§539q Hermosa Creek watershed protection

Summary

Designates about 70,650 acres of National Forest land near Hermosa Creek as the Hermosa Creek Special Management Area, subject to valid existing rights. The goal is to protect the watershed and its geological, cultural, natural, scientific, recreational, wildlife, riparian, historical, educational, and scenic values for present and future generations. The Secretary of Agriculture must manage the area to protect those resources, following the National Forest Management Act and other laws. Motorized or mechanized vehicles are allowed only on roads and trails the Secretary names, except snowmobiles may be used with enough snow and rules the Secretary sets. Grazing that existed before December 19, 2014, may continue under the law. In the part called East Hermosa Area, new roads and commercial timber harvesting are generally banned, except limited restoration-related harvesting. The law does not stop studying or building a water storage reservoir at a site identified on pages 17–20 of the Statewide Water Supply Initiative (November 2004) and page 27 of the Colorado Dam Site Inventory (August 1996). The land is withdrawn from most mining and leasing laws, except for two map parcels labeled A and B, and long‑term plans must be written within 3 years after December 19, 2014, with public input and recreation allowed (including skiing, biking, hiking, fishing, hunting, horseback riding, snowmobiling, motorcycle and off‑highway vehicle use, snowshoeing, and camping). Existing motorized trails and water rights in place and decreed on December 19, 2014, are unchanged. Vegetation, fire, insect, and disease management is allowed and can be coordinated with state or local agencies. Also, certain other federal lands are withdrawn from mining and leasing as shown on an April 5, 2013 map, though the Interior Secretary may transfer Bureau of Land Management parcels to the City of Durango, La Plata County, or the State under the Recreation and Public Purposes Act or by exchange. When permit COC 64651 (09) dated February 24, 2009, expires, about 82 acres shown on a May 5, 2014 map may be conveyed to La Plata County at the county’s request, with the county paying conveyance costs and using the land for public purposes; unused parcels may revert to the United States. About 461 acres in San Juan County are made the Molas Pass Recreation Area (map dated November 13, 2014) where snowmobiling and other recreation are allowed under rules and designated routes; an adjacent 461‑acre area is moved from BLM to the Forest Service as the Molas Pass Wilderness Study Area to keep its wilderness potential. The State keeps authority over fish and wildlife. The relevant maps and legal descriptions must be prepared soon after December 19, 2014, made public, and can be corrected for errors. The law does not create buffer zones, and it does not limit low‑level military overflights, flight testing, or military airspace and training routes. Definitions: City = Durango, County = La Plata County, Secretary = Secretary of Agriculture, Special Management Area = Hermosa Creek Special Management Area, State = Colorado.