Resource information
This Act directs the Secretary of the Interior, to review every roadless area of 5,000 or more acres and every roadless island within National Wildlife Refuge and National Park Systems and to recommend to the President the suitability of each such area or island for inclusion in the National Wilderness Preservation System. The National Wilderness Preservation System is to be composed of federally owned areas designated by the Congress as "wilderness areas". The Secretary of Agriculture must recommend suitable areas in the National Forest System. The Act provides criteria for determining suitability and establishes restrictions on activities that can be undertaken on a designated area. It authorizes the acceptance of gifts, bequests and contributions in furtherance of the purposes of the Act and requires an annual report on the status of the wilderness system. This Act also provides for use of motorized vehicles and construction of cabins, fisheries and aquaculture facilities, and other structures in wilderness areas in Alaska. Nothing in this Act shall be construed as affecting the jurisdiction or responsibilities of the several States with respect to wildlife and fish in the national forests.
