Sponsors (23)
The bill protects and clarifies management of substantial wilderness and river resources—strengthening conservation, recreation, water quality, and tribal access—while trading off some local economic development opportunities, creating new administrative costs and management burdens, and shifting access and infrastructure pressures onto nearby communities.
Rural communities, visitors, downstream users, wildlife, and Indigenous communities gain long-term protection for ~29,000 acres of wilderness plus ~19.2 miles of Little Rock Creek and tributaries, preserving habitat, water quality, scenic values, and recreation opportunities.
Rural communities and visitors benefit from maintained Secretary authority and funding priority for fire and fuels management in the designated areas, supporting quicker wildfire response and public-safety actions.
State and local governments, forest managers, and communities get clearer legal maps, required Forest Service plan updates, and a defined study timeline for San Gabriel tributaries, improving management clarity, stakeholder coordination, and the process for considering additional protections.
Local resource industries, private landowners, and developers will face new restrictions because lands and river segments are withdrawn from mining, leasing, and certain development (including new dams), reducing some local economic opportunities and land-use options.
Taxpayers, Forest Service staff, and federal budgets could face added administrative and management costs—new plans, legally binding maps, studies, and ongoing management of added wilderness and river segments may require appropriations or resource reallocation and could delay other priorities.
Nearby communities and recreational users may see increased visitation and related pressures (parking, trails, services) while some motorized or infrastructure uses are limited by wilderness designations, creating local infrastructure and access trade-offs without guaranteed funding.
Based on analysis of 6 sections of legislative text.
Designates four wilderness units in Angeles National Forest, adds Little Rock Creek segments to Wild and Scenic Rivers, requires maps, studies, plan updates, and tribal access protections.
Official title: To provide for conservation on Federal lands in Southern California, and for other purposes.
Introduced December 17, 2025 by Judy Chu · Last progress December 17, 2025
Creates four new wilderness units and expands parts of two existing wilderness areas in the Angeles National Forest in California, and adds designated segments of Little Rock Creek to the Wild and Scenic Rivers System. It requires Forest Service maps, planning updates, special-use authorizations for some existing water facilities, wildfire management provisions, tribal access protections, and studies of additional river segments for potential wild-and-scenic designation.