The following wilderness bills were introduced in the 109th Congress (2005 - 2006).  Bills that were passed include:

• Ojito Wilderness Act - New Mexico
• Caribbean National Forest Wilderness Act - Puerto Rico
• Cedar Mountain Wilderness, as part of the National Defense Authorization Act of 2006 - Utah
• Northern California Coastal Wild Heritage Wilderness Act - California
• New England Wilderness Act - New Hampshire and Vermont
• White Pine County Wilderness, as part of the Tax Relief and Health Care Act of 2006

ALASKA: Udall-Eisenhower Arctic Wilderness Act (H.R. 567 / S. 261)
The Udall-Eisenhower Arctic Wilderness Act would designate the 1.5 million-acre coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge as Wilderness. Rep. Ed Markey (D-MA) and Senator Joe Lieberman (D-CT) introduced the measure on 2/2/05. The bills, which have been referred to House subcommittee on Fisheries and Oceans and the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee respectively, currently have 123 co-sponsors in the House and 23 in the Senate.

ALASKA: Alaska Rainforest Conservation Act (H.R. 1155)
The measure, which was introduced on 3/8/05, would designate wilderness areas and provide other permanent legislative protections for over 14 million acres of land on America's two largest national forests -- the Chugach and Tongass National Forests. The measure, which currently has 93 cosponsors, is sponsored by Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) and was referred to the House Resources Subcommittee on Forests and Forest Health.

CALIFORNIA: Eastern Sierra Rural Heritage and Economic Enhancement Act (H.R. 5149 / S.2567)
Introduced on 4/6/06, this measure makes a 39,680-acre addition to California’s Hoover Wilderness area and adds 640 acres to the existing Emigrant Wilderness area. The bill also adds approximately 24 miles of the Amargosa River to the National Wild and Scenic River System, among other provisions. Rep. Buck McKeon (R-CA) introduced the measure in the House and Senators Boxer (D-CA) and Feinstein (D-CA) introduced the companion bill in the Senate. The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee held a hearing on the bill on 5/25/06. The House Resources Subcommittee on Forests and Forest Health held a hearing on 7/27/06.

CALIFORNIA: California Wild Heritage Act of 2006 (H.R. 5006 / S.2432)
This bill, introduced on 3/16/06 in the House by Rep. Solis and in the Senate by Sen. Boxer, would designate 2.5 million acres of Wilderness and 400 miles of Wild and Scenic Rivers in California. This statewide bill includes the 300,000 acres of Wilderness and 22 miles of Wild and Scenic River proposed in the Northern California Coastal Wild Heritage Wilderness Act (H.R. 233 / S. 128) sponsored by Representative Thompson and Senator Boxer. The measure has been referred to the House Resources Committee and the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee.

COLORADO: Rocky Mountain National Park Wilderness and Indian Peaks Wilderness Expansion Act (H.R. 4935 / S. 1510)
The bill would designate nearly 250,000 acres of Rocky Mountain National Park (RMNP) as wilderness – approximately 94 percent of the land in the Park and to adjust the boundaries of the Indian Peaks Wilderness and the Arapaho National Recreation Area. Much of the Park was recommended for wilderness protection in the early 1970s and has been managed to preserve its wilderness character for the past 30 years. Rep. Mark Udall (D-CO) and Senator Ken Salazar (D-CO) introduced legislation in the early summer of 2005 (H.R. 3193, S. 1510), however, several complicated issues continued to be negotiated. After considering local input, on 3/9/06, Rep. Udall introduced new legislation in the House, which was referred to the House Resources Committee. Senator Salazar committed to amending his version of the bill to reflect the changes included in the new House version of the bill. The newly introduced bill includes a provision that would carve out a 1/8-mile corridor from the proposed wilderness on the western side of the park along Lake Granby and Grand Lake for future consideration of a potential new mountain bike trail. The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee held a hearing on Sen. Salazar’s bill on 4/6/06.

COLORADO: Browns Canyon Wilderness Act (H.R. 4235 / S. 1971)
The measure would designate approximately 20,000 acres of National Forest and adjacent land managed by the Bureau of Land Management near Salida, CO as the Browns Canyon Wilderness. The measure was introduced in the House by Rep. Joel Hefley (R-CO) and in the Senate by Sen. Wayne Allard (R-CO) and was referred to the House Resources Committee and the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee respectively. On 7/27/06, the House Resources Subcommittee on Forests and Forest Health held a hearing on the measure. As introduced, the bills contain a highly controversial provision relating to water rights in the wilderness area. Efforts are underway to address this issue and thereby allow the otherwise popular measure to move forward.

COLORADO: Colorado Wilderness Act (H.R. 4587)
The bill would designate nearly 1.6 million acres of Wilderness in western Colorado on land managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and some adjacent National Forest Service lands. The bill was introduced in the House by Rep. Diana DeGette (D-CO) on 12/16/05 and was referred to the House Resources Subcommittee on Forests and Forest Health.

GEORGIA: Chattahoochee National Forest Act of 2006 (H.R. 5612)
On July 19, 2006, Rep. Nathan Deal (R-GA) and Rep. Charlie Norwood (R-GA) introduced the Chattahoochee National Forest Act of 2006 (H.R. 5612), a bill that would establish the 13,382-acre Mountaintown National Scenic Area and would further protect 8,448 acres of the Chattahoochee National Forest through Wilderness designations. The bill was referred to the House Agriculture Subcommittee on Department Operations, Oversight, Nutrition and Forestry.

IDAHO: Central Idaho Economic Development and Recreation Act (H.R. 3603)
Rep. Mike Simpson (R-ID) introduced the Central Idaho Economic Development and Recreation Act of 2005 (H.R. 3603) on 7/28/05. The measure, which is revised from two earlier versions (the first introduced in the fall of 2004 and the second introduced in May 2005), includes a number of titles dealing with small land conveyances, authorization of grants for rural economic development, continued motorized recreation opportunities, and the designation of more than 300,000 acres in Idaho’s Boulder-White Clouds mountains as Wilderness, among other provisions. The House Resources Subcommittee on Forests and Forest Health held a hearing on the bill on 10/27/05. The House Resources Committee approved an amended version of the bill on 7/19/06 and the full House approved the bill by voice vote on 7/24/06. The bill was sent to the Senate and has been referred to the Energy and Natural Resources Committee.

IDAHO: Owyhee Initiative Implementation Act (S. 3794)
On August 3, 2006, Senator Mike Crapo (R-ID) introduced the Owyhee Initiative Implementation Act (S. 3794). The legislation would permanently protect 517,000 acres of Wilderness, safeguard almost 400 miles of Wild and Scenic Rivers, and addresses a broad spectrum of complicated Owyhee County public land issues. The bill was referred to the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee.

NEW HAMPSHIRE: New Hampshire Wilderness Act of 2006 (H.R. 5059 / H.R. 5062 / S. 2463)
On 3/28/06, New Hampshire Senators John Sununu (R) and Judd Gregg (R) introduced the New Hampshire Wilderness Act of 2006, which would permanently protect approximately 34,500 acres of the White Mountain National Forest as Wilderness. On March 30, Representatives Jeb Bradley (R-NH) introduced H. R. 5062 to expand by 10,800 acres the existing Sandwich Range Wilderness, which lies in his congressional district and Rep. Charles Bass (R-NH) introduced H.R. 5059 to designate the 23,700-acre Wild River Wilderness, which is found in Bass’ congressional district. Together, these bills include the same designations as the Senate bill. The Senate bill was referred to the Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee and the House bills have been referred to the House Resources and House Agriculture Committees.

NEVADA: White Pine County Conservation, Recreation and Development Act (H.R. 5062 / S. 3772)
On August 1, 2006, Senator John Ensign (R-NV) and Senator Harry Reid (D-NV) introduced the White Pine County Conservation, Recreation and Development Act (S. 3772). The bill designates 13 new Wilderness areas, approximately 545,000 acres, managed by the US Forest Service and the BLM in White Pine County with two significant additions to existing Wilderness areas. The legislation contains nine different titles that address a number of public land issues including, wilderness designation, release of portions of wilderness study areas, land disposal, public purpose conveyances, land transfers from Forest Service to Bureau of Land Management (BLM), authorization for a study of an ORV trail, land transfers to the Ely Shoshone Tribe, authorization for restoration projects, amendments to the Southern Nevada Public Lands Management Act, and establishment of the Great Basin Heritage Route. The bill was referred to the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee.

NEW MEXICO: Ojito Wilderness Act (Public Law No. 109-94)
The measure has designated the approximately 11,000-acre Ojito Wilderness Study Area northwest of Albuquerque as Wilderness and allowed certain adjacent land managed by the BLM to be purchased by the Pueblo of Zia as open space. Identical versions of this bill were introduced in the House and Senate on 1/25/05 (H.R. 362/S. 156) and were sponsored by Representatives Tom Udall (D-NM) and Heather Wilson (R-NM) and Senators Jeff Bingaman (D-NM) and Pete Domenici (R-NM). The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee approved the bill on 2/9/05, and the House Resources Committee approved the bill on 5/18/05. The bill was passed unanimously on the Senate floor on 7/26/05. The House approved the Senate-passed version of the measure by a unanimous vote on 10/18/05, and President Bush signed the bill into law on 10/26/05.

NORTHERN ROCKIES: Rockies Prosperity Act (H.R. 1204)
This measure - introduced by Rep. Chris Shays (R-CT) on 3/9/05 - would designate wilderness, wild and scenic rivers, national park and preserve study areas, wild land recovery areas, and biological connecting corridors on certain public lands in the States of Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington, and Wyoming. The bill currently has 187 House co-sponsors and was referred to the House subcommittee on Fisheries and Oceans.

OREGON: Mount Hood Stewardship Legacy Act (H.R. 5025)
On 3/29/06, Rep. Greg Walden (OR-R) introduced the Mount Hood Stewardship Legacy Act. This bill, which is co-sponsored by Oregon Representatives Earl Blumenauer (D), Peter DeFazio (D), and Darlene Hooley (D), would designate 77,500 acres of National Forest wilderness on Mount Hood and add 23 miles of designated Wild and Scenic Rivers, among a number of other provisions. Reps. Walden and Blumenauer have worked together for the past several years to develop this legislation addressing wilderness and a range of recreation, community and forest issues in the Mount Hood region of Oregon. The House Resources Subcommittee on Forests and Forest Health held a hearing on the bill on 4/5/06 and the full Committee approved an amended version of the bill on 7/19/06. The full House of Representatives passed the bill by voice vote on 7/24/06. The bill was sent to the Senate and has been referred to the Energy and Natural Resources Committee.

PUERTO RICO: Caribbean National Forest Wilderness Act (Public Law No. 109-118)
Newly elected Congressman Luis Fortuno (R-PR) and Senator Hillary Clinton (D-NY) introduced House and Senate versions of this bill (H.R. 539/S.272) on 2/3/05. The measure designates the 10,000-acre El Toro Wilderness area in the Caribbean National Forest in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico creating the first tropical rainforest wilderness on National Forest land in the National Wilderness Preservation System. The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee approved the bill on 2/16/05 and the House Resources Committee approved bill on 5/18/05. The Senate bill was passed by a unanimous vote on the Senate floor on 7/26/05. The House passed its version of the bill by a voice vote on 9/13/05. The Senate then approved the House-passed version of the bill (H.R. 539) on 11/16/05 thereby clearing the measure for the President’s signature. The bill was signed into law on 12/1/05.

UTAH: National Defense Authorization Act of Fiscal Year 2006 (P.L. 109-163)
On 4/6/05, Representative Rob Bishop (R-UT) introduced the Utah Test and Training Range (UTTR) Protection Act (H.R. 1503) which would prevent high-level nuclear waste storage in Utah’s West Desert, preserve military training capabilities via UTTR, and designate 100,000 acres of magnificent, desert land known as the Cedar Mountains as Wilderness. The measure, co-sponsored by Utah Reps. Chris Cannon (R-UT) and Jim Matheson (D-UT), was included in the final version of the Defense Authorization Act (H.R. 1815) and signed into law by the President on 1/06/06.

UTAH: America’s Redrock Wilderness Act (H.R. 1774 / S. 882)
On 4/21/05, Congressman Maurice Hinchey (D-NY) and Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) introduced legislation to permanently preserve roughly 9.5 million acres of exceptionally wild and rare public lands on the Colorado Plateau and in the Great Basin – southern Utah’s famous redrock country. The bills were referred to the House Resources Committee and Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee respectively. The measure currently has 160 co-sponsors in the House and 16 in the Senate.

UTAH: Washington County Growth and Conservation Act of 2006 (H.R. 5769 / S. 3636)
On July 11 and 12, 2006, respectively, Senator Bob Bennett (R-UT) and Rep. Jim Matheson (D-UT) introduced the Washington County Growth and Conservation Act of 2006 (S.3636, H.R. 5769). The legislation addresses a range of public lands issues including wilderness designation, development, and land sales. Conservation groups have expressed strong concerns that the bill as introduced would make only minimal conservation gains while also requiring a massive sell-off of federal public lands, as well as authorizing numerous new water development projects, and new roads and utility corridors among many other egregious provisions. The bill has been referred to the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee and the House Resources Committee.

VERMONT: Vermont Wilderness Act of 2006 (H.R. 5157 / S. 2565)
On 4/6/06, Vermont Senators Patrick Leahy (D) and Jim Jeffords (I) and Rep. Bernie Sanders (I) introduced the Vermont Wilderness Act of 2006 to designate approximately 48,000 acres of new Wilderness areas and additions to existing Wilderness on the Green Mountain National Forest. The measure also would designate the Moosalamoo National Recreation Area. The bills were referred to the House Resources and House Agriculture Committees and the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee.

VIRGINIA: Ridge and Valley Act (H.R. 1975 / S. 942)
On 4/28/05, Senator John Warner (R-VA) and Congressman Rick Boucher (D-VA) introduced the Virginia Ridge and Valley Act. The measure would protect nearly 43,000 acres of the Jefferson National Forest in southwestern Virginia as wilderness and nearly 12,000 acres as scenic areas. In total, the bill would designate seven new wilderness areas, add to existing wilderness areas, and create two new National Scenic Areas. The bills were referred to the House Resources and House Agriculture Committees and the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.

WASHINGTON: Wild Sky Wilderness Act (H.R. 851 / S. 152)
This bill would protect approximately 106,000 acres in the Wild Sky region in Washington’s Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest as Wilderness. The measure was introduced by Washington Senators Patty Murray (D-WA) and Maria Cantwell (D-WA) on 1/25/05 and Representative Rick Larsen (D-WA) on 2/16/05. The bill was referred to the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee and House Resources Committee respectively. The Senate Committee approved the bill on 2/16/05 and the measure was passed by a unanimous vote on the Senate floor on 7/26/05.