§460www Red Cliffs National Conservation Area

Summary

Creates the Red Cliffs National Conservation Area to protect and improve about 44,725 acres of public land for people now and in the future, keeping its natural, scenic, wildlife, recreational, cultural, historical, educational, and scientific values. It also requires protecting any species that live there and are listed as threatened or endangered under section 1533(c)(1). Existing valid rights remain in effect. It defines some key plans and names their dates: the habitat conservation plan is the Washington County Habitat Conservation Plan (February 23, 1996); the management plan is the long-term plan the Secretary must develop under subsection (d)(1); the National Conservation Area is the Red Cliffs area shown on the map; the public use plan is the Red Cliffs Desert Reserve Public Use Plan (June 12, 2000, as amended); and the resource management plan is the St. George Field Office Resource Management Plan (March 15, 1999, as amended). The Secretary must create a comprehensive management plan not later than 3 years after March 30, 2009, after talking with state, tribal, and local governments and the public, and may include parts of the plans listed above. The area must be managed to protect and improve its resources and follow the Federal Land Policy and Management Act and other laws. Uses are allowed only if they support the area’s purposes; motor vehicles are allowed only on roads the plan designates except for emergencies or official work; existing livestock grazing that began before March 30, 2009 may continue under reasonable rules; fire operations and utility development are allowed when done under the listed plans and laws. Federal lands in the area are withdrawn from public entry, mining, and mineral leasing laws, and any land the United States later acquires becomes part of the area and is managed the same way.