WILDERNESS LEGISLATION PASSED IN THE 107TH CONGRESS (2001 – 2002)

Below is a list of the Wilderness legislation passed by the 107th Congress and signed into law by the President. The 107th Congress approved a total of four bills adding more than a half a million acres of public land to the National Wilderness Preservation System.

Big Sur Wilderness (California)
(Public Law No: 107-370)
The Big Sur Wilderness and Conservation Act of 2002 made significant additions to the Ventana, Silver Peak, and Pinnacles Wilderness Areas in California. In total, the measure added 56,880 acres of public land to the National Wilderness Preservation System. These areas are located in the Big Sur/Monterey congressional district represented by Congressman Sam Farr (D-CA) who sponsored the bill.

James Peak Wilderness and Protection Area (Colorado)
(Public Law No: 107-216)
The bill designated the 14,000 acre James Peak Wilderness and adjacent “protection area” in the Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests in Colorado. The bill also made a 3,000-acre addition to the Indian Peaks Wilderness Area. The measure was sponsored in the House by Rep. Mark Udall (D-CO) and in the Senate by Senator Ben Nighthorse Campbell (R-CO).

Clark County Conservation of Public Land and Natural Resources Act of 2002 (Nevada)
(Public Law No: 107-282)
This measure designated more than 440,000 acres of Wilderness in southern Nevada’s Mojave Desert region. This bill also included provisions dealing with a range of recreation, development, and conservation issues on public lands in Nevada’s Clark County. The measure was sponsored by Nevada Senators Harry Reid (D-NV) and John Ensign (R-NV) and in the House by Jim Gibbons (R-NV).

Black Elk Wilderness Addition (South Dakota)
(Public Law No: 107-206)
As part of the 2002 Emergency Supplemental Defense Appropriations Act, Congress approved a 3,600-acre addition to the existing Black Elk Wilderness in South Dakota. The wilderness addition was part of a larger settlement agreement included in the legislation allowing some fuel reduction treatments on approximately 8,000 acres of the 1.2 million-acre Black Hills National Forest, among other provisions.