§544b Establishment of scenic area

Summary

Creates the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area and fixes its official borders on maps kept by the Gorge Commission and the Forest Service (map NSA–001, sheets 1–2, dated September 1986). About 29 acres owned by the Port of Camas‑Washougal in Clark County, Washington (19 acres acquired under Public Law 98–396 and about 10 adjacent acres) are not included. Four places inside the area are named Special Management Areas—Gates of the Columbia River Gorge, Wind Mountain, Burdoin Mountain, and Rowena—with their limits shown on map SMA–002 (sheets 1–17, September 1986) and including all islands. Those special-area boundaries were adjusted on a map dated September 20, 2000. The Dodson/Warrendale Special Purchase Unit is also created (map SPU–003, sheet 1, September 1986). Several towns are labeled Urban Areas (Cascade Locks, Hood River, Mosier, The Dalles in Oregon; and Bingen, Carson, Dallesport, Home Valley, Lyle, North Bonneville, Stevenson, White Salmon, Wishram in Washington), with borders on map UA–004 (sheets 1–11, September 1986). The Gorge Commission, after a county asks and after consulting the Secretary, may make small boundary changes. Those changes need a two‑thirds vote of the Commission with a majority from each State, and the Commission must find they meet four tests: a clear long‑range need for growth or economic development that fits the management plan; consistency with section 544d and the purposes of sections 544–544p; better land‑use efficiency near cities; and no significant loss of farm land, forest, or open space. Minor special‑area boundary changes require 60 days’ notice in the Federal Register and to specific Congressional committees, and final action is also published.