While U.S. Sen. Harry Reid on Friday introduced a 1,000+-page omnibus land bill, one that would touch many ends of the National Park System, opposition to the measure cast doubts on whether it could gain passage before Congress adjourns this year.

The America's Great Outdoors Act of 2010 would add units to the park system, expand others, and order studies of prospective units. It also would create wilderness areas, both within existing units of the system and elsewhere on the public lands empire.

One measure, for instance, would transfer Valles Caldera National Preserve from the U.S. Forest Service to the National Park Service, another would create Waco Mammoth National Monument, yet another would expand Oregon Caves National Monument. Plus there's a bill that would add Castle Nugent on the island of St. Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands to the park system. And another would designated 32,577 acres of Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore as official wilderness.

“I want to get this package done before Congress adjourns,” the Senate Majority Leader said Friday night. “These are bipartisan bills. There is nothing divisive about protecting historic battlefields, improving our most critical water sources, or making sure that our best wildlife habitat remains wild and healthy.”

There also are controversial measures, such as one that would allow the Interior secretary to order the stocking of "non-reproducing" fish in lakes within North Cascades National Park.

While there is opposition within the Capital to the measure, groups outside the Congress also voiced their opposition to the legislation.

Among the opponents to the 1,003-page measure is the American Motorcyclist Association.

...the AMA has been informed that the bill contains multiple land designations that threaten to end responsible motorized recreation across the country. There is also an effort to include designations that have never been voted out of their relevant Committees and vast spending measures that are irrelevant to public land access.

This land grab is reminiscent of the 2009 closure of 2.1 million acres of public land to the American people. This legislation, as before, was created behind closed doors and without the transparent process new laws should have.

Also standing in opposition is the Heritage Foundation. In a post on its blog, the group said the measure contained:

* $17 million for 30 acres to expand ownership of lands near Jimmy Carter’s boyhood home. That’s almost $600,000 an acre.

* $500,000 for a study to see if the Hudson River Valley is of national significance.

* $26 million for submerged and privately owned areas in the Virgin Islands—another 8,600 acres.

* $10 million to create a 100-acre “buffer” expansion of Morristown National Historical Park and $100,000 for signs.

* $16 million for 89,000 acres (or 139 square miles) of Valles Caldera National Preserve.

In the House Natural Resources Committee, where Rep. Doc Hastings, R-Washington, will take over the chairmanship next month, the representative called for the bill's quick death.

“One bloated, costly Senate omnibus was just killed and this monster deserves the same fate," Rep. Hastings said in a statement. “This thousand-plus page omnibus would create entirely new spending programs, stifle job creation, expand EPA's power to control the economy and kill jobs, block more American-made energy, and complicate Border Patrol's ability to secure our border from criminals, drug gangs and potential terrorists.

“Harry Reid, Barbara Boxer and Senate Democrats are ignoring the stark message sent by voters in November that they want an end to backroom deals that produce giant bills loaded with new spending and job-killing policies. The American people loudly declared that this isn’t how they want business conducted by Congress.

“This Reid-Boxer omnibus needs to be blocked, shelved or defeated. There will be plenty of time in the next Congress to individually consider the measures piled into this omnibus. They shouldn't be jammed through in the last days of a lame-duck session.”