Title II — Biological Connecting Corridors

The most recent scientific information on ecological reserve design and function, including recent scientific information on species dispersal in response to a changing climate, points out the critical need for biological connecting corridors between the larger core ecosystem areas.

While none of the remaining major wild land ecosystems of the Northern Rockies Bioregion appears to be of sufficient size to perpetuate the full complement of self-sustaining viable populations of native wildlife, biological diversity, and full range of ecological processes on its own, it appears that an effective reserve system can be achieved if biological connecting corridors between the ecosystems are identified and protected.

The wild land areas addressed by this title are located between the major core ecosystems of the region and are essential for wildlife and plant migration and genetic interchange.

These areas are some of the most beautiful and wild mountain ranges in the United States, including the Bitterroot, Sapphire, Lost River, Lemhi, and Bridger mountain ranges.

Designation— To protect the life flow of the Northern Rockies Bioregion, the areas described in this section are hereby designated as biological connecting corridors. The designated biological connecting corridors are of two types, areas designated as components of the National Wilderness Preservation System in title I and areas subject to special corridor management requirements under section 203 in this title. Each biological connecting corridor shall be known by the name given it in the subsection establishing it. Each map shall be on file and available for public inspection in the Office of the Chief of the Forest Service and the Office of the Director of the Bureau of Land Management.

Sapphire Mountains/Continental Divide Corridors— Certain Federal land comprising approximately 120,000 acres, as generally depicted on the map entitled “_____” and dated ______, administered by the Bitterroot, Beaverhead-Deerlodge, or Lolo National Forest and land administered by the Missoula Field Office of the Bureau of Land Management are designated as Sapphire Mountains/Continental Divide Corridor and shall be subject to the special corridor management requirements under section 203.

Jocko Mountains/Cabinet Mountains Corridor— Certain Federal land comprising approximately 129,000 acres, as generally depicted on the map entitled “_____” and dated ______, administered by the Lolo National Forest are designated as Jocko Mountains/Cabinet Mountains Corridor and shall be subject to the special corridor management requirements under section 203.

Nine Mile/Great Burn Corridors— Certain Federal land comprising approximately 73,000 acres, as generally depicted on the map entitled “_____” and dated ______, administered by the Lolo National Forest are designated as Nine Mile/Great Burn Corridor and shall be subject to the special corridor management requirements under section 203.

Anaconda-Pintler-Divide Corridors— Certain Federal land comprising approximately 260,000 acres, as generally depicted on the map entitled “_____” and dated ______, within the Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest and land administered by the Dillon or Butte Field Offices of the Bureau of Land Management are designated as Anaconda-Pintler-Divide Corridor and shall be subject to the special corridor management requirements under section 203.

Ten Lakes/Cabinet/Yaak Corridors— Certain Federal land comprising approximately 310,000 acres, as generally depicted on the map entitled “_____” and dated ______, within the Kootenai National Forest are designated as Ten Lakes/Cabinet/Yaak Corridor and shall be subject to the special corridor management requirements under section 203.

Cabinet/Yaak/Great Burn Complex Corridor— Certain Federal land comprising approximately 205,000 acres, as generally depicted on the map entitled “_____” and dated ______, within the Idaho Panhandle, Lolo or Kootenai National Forest are designated as Cabinet/Yaak/Great Burn Complex Corridor and shall be subject to the special corridor management requirements under section 203.

Cabinet/Yaak/Selkirk Corridors— Certain Federal land comprising approximately 96,000 acres, as generally depicted on the map entitled “_____” and dated ______, administered by the Idaho Panhandle, Kootenai, or Colville National Forest are designated as the Cabinet/Yaak/Selkirk Biological Connecting Corridor and shall be subject to the special corridor management requirements under section 203.

Cabinet/Yaak/Canada Corridors— Certain Federal land comprising approximately 41,000, as generally depicted on the map entitled “_____” and dated ______, within the Idaho Panhandle or Kootenai National Forest are designated as the Cabinet/Yaak/Canada Biological Connecting Corridor and shall be subject to the special corridor management requirements under section 203.

Anaconda-Pintlar/Bitterroot Mountains Corridors— Certain Federal land comprising approximately 147,000 acres, as generally depicted on the map entitled “_____” and dated ______, within the Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest and land administered by the Dillon Field Office of the Bureau of Land Management are designated as Anaconda-Pintler/Bitterroot Mountains Corridor and shall be subject to the special corridor management requirements under section 203.

Frank Church/Greater Yellowstone Corridors— Certain Federal land comprising approximately 642,000 acres, as generally depicted on the map entitled “_____” and dated ______, within the Beaverhead-Deerlodge, Bitterroot, Caribou-Targhee, or Salmon-Challis National Forest and land administered by the Dillon or Salmon Field Office of the Bureau of Land Management are designated as the Frank Church/Greater Yellowstone Corridor and shall be subject to the special corridor management requirements under section 203.

French Creek/Hells Canyon Corridors— Certain Federal land comprising approximately 3,000 acres, as generally depicted on the map entitled “_____” and dated ______, within the Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forests or Payette National Forest and land administered by the Cottonwood Field Office of the Bureau of Land Management are designated as the French Creek/Hells Canyon Corridor and shall be subject to the special corridor management requirements under section 203.

Lemhi Mountains Corridors— Certain Federal land comprising approximately 88,000 acres, as generally depicted on the map entitled “_____” and dated ______, within the Caribou-Targhee or Salmon-Challis National Forest and land administered by the Upper Snake or Challis Field Office of the Bureau of Land Management are designated as the Lemhi Mountains Corridor and shall be subject to the special corridor management requirements under section 203.

Lost River Range Corridors— Certain Federal land comprising approximately 64,000 acres, as generally depicted on the map entitled “_____” and dated ______, within the Salmon-Challis National Forest and land administered by the Upper Snake or Challis Field Office of the Bureau of Land Management are designated as the Lost River Range Corridor and shall be subject to the special corridor management requirements under section 203.

Frank Church Complex/Lemhi Range Corridors— Certain Federal land comprising approximately 3,000 acres, as generally depicted on the map entitled “_____” and dated ______, within the Salmon-Challis National Forest and land administered by the Challis Field Office of the Bureau of Land Management are designated as the Frank Church Complex/Lemhi Range Corridor and shall be subject to the special corridor management requirements under section 203.

Boulder/White Clouds/Lost River Range Corridors— Certain Federal land comprising approximately 88,000 acres, as generally depicted on the map entitled “_____” and dated ______, within the Salmon-Challis National Forest and land administered by the Upper Snake or Challis Field Office of the Bureau of Land Management are designated as the Boulder/White Clouds/Lost River Range Corridor and shall be subject to the special corridor management requirements under section 203.

Bitterroot/Lemhi Corridors— Certain Federal land comprising approximately 20,000 acres, as generally depicted on the map entitled “_____” and dated ______, within the Salmon-Challis National Forest and land administered by the Challis Field Office of the Bureau of Land Management are designated as the Frank Church Complex/Lemhi Range Corridor and shall be subject to the special corridor management requirements under section 203.

Greater Glacier/Greater Yellowstone Corridors— Certain Federal land comprising approximately 542,000 acres, as generally depicted on the map entitled “_____” and dated ______, within the Custer Gallatin, Helena or Lewis and Clark National Forest and land administered by the Lewistown Field Office of the Bureau of Land Management are designated as the Greater Glacier/Greater Yellowstone Corridor and shall be subject to the special corridor management requirements under section 203.

Mt. Leidy Highlands/Wind River Range Corridors— Certain Federal land comprising approximately 69,000 acres, as generally depicted on the map entitled “_____” and dated ______, within the Bridger-Teton or Shoshone National Forest and land administered by the Lewistown Field Office of the Bureau of Land Management are designated as the Mt. Leidy Highlands/Wind River Range Corridor and shall be subject to the special corridor management requirements under section 203.

The practice of even-aged silvicultural management and timber harvesting is prohibited within the special corridor management areas.

Subject to valid existing rights, mining, oil, and gas exploration and development and new road construction or reconstruction is prohibited within the special corridor management areas.

The Federal land management agency responsible for the administration of a special corridor management area or portion thereof shall take immediate steps to ensure that road densities within the biological connecting corridor approach, as nearly as possible, zero miles of road per square mile of land area. Such road density shall not exceed 0.25 miles per square mile, using the method known as the “moving window” method.

Federal Land Management Agencies— This title shall apply only to National Forest System lands and lands under the jurisdiction of the Bureau of Land Management and the United States Fish and Wildlife Service.

Private Land and landowners— Private lands are not affected by this title. No private landowner whose lands are adjacent to the designated connecting corridors shall be compelled, under any circumstances, to comply with this title. However, private landowners may enter into cooperative agreements with the Federal Government on a willing participant or willing seller basis to include their land in a biological connecting corridor.

Cooperative Agreements— The Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of Agriculture shall seek to enter into cooperative agreements with private, State, and corporate landowners and sovereign Indian tribes whose lands are adjacent to the designated connecting corridors, when such agreements would benefit the ecological integrity and function of the designated corridor.

Land Trades and Acquisitions— The Secretary of Agriculture and the Secretary of the Interior may undertake land trades or acquisitions in order to accomplish the purposes of this title when the Secretary concerned considers such action to be appropriate.

Report— As part of the report required by section 501, the Secretary of Agriculture and the Secretary of the Interior shall describe the progress of cooperative agreements, acquisitions, and proposed land exchanges sought pursuant to this section.

Exemption— The roads and highways referred to in subsection (b) are expressly exempted from the provisions of this title. In the event that any county, State, Federal, or private road has been mistakenly omitted from this list, it is deemed to be incorporated by reference.

Description— The roads and highways referred to in subsection (a) are the following: