Crooked River Ranch Fire Protection Act

The Crooked River Ranch is an unincorporated community with a population of 5,000 residents.

The current lands located adjacent to Crooked River Ranch are managed by the Bureau of Land Management and are classified as a Wilderness Study Area.

There is currently only one entrance/exit to the Crooked River Ranch.

Jefferson County and Crooked River Ranch have determined that the Wilderness Study Area lands are in the highest risk category for exposure to devastating wildfire due to overstocked juniper stands under the federally mandated and locally promulgated Jefferson County Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP).

The current Wilderness Study Area classification prevents mechanical fire prevention activities within the overstocked juniper stands.

Advancing this proposed legislation will greatly enhance the life and safety of people and property by reducing the extreme fire threat to these lands.

Boundary adjustment required— The Secretary of the Interior shall adjust the eastern boundary of the Deschutes Canyon-Steelhead Falls Wilderness Study Area and the Deschutes Canyon Wilderness Study Area in the State of Oregon to exclude approximately 832 acres, as depicted on the map entitled “Deschutes Canyon-Steelhead Falls Wilderness Study Area” and dated April 6, 2017, in order to facilitate fire prevention and response activities on the excluded public lands and adjacent private property.

Effect of exclusion— Effective on the date of the enactment of this Act, the public lands to be excluded from the Deschutes Canyon-Steelhead Falls Wilderness Study Area and the Deschutes Canyon Wilderness Study Area pursuant to subsection (a) are no longer subject to section 603(c) of the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 (43 U.S.C. 1782(c)).