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; and

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.

Sapphire Mountains/Continental Divide corridor— Certain Federal land comprising approximately 120,000 acres, as generally depicted on the map entitled “Northern Rockies Ecosystem Protection Act” and dated April 28, 2016, and administered by the Bitterroot, Beaverhead-Deerlodge, or Lolo National Forest and land administered by the Missoula Field Office of the Bureau of Land Management is 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 “Northern Rockies Ecosystem Protection Act” and dated April 28, 2016, and administered by the Lolo National Forest is designated as Jocko Mountains/Cabinet Mountains Corridor and shall be subject to the special corridor management requirements under section 203.

Nine Mile/Great Burn corridor— Certain Federal land comprising approximately 73,000 acres, as generally depicted on the map entitled “Northern Rockies Ecosystem Protection Act” and dated April 28, 2016, and administered by the Lolo National Forest is designated as Nine Mile/Great Burn Corridor and shall be subject to the special corridor management requirements under section 203.

Anaconda-Pintler Divide corridor— Certain Federal land comprising approximately 260,000 acres, as generally depicted on the map entitled “Northern Rockies Ecosystem Protection Act” and dated April 28, 2016, within the Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest and land administered by the Dillon or Butte Field Offices of the Bureau of Land Management is designated as Anaconda-Pintler Divide Corridor and shall be subject to the special corridor management requirements under section 203.

Ten Lakes/Cabinet/Yaak corridor— Certain Federal land comprising approximately 310,000 acres, as generally depicted on the map entitled “Northern Rockies Ecosystem Protection Act” and dated April 28, 2016, within the Kootenai National Forest, is 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 “Northern Rockies Ecosystem Protection Act” and dated April 28, 2016, within the Idaho Panhandle, Lolo, or Kootenai National Forest is designated as Cabinet/Yaak/Great Burn Complex Corridor and shall be subject to the special corridor management requirements under section 203.

Cabinet/Yaak/Selkirk corridor— Certain Federal land comprising approximately 96,000 acres, as generally depicted on the map entitled “Northern Rockies Ecosystem Protection Act” and dated April 28, 2016, and administered by the Idaho Panhandle, Kootenai, or Colville National Forest is designated as Cabinet/Yaak/Selkirk Biological Connecting Corridor and shall be subject to the special corridor management requirements under section 203.

Cabinet/Yaak/Canada corridor— Certain Federal land comprising approximately 41,000 acres, as generally depicted on the map entitled “Northern Rockies Ecosystem Protection Act” and dated April 28, 2016, within the Idaho Panhandle or Kootenai National Forest is designated as Cabinet/Yaak/Canada Biological Connecting Corridor and shall be subject to the special corridor management requirements under section 203.

Anaconda-Pintlar/Bitterroot Mountains corridor— Certain Federal land comprising approximately 147,000 acres, as generally depicted on the map entitled “Northern Rockies Ecosystem Protection Act” and dated April 28, 2016, within the Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest and land administered by the Dillon Field Office of the Bureau of Land Management is designated as Anaconda-Pintler/Bitterroot Mountains Corridor and shall be subject to the special corridor management requirements under section 203.

Frank Church/Greater Yellowstone corridor— Certain Federal land comprising approximately 642,000 acres, as generally depicted on the map entitled “Northern Rockies Ecosystem Protection Act” and dated April 28, 2016, 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 is designated as Frank Church/Greater Yellowstone Corridor and shall be subject to the special corridor management requirements under section 203.

French Creek/Hells Canyon corridor— Certain Federal land comprising approximately 3,000 acres, as generally depicted on the map entitled “Northern Rockies Ecosystem Protection Act” and dated April 28, 2016, 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 is designated as French Creek/Hells Canyon Corridor and shall be subject to the special corridor management requirements under section 203.

Lemhi Mountains corridor— Certain Federal land comprising approximately 88,000 acres, as generally depicted on the map entitled “Northern Rockies Ecosystem Protection Act” and dated April 28, 2016, 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 is designated as Lemhi Mountains Corridor and shall be subject to the special corridor management requirements under section 203.

Lost River Range corridor— Certain Federal land comprising approximately 64,000 acres, as generally depicted on the map entitled “Northern Rockies Ecosystem Protection Act” and dated April 28, 2016, within the Salmon-Challis National Forest and land administered by the Upper Snake or Challis Field Office of the Bureau of Land Management is designated as Lost River Range Corridor and shall be subject to the special corridor management requirements under section 203.

Frank Church Complex/Lemhi Range corridor— Certain Federal land comprising approximately 3,000 acres, as generally depicted on the map entitled “Northern Rockies Ecosystem Protection Act” and dated April 28, 2016, within the Salmon-Challis National Forest and land administered by the Challis Field Office of the Bureau of Land Management is designated as 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 corridor— Certain Federal land comprising approximately 88,000 acres, as generally depicted on the map entitled “Northern Rockies Ecosystem Protection Act” and dated April 28, 2016, within the Salmon-Challis National Forest and land administered by the Upper Snake or Challis Field Office of the Bureau of Land Management is designated as Boulder/White Clouds/Lost River Range Corridor and shall be subject to the special corridor management requirements under section 203.

Bitterroot/Lemhi corridor— Certain Federal land comprising approximately 20,000 acres, as generally depicted on the map entitled “Northern Rockies Ecosystem Protection Act” and dated April 28, 2016, within the Salmon-Challis National Forest and land administered by the Challis Field Office of the Bureau of Land Management is designated as Frank Church Complex/Lemhi Range Corridor and shall be subject to the special corridor management requirements under section 203.

Greater Glacier/Greater Yellowstone corridor— Certain Federal land comprising approximately 542,000 acres, as generally depicted on the map entitled “Northern Rockies Ecosystem Protection Act” and dated April 28, 2016, 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 is designated as 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 “Northern Rockies Ecosystem Protection Act” and dated April 28, 2016, within the Bridger-Teton or Shoshone National Forest and land administered by the Lewistown Field Office of the Bureau of Land Management is designated as Mt. Leidy Highlands/Wind River Range Corridor and shall be subject to the special corridor management requirements under section 203.

In general— Those portions of the biological connecting corridors designated by section 202 are designated as special corridor management areas and shall be managed according to the Multiple-Use Sustained-Yield Act of 1960 (16 U.S.C. 528 et seq.) and other applicable laws and in accordance with subsection (b).

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

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 the land of which is adjacent to one or more biological connecting corridors designated under this title, if those agreements would benefit the ecological integrity and function of the designated corridors.

Land trades and acquisitions— The Secretary of Agriculture and the Secretary of the Interior may undertake land trades or acquisitions to carry out the purposes of this title if the Secretary concerned considers the 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.

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