Flatside Wilderness Additions Act

The bill would amend the Arkansas Wilderness Act of 1984 to add approximately 2,212 acres of land in the Ouachita National Forest to the existing Flatside Wilderness, as depicted on a specified November 12, 2024 map. It would also rename the combined wilderness area the "Flatside-Bethune Wilderness," and direct that any existing law, map, regulation, or federal document referring to the Flatside Wilderness be treated as referring to the new name.

The bill would not change the Secretary of Agriculture's existing authority under the Wilderness Act to respond to fire, insect infestations, or disease within the area. It makes no other changes to land management, funding, or agency authority beyond the boundary expansion and renaming.

Visitors, land managers, and the U.S. Forest Service overseeing the Ouachita National Forest in Arkansas; nearby landowners and communities adjacent to the newly added acreage; and any federal documents, maps, or regulations that reference the Flatside Wilderness by its current name.

The added acreage would receive wilderness protections limiting development, road-building, and motorized use, affecting how the Forest Service manages that land going forward. The renaming would require updates to official references, while the fire/insect/disease provision ensures land managers retain existing emergency response authority.