area known as the Grand Staircase rises more than 6,000 feet in a series of great cliffs and plateaus from the depths of the Grand Canyon to the forested rim of Bryce Canyon. It spans six major life zones, from the lower Sonoran Desert to alpine forest, and encompasses geologic formations which display 3,000,000,000 years of earth history. Wildlands, managed by the Secretary through the Bureau of Land Management, line the intricate canyon system of the Paria River and form a vital wilderness corridor connection to the deserts and forests of these national parks.
(2) DESIGNATION- In order to protect and manage so as to preserve the natural conditions of the wilderness area known as the Great Staircase and in furtherance of the purposes of the Wilderness Act (16 U.S.C. 1131 et seq.), the following lands in the State of Utah are hereby designated as wilderness and therefore as components of the National Wilderness Preservation System:
| Name of Wilderness Area and Unit | Approximate Acreage |
| Box Canyon | 2,Approximate 300 |
| Cockscomb | 10,300 |
| East of Bryce | 900 |
| Mud Spring Canyon | 55,100 |
| Paria-Hackberry | 158,700 |
| Squaw and Willis Creek | 22,300 |
| The Blues-Table Cliff | 18,700 |
(b) KAIPAROWITS PLATEAU-
(1) FINDINGS- The Congress finds that east of the Paria River lies the Kaiparowitz Plateau, one of the most rugged and isolated wilderness regions in the United States, a lonely, windswept land of harsh beauty, distant vistas, and a remarkable variety of plant and animal species. Ancient forests, abundant big game animals, and 22 species of raptors thrive undisturbed on its grassland mesa tops.
(2) DESIGNATION- In order to protect and manage so as to preserve the Kaiparowitz Plateau and in furtherance of the purposes of the Wilderness Act (16 U.S.C. 1131 et seq.), the following lands in the State of Utah are hereby designated as wilderness and therefore as components of the National Wilderness Preservation System:
--Approximate
Name of Wilderness Area and Unit
--Acreage
| Name of Wilderness Area and Unit | Approximate Acreage |
| Box Canyon | 2,Approximate 300 |
| Cockscomb | 10,300 |
| East of Bryce | 900 |
| Mud Spring Canyon | 55,100 |
| Paria-Hackberry | 158,700 |
| Squaw and Willis Creek | 22,300 |
| The Blues-Table Cliff | 18,700 |
(b) KAIPAROWITS PLATEAU-
(1) FINDINGS- The Congress finds that east of the Paria River lies the Kaiparowitz Plateau, one of the most rugged and isolated wilderness regions in the United States, a lonely, windswept land of harsh beauty, distant vistas, and a remarkable variety of plant and animal species. Ancient forests, abundant big game animals, and 22 species of raptors thrive undisturbed on its grassland mesa tops.
(2) DESIGNATION- In order to protect and manage so as to preserve the Kaiparowitz Plateau and in furtherance of the purposes of the Wilderness Act (16 U.S.C. 1131 et seq.), the following lands in the State of Utah are hereby designated as wilderness and therefore as components of the National Wilderness Preservation System:
| Name of Wilderness Area and Unit | Approximate Acreage |
| Carcass Canyon | 72,Approximate 600 |
| Cave Point | 4,800 |
| Fiftymile Bench | 11,100 |
| Fiftymile Mountain | 173,900 |
| Horse Spring Canyon | 27,900 |
| Nipple Bench | 31,600 |
| Squaw Canyon | 11,200 |
| Wahweap-Paradise Canyon | 228,000 |
| Warm Creek | 21,000 |
SEC. 104. ESCALANTE CANYONS WILDERNESS AREAS.
(a) FINDINGS- The Congress finds that enchanting glens and coves carved in massive sandstone cliffs, spring-watered hanging gardens, and the silence of ancient Anasazi ruins are exemplary of the unique features that entice hikers, campers, and sightseers from around the world to Escalante Canyon. This wilderness links the spruce fir forests of the 11,000 foot Aquarius Plateau with winding slickrock canyons that flow into Lake Powell. It protects critical habitat for deer, elk, and wild bighorn sheep, as well as the scenic integrity of one of Utah's most popular natural areas.
(b) DESIGNATION- In order to protect and manage so as to preserve Escalante Canyon wilderness areas and in furtherance of the purposes of the Wilderness Act (16 U.S.C. 1131 et seq.), the following lands in the State of Utah are hereby designated as wilderness and therefore as components of the National Wilderness Preservation System:
--Approximate
Name of Wilderness Area
--Acreage
| Name of Wilderness Area and Unit | Approximate Acreage |
| Dogwater Creek | 3,Approximate 500 |
| Fortymile Gulch | 640 |
| Fremont Gorge | 19,400 |
| Hurricane Wash | 4,300 |
| Long Canyon | 16,400 |
| North Escalante Canyons | 144,000 |
| Notom Bench | 8,400 |
| Phipps-Death Hollow | 43,500 |
| Scorpion | 38,100 |
| Steep Creek | 34,400 |
| Studhorse Peaks | 9,500 |
SEC. 105. HENRY MOUNTAINS WILDERNESS AREAS.
(a) FINDINGS- The Congress finds that the last mountain range to be discovered and named by early explorers in the contiguous United States, the Henry Mountains, still retains its wild and mysterious character. Fluted badlands adorn the flanks of 11,000 foot Mount Ellen and Mount Pennell, containing islands of critical habitat for mule deer and the largest herd of free-roaming buffalo in the Nation. Despite their relative accessibility, the Henry Mountains remain one of the wildest, least-known ranges in the United States.
(b) DESIGNATION- In order to protect and manage so as to preserve the Henry Mountains and in furtherance of the purposes of the Wilderness Act (16 U.S.C. 1131 et seq.), the following lands in the State of Utah are hereby designated as wilderness and therefore as components of the National Wilderness Preservation System:
| Name of Wilderness Area and Unit | Approximate Acreage |
| Bullfrog Creek | 36,Approximate 900 |
| Mount Ellen-Blue Hills | 116,900 |
| Mount Hillers | 18,600 |
| Mount Pennell | 141,200 |
| Ragged Mountain | 23,300 |
SEC. 106. DIRTY DEVIL RIVER WILDERNESS AREAS.
(a) FINDINGS- The Congress finds that the Dirty Devil River, once the fortress hideout of outlaw Butch Cassidy's Wild Bunch, has sculpted a maze of slickrock canyons through an imposing landscape of monoliths and inaccessible mesas. This isolated and remote area, long a barrier to civilization and would-be colonists, now beckons a different type of explorer, the modern recreationist, who seeks to experience solitude and isolation amid spectacular beauty.
(b) DESIGNATION- In order to protect and manage so as to preserve the Dirty Devil River wilderness areas in southeast Utah and in furtherance of the purposes of the Wilderness Act (16 U.S.C. 1131 et seq.), the following lands in the State of Utah are hereby designated as wilderness and therefore as components of the National Wilderness Preservation System:
| Name of Wilderness Area and Unit | Approximate Acreage |
| Dirty Devil Wilderness: Dirty Devil-French Springs | 175,300 |
| Fiddler Butte | 88,200 |
SEC. 107. CEDAR MESA WILDERNESS AREAS.
(a) FINDINGS- The Congress finds that over a thousand years ago, the Anasazi Indian culture flourished in the slickrock canyons and on the pinyon-covered mesas of southeastern Utah. Evidence of their ancient presence pervades the Cedar Mesa area where haunting cliff dwellings, rock art, and ceremonial kivas embellish sandstone overhangs and isolated benchlands. This area cries out for protection from the vandalism and theft of these unique cultural resources. These wilderness areas are drawn to protect both the Nation's archaeological heritage and extraordinary wilderness scenic and ecological values.
(b) DESIGNATION- In order to protect and manage so as to preserve the Cedar Mesa wilderness areas and in furtherance of the purposes of the Wilderness Act (16 U.S.C. 1131 et seq.), the following lands in the State of Utah are hereby designated as wilderness and therefore as components of the National Wilderness Preservation System:
--Approximate
Name of Wilderness Area and Unit
--Acreage
| Name of Wilderness Area and Unit | Approximate Acreage |
| Cheesebox Canyon | 28,Approximate 500 |
| Harmony Flat | 9,100 |
| Fortknocker Canyon | 12,400 |
| San Juan-Anasazi Wilderness : Arch and Mule Canyon | 15,300 |
| Comb Ridge | 15,000 |
| Fish and Owl Creek | 59,000 |
| Grand Gulch | 139,800 |
| Nokai dome | 93,400 |
| Road Canyon | 60,100 |
| San Juan River | 13,200 |
| Squaw and Cross Canyons Wilderness : Squaw and Papoose Canyons | 6,580 |
| Cross Canyon | 1,000 |
| Dark Canyon Wilderness : Dark Canyon | 126,500 |
| Sheep Canyon | 3,700 |
| Glen Canyon Wilderness : Mancos Mesa | 108,700 |
| Little Rockies | 60,000 |
SEC. 108. CANYONLANDS WILDERNESS AREAS.
(a) FINDINGS- The Congress finds that Arches and Canyonlands National Parks safeguard only a small portion of the extraordinary red-hued, cliff-walled canyonland region of the Colorado Plateau. Canyons with rushing perennial streams, natural arches, bridges, and towers, and the gorges of the Green, Colorado, and Dolores Rivers lie on adjacent wildlands managed by the Secretary through the Bureau of Land Management. Designation of this wilderness achieves a wholeness of protection for this erosional masterpiece of nature and the rich pockets of wildlife found within its expanded boundaries.
(b) DESIGNATION- In order to protect and manage so as to preserve the canyonland wilderness areas near Arches and Canyonlands National Parks and in furtherance of the purposes of the Wilderness Act (16 U.S.C. 1131 et seq.), the following lands in the State of Utah are hereby designated as wilderness and therefore as components of the National Wilderness Preservation System:
--Approximate
Name of Wilderness Area and Unit
--Acreage
| Name of Wilderness Area and Unit | Approximate Acreage |
| Butler Wash | 28,Approximate 300 |
| Goose Neck | 8,300 |
| Harts Point | 62,800 |
| Indian Creek | 27,000 |
| Shafer Canyon | 3,000 |
| Labyrinth Wilderness : Labyrinth Canyon | 120,000 |
| Horseshoe Canyon | 51,700 |
| Arches-Lost Spring Wilderness | 16,900 |
| La Sal Canyons Wilderness : Beaver Creek | 28,200 |
| Fisher Towers | 15,100 |
| Granite Creek | 5,100 |
| Mary Jane Canyon | 24,200 |
| Mill Creek | 15,700 |
| Negro Bill Canyon | 20,600 |
| Seweump Mesa | 600 |
| Behind-The-Rocks Wilderness : Hunter Canyon | 4,000 |
| Goldbar Canyon | 12,500 |
| Hatch Wash | 14,300 |
| Behind-The-Rocks | 20,300 |
| Westwater Wilderness : Black Ridge | 5,100 |
| Westwater Canyon | 32,500 |
SEC. 109. SAN RAFAEL SWELL WILDERNESS AREAS.
(a) FINDINGS- The Congress finds that the San Rafael Swell towers above the desert like a wilderness castle, ringed by thousand-foot ramparts of Navajo Sandstone. Its highlands have been fractured by uplift and scooped hollow by erosion over countless millennia, leaving a tremendous basin punctuated by mesas, buttes, and canyons and traversed by sediment-laden desert streams. Among other places, the San Rafael wilderness offers exceptional back country opportunities in the colorful Wild Horse Badlands, the monoliths of North Caineville Mesa, the rock towers of Cliff Wash, and the dark volcanic
mountains bordering Capitol Reef National Park. The mountains within this wilderness are among Utah's most productive habitat for Desert Bighorn Sheep.
(b) DESIGNATION- In order to protect and manage so as to preserve the San Rafael Swell wilderness areas and in furtherance of the purposes of the Wilderness Act (16 U.S.C. 1131 et seq.), the following lands in the State of Utah are hereby designated as wilderness and therefore as components of the National Wilderness Preservation System:
| Name of Wilderness Area and Unit | Approximate Approximate Acreage |
| Devils Canyon | 21,500 |
| Hondu Country | 18,900 |
| Jones Bench | 2,800 |
| Limestone Cliffs | 21,300 |
| Mexican Mountain | 102,600 |
| Muddy Creek | 246,300 |
| Mussentuchit Badlands | 23,000 |
| Red Desert | 36,800 |
| San Rafael Reef | 95,000 |
| Sids Mountain | 95,800 |
| Upper Muddy Creek | 17,000 |
| Wild Horse Mesa | 57,400 |
SEC. 110. BOOK CLIFFS AND UINTA BASIN WILDERNESS AREAS.
(a) FINDINGS- The Congress finds that the Book Cliffs and Uinta Basin wilderness areas offer a unique quality of wilderness big game hunting opportunities in verdant high-plateau forests, multi-day float trips down the Green River in Desolation Canyon, and opportunity for calm water canoe weekends on the White River. The long rampart of the Book Cliffs bounds the area on the south, while seldom-visited uplands, dissected by the rivers and streams, slope away to the north into the Uinta Basin. Bighorn sheep, elk, mule deer, bear, and cougar all flourish in the back country of the Book Cliffs.
(b) DESIGNATION- In order to protect and manage so as to preserve the Book Cliffs area and in furtherance of the purposes of the Wilderness Act (16 U.S.C. 1131 et seq.), the following lands in the State of Utah are hereby designated as wilderness and therefore as components of the National Wilderness Preservation System:
| Name of Wilderness Area and Unit | Approximate Approximate Approximate Acreage |
| Desolation Canyon | 527,100 |
| Turtle Canyon | 36,900 |
| White River Wilderness | 9,700 |
| Greater Dinosaur Wilderness : Bull Canyon | 500 |
| Diamond Breaks | 7,800 |
| Daniels Canyon | 5,300 |
| Moonshine Draw | 3,500 |
| Cold Springs Mountain | 3,400 |
| Wild Mountain | 600 |
TITLE II--ADMINISTRATIVE
PROVISIONS
SEC. 201. ADMINISTRATION.
Subject to valid existing rights, the wilderness areas designated under this Act shall be administered by the Secretary in accordance with section 603 of the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 (43 U.S.C. 1782) and the provisions of the Wilderness Act governing areas designated by that Act as wilderness .
SEC. 202. WATER.
(a) RESERVATION- (1) With respect to each wilderness area designated by this Act, Congress hereby reserves a quantity of water sufficient to fulfill the purposes of this Act. The priority date of such reserved rights shall be the date of enactment of this Act.
(2) The Secretary and all other officers of the United States shall take all steps necessary to protect the rights reserved by paragraph (1), including the filing by the Secretary of a claim for the quantification of such rights in any present or future appropriate stream adjudication in the courts of the State of Utah in which the United States is or may be joined and which is conducted in accordance with section 208 of the Act of July 10, 1952 (66 Stat. 56; 44 U.S.C. 666, commonly referred to as the `McCarran Act').
(b) PRIOR RIGHTS NOT AFFECTED- Nothing in this Act shall be construed as a relinquishment or reduction of any water rights reserved or appropriated by the United States in the State of Utah on or before the date of enactment of this Act.
(c) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION- The Federal water rights reserved by this Act are specific to the wilderness areas located in the State of Utah designated by this Act. Nothing in this Act related to reserved Federal water shall be construed as establishing a precedent with regard to any future designations, nor shall it constitute an interpretation of any other Act or any designation made pursuant thereto.
Back to: The Battle for the Utah Wilderness
Learn More
Compare the Citizens Proposal for Redrock Wilderness (H.R.1500) with the Utah Congressional delegation bills (H.R.1745 and S.884).
Read the letter from the Executive Director of SUWA.
See the SUWA pictorial Utah's Redrock Wilderness: A National Treasure Threatened.
Read the SUWA publication What Is Wilderness?
Find out what you can do to help protect the Utah Wilderness.
Content © 1995 Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance (SUWA) Reprinted by permission.
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