(a) Except as authorized in paragraphs (b) and (c), access to lands within the Petersburg watershed, Tongass National Forest, as described in the Act of October 17, 1940 (54 Stat. 1197), is prohibited.

(b) Access to lands within the Petersburg watershed is hereby authorized, without further written approval, for the following routine purposes:

(1) The discharge of official duties related to management of the Tongass National Forest by Federal employees, holders of Forest Service contracts, or Forest Service agents;

(2) The operation, maintenance, and improvement of the municipal water system by Federal and State officials and employees of the city of Petersburg; and

(3) Public recreational use of the Raven's Roost Trail for access to and from the Raven's Roost public recreation cabin and the Alpine Recreation Area.

(c) Any person who wishes to enter upon the lands within the watershed for purposes other than those listed in paragraph (b) must obtain a permit that has been signed by the appropriate city official and countersigned by the District Ranger.

(d) Unauthorized entrance upon lands within the watershed is subject to punishment as provided in 36 CFR 261.1b.

(e) The Forest Supervisor of the Stikine Area of the Tongass National Forest may authorize the removal of timber from the watershed under the regulations governing disposal of National Forest timber (36 CFR part 223). In any removal of timber from the watershed, the Forest Supervisor shall provide adequate safeguards for the protection of the Petersburg municipal water supply.

[53 FR 26595, July 14, 1988]