Purposes

(a) In general The purposes of this Act are— (1) to designate certain National Forest System land, certain National Park System land, and certain public land administered by the Bureau of Land Management in the States of Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington, and Wyoming as components of the National Wilderness Preservation System; (2) to designate certain National Forest System land, certain public land administered by the Bureau of Land Management, and watercourses on that National Forest System land and public land in the States of Montana, Idaho, and Wyoming as components of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System; (3) to prioritize areas for wildland recovery to help restore biological diversity and native species; and (4) to establish a system of biological connecting corridors— (A) between the core ecosystems in the Northern Rockies Bioregion; and (B) that connect to ecologically significant wildland to the south of the Northern Rockies Bioregion. (b) Purpose of designations The designations of land made by this Act are made— (1) to promote, perpetuate, and preserve the wilderness character of the designated land; (2) to protect water quality, watersheds, and wildlife habitats, including the habitats of species listed as threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.); (3) to protect the ecological integrity and contiguity of major wildland ecosystems and the interconnecting corridors of the ecosystems identified by the Director of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service or another official; (4) to protect and maintain biological and native species diversity and dispersal throughout the Northern Rockies Bioregion; (5) to promote and ensure interagency cooperation in the implementation of integrated, holistic ecosystem management and protection of the ecosystems and corridors covered by this Act based on principles from conservation biology; (6) to preserve scenic, historic, and cultural resources; (7) to promote scientific research, primitive recreation, solitude, physical and mental challenges, and inspiration for the benefit of the people of the United States; (8) to avoid the misinvestment of scarce capital in land of marginal timber value; and (9) to promote ecologically and economically sustainable management in the Northern Rockies Bioregion.