Title 16ConservationRelease 119-73

§460ppp–6 Wilderness

Title 16 › Chapter CHAPTER 1— - NATIONAL PARKS, MILITARY PARKS, MONUMENTS, AND SEASHORES › Subchapter SUBCHAPTER CXXVII— - BLACK ROCK DESERT-HIGH ROCK CANYON EMIGRANT TRAILS NATIONAL CONSERVATION AREA › § 460ppp–6

Last updated Apr 6, 2026|Official source

Summary

Designates ten areas in Nevada as official wilderness and parts of the National Wilderness Preservation System. They are: Black Rock Desert Wilderness (about 315,700 acres), Pahute Peak Wilderness (about 57,400 acres), North Black Rock Range Wilderness (about 30,800 acres), East Fork High Rock Canyon Wilderness (about 52,800 acres), High Rock Lake Wilderness (about 59,300 acres), Little High Rock Canyon Wilderness (about 48,700 acres), High Rock Canyon Wilderness (about 46,600 acres), Calico Mountains Wilderness (about 65,400 acres), South Jackson Mountains Wilderness (about 56,800 acres), and North Jackson Mountains Wilderness (about 24,000 acres). Each area is shown on a map titled “...—Proposed” dated October 3, 2001. Except for existing valid rights, the Secretary of the Interior must manage these areas under the Wilderness Act rules, treating the Act’s effective date as December 21, 2000 and treating references to the Secretary of Agriculture as references to the Secretary of the Interior. As soon as possible after December 21, 2000, the Secretary must send Congress a map and legal description (which count as part of the law and may be corrected for typos) and keep copies at Bureau of Land Management offices. Grazing that existed before December 21, 2000 may continue under reasonable rules that follow the Wilderness Act and section 101(f) of Public Law 101–628. Nevada keeps authority over fish and wildlife, including hunting and fishing, and all actions must be consistent with the Wilderness Act. Federal, State, or local agencies may carry out wildland fire management, including prescribed burns, under conditions the Secretary sets. Congress finds that lands in the studied areas not designated here were adequately studied under section 1782 of title 43 and no longer must be managed to protect their wilderness suitability under subsection (c) of that section.

Full Legal Text

Title 16, §460ppp–6

Conservation — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)In furtherance of the purposes of the Wilderness Act of 1964 (16 U.S.C. 1131 et seq.), the following lands in the State of Nevada are designated as wilderness, and, therefore, as components of the National Wilderness Preservation System:
(1)Certain lands in the Black Rock Desert Wilderness Study Area comprised of approximately 315,700 acres, as generally depicted on a map entitled “Black Rock Desert Wilderness—Proposed” and dated October 3, 2001, and which shall be known as the Black Rock Desert Wilderness.
(2)Certain lands in the Pahute Peak Wilderness Study Area comprised of approximately 57,400 acres, as generally depicted on a map entitled “Pahute Peak Wilderness—Proposed” and dated October 3, 2001, and which shall be known as the Pahute Peak Wilderness.
(3)Certain lands in the North Black Rock Range Wilderness Study Area comprised of approximately 30,800 acres, as generally depicted on a map entitled “North Black Rock Range Wilderness—Proposed” and dated October 3, 2001, and which shall be known as the North Black Rock Range Wilderness.
(4)Certain lands in the East Fork High Rock Canyon Wilderness Study Area comprised of approximately 52,800 acres, as generally depicted on a map entitled “East Fork High Rock Canyon Wilderness—Proposed” and dated October 3, 2001, and which shall be known as the East Fork High Rock Canyon Wilderness.
(5)Certain lands in the High Rock Lake Wilderness Study Area comprised of approximately 59,300 acres, as generally depicted on a map entitled “High Rock Lake Wilderness—Proposed” and dated October 3, 2001, and which shall be known as the High Rock Lake Wilderness.
(6)Certain lands in the Little High Rock Canyon Wilderness Study Area comprised of approximately 48,700 acres, as generally depicted on a map entitled “Little High Rock Canyon Wilderness—Proposed” and dated October 3, 2001, and which shall be known as the Little High Rock Canyon Wilderness.
(7)Certain lands in the High Rock Canyon Wilderness Study Area and Yellow Rock Canyon Wilderness Study Area comprised of approximately 46,600 acres, as generally depicted on a map entitled “High Rock Canyon Wilderness—Proposed” and dated October 3, 2001, and which shall be known as the High Rock Canyon Wilderness.
(8)Certain lands in the Calico Mountains Wilderness Study Area comprised of approximately 65,400 acres, as generally depicted on a map entitled “Calico Mountains Wilderness—Proposed” and dated October 3, 2001, and which shall be known as the Calico Mountains Wilderness.
(9)Certain lands in the South Jackson Mountains Wilderness Study Area comprised of approximately 56,800 acres, as generally depicted on a map entitled “South Jackson Mountains Wilderness—Proposed” and dated October 3, 2001, and which shall be known as the South Jackson Mountains Wilderness.
(10)Certain lands in the North Jackson Mountains Wilderness Study Area comprised of approximately 24,000 acres, as generally depicted on a map entitled “North Jackson Mountains Wilderness—Proposed” and dated October 3, 2001, and which shall be known as the North Jackson Mountains Wilderness.
(b)Subject to valid existing rights, each wilderness area designated by this subchapter shall be administered by the Secretary in accordance with the provisions of the Wilderness Act [16 U.S.C. 1131 et seq.], except that any reference in such provisions to the effective date of the Wilderness Act shall be deemed to be a reference to December 21, 2000, and any reference to the Secretary of Agriculture shall be deemed to be a reference to the Secretary of the Interior.
(c)As soon as practicable after December 21, 2000, the Secretary shall submit to Congress a map and legal description of the wilderness areas designated under this subchapter. The map and legal description shall have the same force and effect as if included in this subchapter, except the Secretary may correct clerical and typographical errors in such map and legal description. Copies of the map and legal description shall be on file and available for public inspection in the appropriate offices of the Bureau of Land Management.
(d)Within the wilderness areas designated under subsection (a), the grazing of livestock, where established prior to December 21, 2000, shall be permitted to continue subject to such reasonable regulations, policies, and practices as the Secretary deems necessary, as long as such regulations, policies, and practices fully conform with and implement the intent of Congress regarding grazing in such areas as such intent is expressed in the Wilderness Act and section 101(f) of Public Law 101–628.
(e)(1)Nothing in this subchapter diminishes the jurisdiction of the State of Nevada with respect to fish and wildlife management, including regulation of hunting and fishing on public land in the areas designated as wilderness under subsection (a).
(2)Any action in the areas designated as wilderness under subsection (a) shall be consistent with the Wilderness Act (16 U.S.C. 1131 et seq.).
(f)Nothing in this subchapter or the Wilderness Act (16 U.S.C. 1131 et seq.) precludes a Federal, State, or local agency from conducting wildland fire management operations (including prescribed burns) within the areas designated as wilderness under subsection (a), subject to any conditions that the Secretary considers appropriate.
(g)Congress—
(1)finds that the parcels of land in the wilderness study areas referred to in subsection (a) that are not designated as wilderness by subsection (a) have been adequately studied for wilderness designation under section 1782 of title 43; and
(2)declares that those parcels are no longer subject to the requirement of subsection (c) of that section pertaining to the management of wilderness study areas in a manner that does not impair the suitability of such areas for preservation as wilderness.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

References in Text

The Wilderness Act, referred to in subsecs. (a), (b), (d), (e)(2), and (f), is Pub. L. 88–577, Sept. 3, 1964, 78 Stat. 890, which is classified generally to chapter 23 (§ 1131 et seq.) of this title. For complete classification of this Act to the Code, see

Short Title

note set out under section 1131 of this title and Tables. The

Effective Date

of the Wilderness Act, referred to in subsec. (b), means Sept. 3, 1964, the date of enactment of Pub. L. 88–577, which enacted chapter 23 of this title. section 101(f) of Public Law 101–628, referred to in subsec. (d), is section 101(f) of Pub. L. 101–628, title I, Nov. 28, 1990, 104 Stat. 4473, which is not classified to the Code. Codification Section is comprised of section 1(a)(4) [div. B, title I, § 125 [§ 8]] of Pub. L. 106–554. section 1(a)(4) [div. B, title I, § 125 [§ 8(a)(1)–(10)]] of Pub. L. 106–554 also enacted provisions listed in a table of Wilderness Areas set out under section 1132 of this title.

Amendments

2001—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 107–63, § 135(a), substituted “
October 3, 2001” for “
July 19, 2000” wherever appearing. Subsecs. (e) to (g). Pub. L. 107–63, § 135(c)–(e), added subsecs. (e) to (g).

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

16 U.S.C. § 460ppp–6

Title 16Conservation

Last Updated

Apr 6, 2026

Release point: 119-73