H.R. 999House116th Congress (2019-2021)In Committee

Devil’s Staircase Wilderness Act of 2019

AI-Generated Summary

Updated April 14, 2026 at 1:33 AM UTC

The Devil’s Staircase Wilderness Act of 2019 creates a new wilderness area in Oregon and adds protections for parts of two nearby streams. It designates about 30,600 acres of federal land as the Devil’s Staircase Wilderness, placing it in the National Wilderness Preservation System. The bill also declares specific segments of Franklin Creek and Wasson Creek as wild rivers, giving them special management and protection.

Key Provisions

Designates roughly 30,621 acres of Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management land in Oregon as the Devil’s Staircase Wilderness, to be managed under the Wilderness Act.
Requires the responsible secretaries to prepare and make publicly available a map and legal description of the new wilderness area.
Transfers about 49 acres of BLM land north of the Umpqua River to Forest Service administration.
Adds a 4.5‑mile segment of Franklin Creek (from its headwaters to a private land boundary) to the Wild and Scenic Rivers system as a wild river administered by the Secretary of Agriculture.
Adds a 10.1‑mile portion of Wasson Creek to the Wild and Scenic Rivers system as wild river segments: a 4.2‑mile stretch administered by the Secretary of the Interior and a 5.9‑mile stretch administered by the Secretary of Agriculture.

Legislative Activity

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2 earlier actions

HouseCommittee Latest Action

Referred to the Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests, and Public Lands.

Federal Lands Subcommittee

February 22, 2019

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HouseIntro Referral

Introduced in House

February 6, 2019

HouseIntro Referral

Referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources.

Natural Resources Committee

February 6, 2019

HouseCommittee

Referred to the Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests, and Public Lands.

Federal Lands Subcommittee

February 22, 2019

Floor Debate

1 member

What members said about H.R. 999 on the floor

1 Democrat

Rep. Peter A. DeFazioD-OR-4 · Feb 27, 2019

Madam Speaker, yesterday had I been present, I would have voted in strong support of S. 47, the Natural Resources Management Act. I was detained due to severe weather and cancelled flights in Oregon.…

Madam Speaker, yesterday had I been present, I would have voted in strong support of S. 47, the Natural Resources Management Act. I was detained due to severe weather and cancelled flights in Oregon.

S. 47 is a compilation of approximately 100 public lands and natural resources bills. One of the main provisions would provide permanent authorization of the Land and Water Conservation Fund, which I strongly support.

Also included in this essential legislation are three provisions that I authored to protect critical salmon and steelhead habitats in southwestern Oregon and designate more than 30,000 acres of public land as Wilderness.

H.R. 994, the Chetco River Protection Act, would prohibit new mining claims on various rivers and creeks in Southwestern Oregon. The waters protected by this legislation supply clean drinking water to thousands of residents of Southwest Oregon and Northwest California and are critical salmon habitat.

H.R. 999, the Devil's Staircase Wilderness Act, would permanently protect Devil's Staircase, a remote, unspoiled area in the Coast Range. The legislation would designate approximately 30,500 acres of Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and U.S. Forest Service (USFS) lands as Wilderness. In addition, this legislation designates approximately 14.4 miles of the Wasson and Franklin Creeks, which support native Coho and Chinook salmon, trout, and steelhead runs, as Wild and Scenic Rivers.

H.R. 1056, the Frank and Jeanne Moore Wild Steelhead Special Management Area Designation Act, would designate almost 100,000 acres of public land in the Steamboat Creek Watershed in the Umpqua National Forest that is vitally important steelhead habitat. The legislation would honor Frank and Jeanne Moore's lifelong efforts to protect the North Umpqua River and its tributaries.

The lands protected in these bills are some of the most beautiful, pristine, and ecologically-diverse areas in Oregon. To leave these areas unprotected would be to subject them to pollution and mining, endanger drinking water for thousands of families, and devastate local recreation economies.

I am proud that Congress overwhelmingly passed this legislation and that President Trump is expected to sign this important legislation into law.

Bill Text

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Introduced in HouseIssued February 6, 2019

116th CONGRESS

1st Session

H. R. 999

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

February 6, 2019

Mr. DeFazio introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Natural Resources

A BILL

To provide for the designation of the Devil’s Staircase Wilderness Area in the State of Oregon, to designate segments of Wasson and Franklin Creeks in the State of Oregon as wild or recreation rivers, and for other purposes.

Short title

This Act may be cited as the Devil’s Staircase Wilderness Act of 2019.

Designation of wilderness area, Devil's Staircase Wilderness, Oregon

(a)

Devil’s Staircase Wilderness

(1)

Definitions

In this subsection:

(A)

Map

The term map means the map entitled Devil’s Staircase Wilderness Proposal and dated July 26, 2018.

(B)

Secretary

The term Secretary means—

(i)

the Secretary, with respect to public land administered by the Secretary; or

(ii)

the Secretary of Agriculture, with respect to National Forest System land.

(C)

State

The term State means the State of Oregon.

(D)

Wilderness

The term Wilderness means the Devil’s Staircase Wilderness designated by paragraph (2).

(2)

Designation

In accordance with the Wilderness Act (16 U.S.C. 1131 et seq.), the approximately 30,621 acres of Forest Service land and Bureau of Land Management land in the State, as generally depicted on the map, is designated as wilderness and as a component of the National Wilderness Preservation System, to be known as the Devil’s Staircase Wilderness.

(3)

Map; legal description

(A)

In general

As soon as practicable after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall prepare a map and legal description of the Wilderness.

(B)

Force of law

The map and legal description prepared under subparagraph (A) shall have the same force and effect as if included in this subsection, except that the Secretary may correct clerical and typographical errors in the map and legal description.

(C)

Availability

The map and legal description prepared under subparagraph (A) shall be on file and available for public inspection in the appropriate offices of the Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management.

(4)

Administration

Subject to valid existing rights, the area designated as wilderness by this subsection shall be administered by the Secretary in accordance with the Wilderness Act (16 U.S.C. 1131 et seq.), except that—

(A)

any reference in that Act to the effective date shall be considered to be a reference to the date of enactment of this Act; and

(B)

any reference in that Act to the Secretary of Agriculture shall be considered to be a reference to the Secretary that has jurisdiction over the land within the Wilderness.

(5)

Fish and wildlife

Nothing in this subsection affects the jurisdiction or responsibilities of the State with respect to fish and wildlife in the State.

(6)

Adjacent management

(A)

In general

Nothing in this subsection creates any protective perimeter or buffer zone around the Wilderness.

(B)

Activities outside wilderness

The fact that a nonwilderness activity or use on land outside the Wilderness can be seen or heard within the Wilderness shall not preclude the activity or use outside the boundary of the Wilderness.

(7)

Protection of tribal rights

Nothing in this subsection diminishes any treaty rights of an Indian Tribe.

(8)

Transfer of administrative jurisdiction

(A)

In general

Administrative jurisdiction over the approximately 49 acres of Bureau of Land Management land north of the Umpqua River in T. 21 S., R. 11 W., sec. 32, is transferred from the Bureau of Land Management to the Forest Service.

(B)

Administration

The Secretary shall administer the land transferred by subparagraph (A) in accordance with—

(i)

the Act of March 1, 1911 (commonly known as the Weeks Law) (16 U.S.C. 480 et seq.); and

(ii)

any laws (including regulations) applicable to the National Forest System.

(b)

Wild and scenic river designations, Wasson Creek and Franklin Creek, Oregon

Section 3(a) of the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act (16 U.S.C. 1274(a)) is amended by adding at the end the following:

(214)

Franklin creek, oregon

The 4.5-mile segment from its headwaters to the private land boundary in sec. 8, to be administered by the Secretary of Agriculture as a wild river.

(215)

Wasson creek, oregon

The 10.1-mile segment in the following classes:

(A)

The 4.2-mile segment from the eastern boundary of T. 21 S., R. 9 W., sec. 17, downstream to the western boundary of T. 21 S., R. 10 W., sec. 12, to be administered by the Secretary of the Interior as a wild river.

(B)

The 5.9-mile segment from the western boundary of T. 21 S., R. 10 W., sec. 12, downstream to the eastern boundary of the northwest quarter of T. 21 S., R. 10 W., sec. 22, to be administered by the Secretary of Agriculture as a wild river.