16 U.S.C. § 460qq — Establishment

(a) Designation of area; revision of boundaries. This section designates about 23,100 acres in the Allegheny National Forest, Pennsylvania, shown on a March 1984 map, as the Allegheny National Recreation Area ("the national recreation area"). The Secretary of Agriculture may revise its boundaries to fix errors or add adjacent land acquired later. (b) Description of purposes. The national recreation area is managed for: (1) outdoor recreation, including but not limited to hunting, fishing, hiking, backpacking, camping, nature study, and motorized and nonmotorized boating on the Allegheny Reservoir; (2) conserving fish and wildlife populations and habitat; (3) protecting watersheds and keeping streams free-flowing and water quality high, following applicable law; (4) conserving the area's scenic, cultural, and other natural values; (5) allowing development of privately owned oil, gas, and mineral resources, subject to reasonable conditions the Secretary sets under subsection (c) to protect the area; and (6) minimizing, as much as practical, environmental disturbance from resource development, while respecting private property rights. (c) Administration; plan of operations. The Secretary administers the national recreation area under the purposes in subsection (b) and the laws, rules, and regulations that apply to the National Forest System. Subject to valid existing rights, any oil, gas, or mineral exploration, development, or transportation activity is subject to reasonable conditions the Secretary sets, following the management plan under subsection (d). For any such activity, the Secretary must require a plan of operations, including provisions for adequate reclamation — including, as much as practical, revegetation and rehabilitation after each operating phase ends. (d) Management plan. The Secretary must prepare, and may amend from time to time, a management plan for the national recreation area. It may be prepared alongside ongoing planning for the Allegheny National Forest under the National Forest Management Act of 1976. The initial plan and any significant amendments must come with an environmental impact statement prepared under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969. (e) Hunting, fishing, and trapping. The Secretary must permit hunting, fishing, and trapping within the national recreation area's boundaries, following applicable federal and state law, except the Secretary may designate zones and periods with none of these activities, for public safety, administration, or public use and enjoyment reasons. Except in emergencies, any such restriction takes effect only after consulting the appropriate State fish and game department. (f) Withdrawal of minerals from appropriation and disposition. Subject to valid existing rights, minerals in all federally owned land within the national recreation area are withdrawn from all forms of mining-law appropriation and from disposition under all mineral leasing laws, including geothermal leasing laws. (g) Other National Forest management areas unaffected. Nothing in this section applies to, or affects, any other National Forest System management area, including any wilderness area or other national recreation area.