A Summary of the Northern Rockies Ecosystem Protection Act

Overview

The Northern Rockies Ecosystem Protection Act, or NREPA, is a visionary piece of legislation. It is based upon science and a precedential effort to enact landscape scale conservation in a bioregion. The US Northern or Wild Rockies is perhaps the only place in the lower 48 that still retains all of its native species since the arrival of people of European descent. The reason the area is still relatively intact and wild is because this part of the Rockies is largely public land owned by all Americans. This includes portions of the National Forest System (the vast majority of public land in the bioregion), the National Park System, the lands administered by the bureau of Land management, and the National Wildlife Refuge System.

NREPA will protect about 24 million acres of wilderness in Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, eastern Oregon, and eastern Washington on public land. Over 1 million acres and 6,300 miles of damaging or unneeded roads will be restored to roadless conditions, providing employment for approximately 2,300 workers while saving tax-dollars from subsidized development. Hundreds of miles of wild rivers will be protected.

NREPA was reintroduced into the 111th Congress by Representatives Maloney and Grijalva. Throughout it history, NREPA has had the support of grassroots conservation groups and scientists. NREPA fits well with other environmental issues such as global warming which are taking center stage. Indeed, NREPA is designed, in part, to allow for life in the Northern Rockies to adapt to global climate change. As such, it appears that NREPA may finally receive the attention it deserves in Congress in the coming months.

The following summary is organized along the lines of the bill.

Introductory sections: (Sections 1, 2, 3, and 4) These sections lay out the findings, purposes, and definitions for the bill. In other words, the scientific and ethical reasons behind the need for this type of visionary legislation. Indeed, the bill notes, Many areas of undeveloped National Forest System lands, National Park System lands, and public lands administered by the Bureau of Land Management in the States of Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington, and Wyoming possess outstanding natural characteristics . . ." NREPA continues with a promise that, if properly preserved that these areas will be an enduring resource of wilderness, wild land areas, and biodiversity for the benefit of the American people. (emphasis added). The Northern Rockies are recognized as containing, the most diverse array of wild lands remaining south of Canada, providing sanctuary for a host of species including endangered life forms. National treasures such as the Greater Yellowstone, Greater Glacier/Northern Continental Divide, Greater Hells Canyon/Wallowa, Greater Salmon/Selway, and Greater Cabinet/Yaak/Selkirk ecosystems are found here. Not only will the natural and wildland values of the Rockies be protected, but there will be savings from subsidized development of public lands. A net monetary benefit will occur to taxpayers from implementation of NREPA as compared to current plans.

The purposes of the bill include:

1- designation as wilderness, wild and undeveloped National Forest system, National Park System and land administered by the Bureau of Land Management.

2- designation of wild and scenic rivers.

3- establishment of biological connecting corridors on public land

4- establishment of a pilot system of wildlands recovery areas an certain places of the national Forest System where road building and other development have compromised watershed health and ecological integrity

5- implementation through scientific evaluation of the bills

6- recognition of treaty rights

Title I (sections 101 through 110) is the designation of wilderness areas within the various ecosystems of the Northern Rockies. This Title designates wilderness within the Greater Glacier/Northern Continental Divide, Greater Yellowstone, Greater Salmon/Selway, Greater Cabinet/Yaak/Selkirk, and Greater Hells Canyon ecosystems. It also designated wilderness in the isolated mountain ranges within the Rockies bioregion. The areas to be designated include the additions to such great Wildernesses as the Bob Marshall, Selway-Bitterroot, Teton, Eagle Cap, and Wenaha-Tucannon as well as the remote regions of Yellowstone, Glacier and Grand Teton national Parks.

Title II (sections 201 through 206) designates biological connecting corridors on public land and designates, as wilderness, certain undeveloped public land areas in those corridors. These are the areas that are not found within the larger ecosystems or mountain ranges, but the public land that connects them together. Protective language provides for reducing road density in the public land corridors not designated as wilderness to facilitate movement of wildlife. Corridor examples include the Centennial, Lemhi and Lost River Mountains ranges between Yellowstone and the wildlands of central Idaho and the Continental Divide between the southern end of the Bob Marshal region to Lost Trail Pass. The bill recognizes the importance of corridor.

Title III (section 301) This section designates wild and scenic rivers. Crucial rivers such as the Payette in Idaho, Rock Creek in Montana and the Thoroughfare in Wyoming are protected.

Title IV (sections 401 through 405) creates a system of national wildland recovery and restoration. The goal of this system is to restore to a wildland condition certain area that have been damaged by road building, logging and mining on public land. Restoration will allow for natural processes, including the hydrological cycle, to function. Functioning areas will aid species to adapt to climate change. A National Wildland Recovery Corps will be established to do the recovery work. Economic studies show that savings from the reduction in below-cost timber sales on national forests will be more than adequate to fund this effort. Local people will be given priority in restoration work. Greater economic benefits to taxpayers and local economies should result from NREPA over current plans.

Title V (sections 501 and 504) This section would require scientific monitoring to study implementation of the bill. It requires an independent scientific panel to evaluate management and do a study of any remaining undeveloped (roadless) areas on the national forests system within the bioregion. This title recognizes traditional uses by native people.

Title VI (Sections 601 and 602). This section ensures that water rights will be sufficient to provide for the conservation purposes of the bill. It also ensures that treaty rights will be respected.