Bill > HR361

This bill, titled the Alpine Lakes Wilderness Additions and Pratt and Middle Fork Snoqualmie Rivers Protection Act, designates approximately 21,493 acres of federal land within the Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest in Washington State to become part of the existing Alpine Lakes Wilderness, which is a protected area within the National Wilderness Preservation System. The bill also amends the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act to designate specific segments of the Middle Fork Snoqualmie River as a wild river (6.4 miles) and a scenic river (21 miles), and the entire Pratt River as a wild river, all to be managed by the Secretary of Agriculture. Importantly, the bill clarifies that these designations do not restrict military overflights, allow for mechanical thinning and mechanized equipment for wildfire prevention and suppression, and prohibit the acquisition of private or non-federal land for the wild and scenic river designations without the owner's consent.