Oregon Recreation Enhancement Act

The "Oregon Recreation Enhancement Act" establishes two new recreation areas in Oregon: the Rogue Canyon Recreation Area , encompassing approximately 98,150 acres, and the Molalla Recreation Area , covering about 29,884 acres. These areas, administered by the Secretary of the Interior, are designated to protect and enhance their unique recreational, ecological, scenic, cultural, watershed, and fish and wildlife values. Management will prioritize conservation and allow only uses consistent with the areas' established purposes. The bill mandates a wildfire risk assessment within 280 days for these recreation areas, the existing Wild Rogue Wilderness, and adjacent federal lands. Following this, a wildfire mitigation plan must be developed within one year, identifying and prioritizing treatments to reduce wildfire risk to nearby communities, including vegetation management and evacuation route planning. New permanent roads are generally prohibited in the recreation areas, though temporary roads may be constructed for wildfire mitigation efforts. Additionally, the legislation expands the Wild Rogue Wilderness Area by approximately 59,512 acres of federal land, which will be managed as part of the existing wilderness. All newly designated recreation areas and wilderness additions are withdrawn from all forms of public land entry, appropriation, disposal, mining laws, and mineral or geothermal leasing. Furthermore, specific federal lands in Curry County and Josephine County are also withdrawn from these activities, subject to valid existing rights. These withdrawals aim to safeguard the natural resources of these areas. However, the bill clarifies that nothing in the legislation affects existing recreational uses, hunting, fishing, or authorized forest management activities on the withdrawn lands, except for the specified prohibitions on new mineral and land development.