S 1737119th CongressIn Committee

Wild Olympics Wilderness and Wild and Scenic Rivers Act

Introduced: May 13, 2025

Sponsor: Sen. Murray, Patty [D-WA] (D-Washington)

Environment & Climate

Standard Summary

Comprehensive overview in 1-2 paragraphs

The Wild Olympics Wilderness and Wild and Scenic Rivers Act would designate about 126,554 acres of land within the Olympic National Forest in Washington as new wilderness and expand several existing wilderness areas. It also designates numerous river segments in Olympic National Forest and Olympic National Park as wild, scenic, or recreational rivers under the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act, with specific management assignments for each segment (some by the Interior Department, some by the Agriculture Department, and some to be managed under cooperative agreements with the state). The bill also allows for limited river restoration, requires updated forest and river management plans, preserves existing rights and treaty rights, and withdraws designated river lands from most forms of entry or mineral leasing. A map from 2019 and related legal descriptions would govern the exact boundaries and designations.

Key Points

1Wilderness designations and expansions in Olympic National Forest:
2- Creates or incorporates a set of named wilderness areas (e.g., Lost Creek, Rugged Ridge, Alckee Creek, Gates of the Elwha, as well as additions to Buckhorn, The Brothers, Mount Skokomish, Wonder Mountain, Moonlight Dome, South Quinault Ridge, Sams River, Canoe Creek, and others) totaling roughly 126,554 acres.
3- Includes designation of 5,346 acres as “Potential Wilderness,” which would become full wilderness once nonconforming uses end, and be incorporated into adjacent wilderness.
4- Specifies administration by the Forest Service, with map and legal description to be filed with congressional committees.
5- Adds specific management rules, including no automatic protective perimeters or buffer zones around wilderness areas and allowing nonwilderness activities outside wilderness boundaries to continue if they would be allowed outside the wilderness.
6- Provides for the Secretary of Agriculture to address fire, insects, and disease in these wilderness areas.
7Wild and Scenic River designations:
8- Amends the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act to designate numerous river segments in Olympic National Forest and Olympic National Park as wild, scenic, or recreational rivers, including but not limited to the Elwha, Dungeness, Big Quilcene, Dosewallips, Duckabush, Hamma Hamma, Skokomish, Satsop, Wynoochee, Humptulips, Quinault, Queets, Hoh, Bogachiel, Calawah, Sol Duc, Lyre, and others.
9- River segments are assigned to either the Interior Department (NPS) or the Agriculture Department (USFS) for administration, with several portions within Olympic National Park to be managed by DOI and others outside the park to be managed by USFS. Some river segments are to be managed through cooperative management agreements with the State of Washington.
10- Establishes specific segment lengths and classifications (wild, scenic, recreational) for many rivers and tributaries, sometimes specifying different classes for different sections of the same river.
11Restoration and planning provisions:
12- Allows river restoration, species recovery, or ecological/hydrological restoration projects consistent with the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act.
13- Requires updating National Forest System land management plans to reflect these designations within 3 years (or 5 years if federal funding is needed), and ensures updated plans comply with Wild and Scenic Rivers Act requirements.
14Rights, withdrawal, and treaty protections:
15- Preserves existing private rights and state land management (specifically protecting Washington’s Department of Natural Resources land management).
16- withdraws the designated river lands from entry, mining, and mineral/geothermal leasing, subject to valid existing rights.
17- preserves reserved treaty rights of Indian Tribes regarding hunting, fishing, gathering, and cultural or religious rights as protected by treaties.

Impact Areas

Primary group/area affected- Public land users and recreationists in Olympic National Forest and Olympic National Park, who would gain long-term protections for landscape, ecosystems, and river values through wilderness and wild-and-scenic designations.Secondary group/area affected- Federal land managers (U.S. Forest Service and National Park Service) and the State of Washington, due to new designations, cross-boundary river management, and required updates to management plans.- Indigenous Tribes with treaty rights, which are expressly protected by the bill.- Private landowners and existing private or state leases, due to withdrawal of land from certain uses (with rights preserved where applicable).Additional impacts- Potential limitations on resource extraction activities (e.g., logging, mining) within designated wilderness and river lands.- Changes to water- and land-use planning and potential effects on local economies that depend on timber, mining, or river-related recreation.- Increased focus on river restoration and ecological/hydrological functioning, potentially aligning with conservation and habitat recovery goals.- Administrative complexity from interagency and intergovernmental management (Interior vs. Agriculture, and cooperative state-agency arrangements) and required plan updates.

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