16 U.S.C. § 460nn: Findings and purpose

Summary

It creates the Robert T. Stafford White Rocks National Recreation Area by protecting certain National Forest lands in Vermont. Vermont is a small, rural State located near four large cities whose metro areas together have over fifteen million people. Its land lets many people enjoy wild places but also faces pressure to keep those lands available. Parts called Big Branch and Peru Peak fit into the new area, and other mostly roadless parts of the Green Mountain National Forest have strong wild values. The goal is to keep those lands wild and safe. The law aims to protect wildlife habitat and watersheds, keep places for primitive and semi‑primitive recreation, and preserve scenic, ecological, scientific, educational, and historic resources.

Title 16, §460nn

Conservation, Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)Congress finds that—

(1)Vermont is a beautiful but small and rural State, situated near four large cities with combined metropolitan populations of over fifteen million;

(2)geographic and topographic characteristics of Vermont provide opportunities for large numbers of people to experience the beauty of primitive areas, but also place unusual pressure to provide options to maximize the availability of such lands for a variety of forms of recreation;

(3)certain lands designated as the Big Branch and Peru Peak Wilderness Areas by title I of this Act are suitable for inclusion as part of the national recreation area; and

(4)certain other lands in the Green Mountain National Forest not designated as wilderness by this Act are of a predominantly roadless nature and possess outstanding wild values that are important for primitive and semiprimitive recreation, watershed protection, wildlife habitat, ecological study, education, and historic and archeological resources, and are deemed suitable for preservation and protection as part of a national recreation area.

(b)The purpose of this subchapter is to designate certain National Forest System lands in the State of Vermont as the Robert T. Stafford White Rocks National Recreation Area in order to preserve and protect their existing wilderness and wild values and to promote wild forest and aquatic habitat for wildlife, watershed protection, opportunities for primitive and semiprimitive recreation, and scenic, ecological, and scientific values.

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

References in Text

This Act, referred to in subsec. (a)(3), (4), is Pub. L. 98–322, June 19, 1984, 98 Stat. 253. Lands in the Green Mountain National Forest were designated as wilderness areas by title I of this Act, and are listed in a table of Wilderness Areas set out under section 1132 of this title. For complete classification of this Act to the Code, see Tables.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Change of Name

“Robert T. Stafford White Rocks National Recreation Area” substituted in subsec. (b) for “White Rocks National Recreation Area” pursuant to section 1(b) of Pub. L. 110–1, set out as a note under section 460nn–1 of this title.

§460nn Findings and Purpose