The legislation (S. 22) is a big win for the recreation and conservation community as it includes permanent recognition for the Bureau of Land Management’s National Landscape Conservation System. The NLCS encompasses 26 million acres containing the iconic desert landscapes of the western U.S. More than one-third of all recreational visits occur on these lands.
The bill's other provisions are equally as important as they will create 2.2 million acres of wilderness, designate three new national parks, designate several national trails, designate more than 1,000 miles of wild and scenic rivers and designate 10 national heritage areas.
- The three new national park units would make the birthplace of President Bill Clinton in Hope, Arkansas, a National Historic Site; it would create River Raisin National Battlefield Park in Michigan on sites related to the War of 1812; and it would establish a national historical park around the water power system at Passaic Great Falls in New Jersey to recognize and preserve Alexander Hamilton's breakthroughs in industrial production.
The 15 different proposals for new or expanded wilderness areas are the largest expansion of the National Wilderness Preservation System since 1994. New wilderness includes:
- 517,000 acres in the Owyhee-Bruneau Canyonlands of southwestern Idaho.
- In Utah, more than 260,000 acres of land will receive wilderness designation and 166 miles of the Virgin River will receive wild and scenic status. The bill would also create two National Conservation Areas in Washington County, resulting in recreational opportunities on 140,000 acres.
- 130,000 acres surrounding Oregon's Mount Hood will receive wilderness designation.
Finally, the bill will withdraw 1.2 million acres of the Bridger Teton National Forest south of Jackson Hole from future oil and gas leasing.
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