Summary

Designates about 750 acres in Shawnee National Forest as the Camp Hutchins Wilderness and adds it to the National Wilderness Preservation System, closes a forest road to motor vehicles and converts it to a hiking trail, and creates three Special Management Areas (SMAs) inside the forest. The SMAs are subject to new limits on roads, motorized use, timber harvest, and extractive activities; require a Forest Service management plan within three years; and must be mapped and reported to Congress with annual public progress reports. The Secretary of Agriculture (acting through the Forest Service) must manage the new wilderness according to the Wilderness Act and manage the SMAs to protect natural, scenic, cultural, and scientific resources, promote biodiversity and invasive-species control, and continue restoration and scientific study. The Act withdraws designated lands from many public-land and mineral uses but preserves specified private access and existing hunting rules where noted.

Key Points

• Adds ~750 acres in Shawnee National Forest to the National Wilderness Preservation System as Camp Hutchins Wilderness.
• Closes Forest Road 211 to motor vehicles and converts it to a hiking trail.
• Creates three Special Management Areas with mapped boundaries and conservation-focused purposes.
• Requires the Forest Service to adopt SMA management plans within 3 years and file maps/legal descriptions with Congress.
• Withdraws designated lands from many public-land and mining uses, restricting new mineral development and certain public-land entries.
• Limits motorized access, road work, and timber/extractive activities in SMAs; allows restoration, research, and invasive-species control.
• Protects specified private access rights and preserves applicable hunting rules noted in the text.
• Requires annual public progress reporting on SMA implementation and restoration/science activities.
• Does not appropriate funds directly; implementation depends on Forest Service planning and existing authorities.
• Intended to enhance biodiversity, restore native ecosystems, and support scientific study in the designated areas.

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