# 119-s-945: Smith River National Recreation Area Expansion Act

119-s-945, Smith River National Recreation Area Expansion Act, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Sen. Merkley, Jeff [D-OR] (D-OR); status in_committee; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-09-10).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-945
- As of: 2026-09-10
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-s-945
- Congress: 119
- Title: Smith River National Recreation Area Expansion Act
- Status: in_committee
- Introduced: 2025-03-11
- Sponsor: Sen. Merkley, Jeff [D-OR] (D-OR)
- Cosponsors: 3
- Policy area: Public Lands and Natural Resources
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-09-10

## Summary

**This bill would expand federal protection for the Smith River system by extending the Smith River National Recreation Area into Oregon and adding multiple Wild and Scenic River designations.** It would adjust boundary rules to use map-based definitions, fold Kalmiopsis Wilderness administration into SRNRA management, and require resource inventories and management-plan updates tied to a five-year study. - Tribal nations: Creates tools to preserve and clarify tribal access and cultural uses through memoranda of understanding. - State and local governments: Explicitly adds the State of Oregon and local subdivisions to management and assistance roles and extends Fish and Game authority to Oregon. - Landowners, recreationists, and managers: Authorizes targeted land acquisition including the Cedar Creek parcel (about 555 acres), designates many river segments as wild or recreational, and preserves wildfire and vegetation management authorities to support forest and fire management.

## Cosponsors (3)

- Sen. Wyden, Ron [D-OR] (D-OR), 2025-03-11T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Padilla, Alex [D-CA] (D-CA), 2025-03-11T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Schiff, Adam B. [D-CA] (D-CA), 2025-03-11T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- More Wild and Scenic rivers: benefit, medium. The bill would add several North Fork Smith River tributaries and parts of the Smith River to the Wild and Scenic Rivers list. It names exact segment mileages (for example 13.26 miles of Baldface Creek, 3.58 miles of Taylor Creek, and 4.38 miles of Biscuit Creek). Within five years, the Secretary w…
- Tribal access and cultural agreements: benefit, low. The bill would say it does not reduce any tribal rights. The Secretary would be required to seek written agreements with applicable Tribes. Those agreements would aim to allow tribal access for cultural uses, noncommercial gathering, and to develop public information about tribal history and use.
- Oregon added to state and local roles: benefit, low. The bill would add the State of Oregon and its local governments into several state and local references in the law. This would let Oregon agencies and subdivisions take part the same way California agencies do now. The change is administrative and does not by itself add funding.
- Wilderness protections and wildfire rules: mixed, medium. The bill would require the Kalmiopsis Wilderness be managed under the Wilderness Act rules. It would say the Secretary may carry out vegetation and forest-health projects and work with agencies to fight wildfires, if those actions match recreation-area purposes. It would also keep roadless-area pro…
- New maps and federal land purchases: mixed, low. This bill would add an official map dated January 23, 2023 to show proposed additions. It would let the Secretary buy land as well as accept donations. The State of Oregon and local governments in California or Oregon would be added as possible sellers. If the Oregon State Land Board adopts a resol…

## Related bills

- 119-s-5066: Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2026
- 119-s-2819: Head Start for America's Children Act
- 119-s-3990: PrEP Access and Coverage Act of 2026
- 119-s-2823: FAMILY Act
- 119-s-2231: GLOBE Act of 2025
- 119-s-51: Washington, D.C. Admission Act

## Sources
- [119-s-945 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/945)

## Related
- [119-s-5066: Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5066)
- [119-s-2819: Head Start for America's Children Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-2819)
- [119-s-3990: PrEP Access and Coverage Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-3990)
- [119-s-2823: FAMILY Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-2823)
- [119-s-2231: GLOBE Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-2231)
- [119-s-51: Washington, D.C. Admission Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-51)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-945 (as of 2026-09-10).