California Coastal Rocks and Islands Wilderness Act of 1998

California Coastal Rocks and Islands Wilderness Act of 1998 - Designates all unreserved and unappropriated ocean islands within three miles off the Pacific coast of California that are under the jurisdiction of the Bureau of Land Management as the California Coastal Rocks and Islands Wilderness.

Declares that the Wilderness shall remain under the Bureau's jurisdiction, is managed by the California Department of Fish and Game under a memorandum of understanding, and shall be administered by the Secretary of the Interior.

[Congressional Bills 105th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3911 Introduced in House (IH)]







105th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 3911

To designate all unreserved and unappropriated California coastal rocks 
and islands currently administered by the Bureau of Land Management as 
      a component of the National Wilderness Preservation System.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 20, 1998

 Mr. Farr  of California (for himself, Mr. Gallegly, and Mr. Bilbray) 
 introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on 
                               Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To designate all unreserved and unappropriated California coastal rocks 
and islands currently administered by the Bureau of Land Management as 
      a component of the National Wilderness Preservation System.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``California Coastal Rocks and Islands 
Wilderness Act of 1998''.

SEC. 2. DESIGNATION OF CALIFORNIA COASTAL ROCKS AND ISLANDS WILDERNESS 
              AREA TO BE ADMINISTERED BY BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT.

    (a) Findings.--The Congress finds the following:
            (1) The California coastal rocks and islands are a critical 
        component of a unique ecosystem of California.
            (2) The California coastal rocks and islands comprise a 
        narrow flight lane in the Pacific Flyway, providing protected 
        nest sites as well as feeding and perching areas for millions 
        of seabirds.
            (3) This unique ecosystem is also important for the 
        continued survival of endangered or threatened sea mammals, 
        such as stellar sea lions and elephant seals.
            (4) Designation of the California coastal rocks and islands 
        as wilderness would add a significant natural component to the 
        National Wilderness Preservation System.
    (b) Designation as Wilderness.--In furtherance of the purposes of 
the Wilderness Act (16 U.S.C. 1131 et seq.), all unreserved and 
unappropriated ocean islands in the State of California (as more fully 
described in subsection (c)) that, as of the date of the enactment of 
this Act, are under the jurisdiction of the Bureau of Land Management 
are hereby designated as wilderness and, therefore, as components of 
the National Wilderness Preservation System, and shall be known as the 
California Coastal Rocks and Islands Wilderness.
    (c) Description of Covered Islands.--The ocean islands covered by 
subsection (b) are those islands, reefs, rocks, and islets lying within 
three miles off the Pacific coast of the State of California from 
Oregon to the Mexican border and above the mean high tides, except 
those already reserved and appropriated for other uses as listed in the 
exhibit titled ``Lands Not Affected By Wilderness Designation'' dated 
February 26, 1997, and on file and available for public review in the 
California office of the Bureau of Land Management.
    (d) Management Authority.--The California Coastal Rocks and Islands 
Wilderness shall remain under the jurisdiction of the Bureau of Land 
Management, and the islands, reefs, rocks, and islets designated as 
wilderness under subsection (b) are managed, as of the date of the 
enactment of this Act, under a memorandum of understanding by the 
California Department of Fish and Game.
    (e) Management.--Subject to valid existing rights, the California 
Coastal Rocks and Islands Wilderness shall be administered by the 
Secretary of the Interior in accordance with the Wilderness Act, except 
that, with respect to such wilderness area, any reference in the 
Wilderness Act to the effective date of the Wilderness Act shall be 
deemed to be a reference to the date of the enactment of this Act and 
any reference to the Secretary of Agriculture shall be deemed to be a 
reference to the Secretary of the Interior.
    (f) Effect on Other Laws.--This section shall take precedence over 
and supersede the temporary reservation made by the Act of February 18, 
1931 (Chapter 226; 46 Stat. 1172).
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