16 U.S.C. § 460ll — Findings and declaration of policy

(a) Congress found two things: (1) Some land in Montana's Lolo National Forest has high value for watershed protection, water storage, wildlife habitat, primitive recreation, history, science, ecology, and education. Montanans and people nationwide have long used this land as wilderness, valuing its solitude, wildlife, clean flowing water (stored and used for city water supplies for over a century), and primitive recreation like hiking, camping, backpacking, hunting, fishing, horse riding, and biking. (2) Other nearby land, while not wild enough to count as wilderness, still has high value for city water supplies, recreation, wildlife habitat, ecology, and education. (b) Because of this, Congress declares it is national policy - to further the goals of the Wilderness Act of 1964 and the National Forest Management Act of 1976 - that the nation and Montana are best served by naming the Rattlesnake area a national recreation area. This includes permanently protecting some of this land as official wilderness, while using the rest for its watershed, recreation, wildlife, and education value.