Protecting America’s Wilderness Act

Protecting America's Wilderness Act This bill designates wilderness areas, potential wilderness areas, recreation areas, scenic areas, trails, and wild and scenic rivers in Colorado, California, and Washington, among other things. TITLE I--COLORADO WILDERNESS Colorado Wilderness Act of 2020 (Sec. 102) The bill designates specified federal lands in Colorado as wilderness and as components of the National Wilderness Preservation System. If the Bureau of Reclamation determines that lands within the West Elk Wilderness Addition are necessary for the future expansion of the Blue Mesa Reservoir, the boundary must be revised. Lands within the exterior boundaries of any designated wilderness area that are owned by a private entity or by Colorado are included in the wilderness area if such lands are acquired by the United States. These lands may be acquired only as provided in the Wilderness Act. (Sec. 103) The grazing of livestock in the wilderness areas designated by this title shall be administered according to certain provisions of the Wilderness Act and the guidelines set forth in a certain House report. The Colorado Army National Guard, through the High-Altitude Army National Guard Aviation Training Site, may conduct aerial navigation training maneuver exercises over the potential wilderness areas designated by this bill. The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) may continue authorizing competitive running events currently permitted in the Redcloud Peak Wilderness and Handies Peak Wilderness Areas. Federal land that is traded for privately owned land within the perimeter of the Redcloud Peak Wilderness or the Handies Peak Wilderness Areas shall be located in Hinsdale County, Colorado. The bill designates specified lands managed by the BLM as the Pisgah East Wilderness, the Pisgah West Wilderness, or the Flat Tops Wilderness upon publication by the BLM of a notice in the Federal Register that all nonconforming uses of such lands authorized by this bill have ceased. (Sec. 104) The bill provides for the securing, adjudication, and use of U.S. water rights for certain of the wilderness areas designated by this title. (Sec. 106) The Department of Defense shall study the impacts that the expansion of wilderness designations in the Western United States would have on the readiness of the Armed Forces with respect to aviation training. TITLE II--NORTHWEST CALIFORNIA WILDERNESS, RECREATION, AND WORKING FORESTS Northwest California Wilderness, Recreation, and Working Forests Act Subtitle A--Restoration and Economic Development (Sec. 211) The bill establishes the South Fork Trinity-Mad River Restoration Area, which shall comprise approximately 729,089 acres of federal land administered by the Forest Service and approximately 1,280 acres of federal land administered by the BLM. In the restoration area, the agencies • shall prioritize restoration activities, • may use prescribed burning and managed wildland fire, and • shall decommission identified unneeded National Forest System roads and identified unauthorized roads. The agencies may conduct vegetation management projects in areas of the restoration area only where necessary to, among other things, maintain or restore the characteristics of ecosystem composition and structure. The projects may be (1) in areas in which fish and wildlife habitat is significantly compromised as a result of past management practices (including plantations), and (2) within designated riparian reserves only where necessary to maintain the integrity of fuel breaks and to enhance fire resilience. The agencies must use the best available science in planning and implementing the projects. The bill permits the grazing of livestock in the restoration area, where already established, to continue. The agencies may issue annual targeted grazing permits for livestock grazing, where not already established, to control noxious weeds, to aid in the control of wildfire within the wildland-urban interface, or…