John D. Dingell, Jr. Conservation, Management, and Recreation Act
This bill sets forth provisions regarding various programs, projects, activities, and studies for the management and conservation of natural resources on federal lands.
TITLE I--PUBLIC LAND AND FORESTS
Subtitle A--Land Exchanges and Conveyances
(Sec. 1001) This section directs the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to conduct a land exchange upon request by the Broadmoor Hotel, Inc. (BHI) in Colorado. Specifically, USDA must (1) convey to the BHI 83 acres of specified federal land within the Pike National Forest in Teller County, Colorado, together with a nonexclusive perpetual access easement for the BHI to and from such land on Forest Service Road 371; and (2) accept in exchange 320 acres of specified nonfederal land in such forest and a permanent trail easement for the Barr Trail in El Paso County, Colorado.
(Sec. 1002) The bill adjusts the boundary of the Arapaho National Forest in Colorado to incorporate four lots totaling approximately 92.95 acres of land. A lot may be included in the boundary's adjustment only after the USDA has obtained written consent for its inclusion from the owner of the lot. USDA shall include certain federal land within the Bowen Gulch Protection Area.
(Sec. 1003) This section directs the Department of the Interior to conduct a land exchange upon request by the San Bernardino Valley Water Conservation District in California. Specifically, Interior must (1) convey to the district in 327 acres of identified federal land administered by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and any portion of an identified federal parcel necessary to equalize the values of the lands exchanged, and (2) accept in exchange 310 acres of district land and any portion of an identified nonfederal parcel necessary to equalize the values of the lands exchanged.
(Sec.1004) This section directs Interior to convey, without consideration, to the city of Tucson, Arizona, the reversionary interests of the United States in and to a 172.8-acre parcel of land owned by the city for the purpose of unencumbering the title to such land to enable its economic development.
(Sec. 1005) This section allows Utah to select certain lands to further the purposes of the State of Utah School and Institutional Trust Lands Administration without further land use planning action by the BLM. Specifically, the lands must be under the administrative jurisdiction of the BLM and must be identified as available for disposal by land exchange in the Record of Decision for the Pony Express Resource Management Plan and Rangeland Program Summary for Utah County in fulfillment of certain land grants made to Utah upon being admitted as a state.
(Sec. 1006) This section directs the Forest Service to convey 65.7 acres of National Forest System land in Custer County, South Dakota, to the county if the county offers to acquire such land for the market value.
(Sec. 1007) This section declares that 39.65 acres of land are to be held in trust by the United States for the benefit of the Pascua Yaqui Tribe of Arizona, effective the day after the Tucson Unified School District No. 1 relinquishes its interest in the land. The United States must convey to the school district 13.24 acres of federal land in exchange for payment of the fair market value of the land. The school district may acquire the federal reversionary interest in 27.5 acres of district land. Gaming is prohibited on the land taken into trust pursuant to this section.
(Sec. 1008) This section directs Interior, after receiving a request from La Paz County, Arizona, to convey to the county 5,935 acres of specified federal land at fair market value. Interior shall exclude from such conveyance any federal land that contains significant cultural, environmental, wildlife, or recreational resources. The federal land is withdrawn from the operation of U.S. mining and mineral leasing laws.
(Sec. 1009) This section directs Interior to convey to certain claimants approximately 229.72 acres of land that was omitted during the original survey of the land surrounding Lake Bistineau, Louisiana, (including Peggy's Island and Hog Island) that was conducted in 1838, including certain mineral interests.
(Sec. 1010) This section directs the Forest Service to convey 2,025 acres of National Forest System land in Fannin County, Texas, to the county if the county offers to acquire such land for the fair market value. The county must agree to manage the conveyed land for public recreational purposes.
(Sec. 1011) This section authorizes Interior to convey, at fair market value, 0.5 acres of specified federal land in the Henry's Lake Wilderness Study Area in Fremont County, Idaho, to the owner of a private residence at 3787 Valhalla Road in Island Park, Idaho. Interior may grant Fall River Electric in Ashton, Idaho, the right to operate, maintain, and rehabilitate a right-of-way encumbering approximately 0.4 acres of specified federal land in the study area, which includes an electric distribution line and an access road.
(Sec. 1012) This section directs Interior to convey to the Ukpeagvik Inupiat Corporation all right, title, and interest held by the United States in and to sand and gravel deposits underlying the surface estate owned by the corporation within and contiguous to the Barrow gas fields in Alaska.
(Sec. 1013) This section directs Interior, upon a written request of by the city of Hyde Park, Utah, to convey to the city without consideration a specified 80-acre parcel of public land for use for public purposes.
(Sec. 1014) This section directs the Forest Service, upon written request by Juab County in Utah, to convey to the county, without consideration, all interest of the United States in the Nephi Work Center at 740 South Main Street in Nephi, Utah. The conveyed land shall be used by the county
(Sec. 1015) This section directs Interior to convey 345.2 acres of specified federal land in Bullhead City, Arizona, to the city if after December 15, 2020, the city offers to convey to Interior 1,100 acres of specified land owned by the city in the Black Mountain Range.
(Sec. 1016) This section directs USDA, upon request by Yavapai County, Arizona, to convey to the county 80 acres of land within Coconino National Forest in exchange for 369 acres of county land.
(Sec. 1017) This section directs Interior to convey the reversionary interests of the United States in and to a 16-acre parcel of nonfederal land in Yavapai County, Arizona, to Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Florida upon an offer by the university.
Subtitle B--Public Land and National Forest System Management
(Sec. 1101) This section directs the USDA to permit by special use authorization nonmotorized access and use of the Bolts Ditch headgate and the Bolts Ditch within the Holy Cross Wilderness in Colorado for the diversion of water and use, maintenance, and repair of the ditch and headgate by the town of Minturn, Colorado.
(Sec. 1102) This section conveys to the Yavapai Ranch 25 acres of land within the Kaibab National Forest at the Gila and Salt River Meridian, Coconino County, Arizona.
(Sec. 1103) This section designates 99,653 acres of Forest Service land in Oregon as the Frank and Jeanne Moore Wild Steelhead Special Management Area.
(Sec. 1104) The section provides that the authority of the USDA with respect to the Salmon River in Idaho to maintain or replace facilities or structures for commercial recreation services at Smith Gulch may include improvements or replacements that (1) are consistent with the management of a specified river segment of the main Salmon River, and (2) would reduce the impact of commercial recreation facilities or services on wilderness or wild and scenic river resources and values. USDA may also consider other facilities and equipment, including hydroelectric generators, water pumps for fire suppression, and solar energy systems.
(Sec. 1105) This section revises provisions regarding timber from land transferred to the Kake Tribal Corporation, an Alaska Native corporation. The bill repeals prohibitions on (1) exporting from Alaska unprocessed logs from the land, and (2) the corporation conveying timber from the land to a person for export from Alaska.
(Sec. 1106) This section designates specified mountain peaks in the Uncompahgre National Forest in Colorado as Fowler Peak and Boskoff Peak.
(Sec. 1107) This section directs USDA, upon request by a person who holds a valid permit for the use of specified property within the Coronado National Forest in Arizona, to sell and quitclaim to such person all interest of the United States in and to the property.
(Sec. 1108) This section (1) modifies the boundary of the Deschutes Canyon-Steelhead Falls Wilderness Study Area in Oregon to exclude approximately 688 acres of public land; and (2) directs Interior to manage such land to improve fire resiliency and forest health, including the conduct of wildfire prevention and response activities. Interior shall not permit off-road recreational motorized use on such excluded land.
(Sec. 1109) This section provides that extraction of helium from gas produced from leased public lands shall maintain the lease as if the extracted helium were oil and gas.
(Sec. 1110) This section gives certain mining claimholders in Alaska, during a 60-day period that starts when the claimholder receives a notification from the BLM, the opportunity to (1) cure any defect in a small miner maintenance fee waiver application, including the failure to timely file such an application, for any prior period during which the defect existed, or pay any claim maintenance fees due for any prior period during which the defect existed; and (2) cure certain defects in the filing of certain instruments.
USDA shall reinstate certain mining claims deemed forfeited.
(Sec. 1111) This section establishes the Saint Francis Dam Disaster National Monument and authorizes the USDA to establish the Saint Francis Dam Disaster National Memorial to honor the victims of the dam disaster of March 12, 1928. The monument comprises approximately 353 acres of National Forest System land in Los Angeles County, California. The memorial must be managed by the Forest Service.
(Sec. 1112) This section adjusts the boundaries of the North Fork Owyhee Wilderness, the Owyhee River Wilderness, and the Pole Creek Wilderness in Idaho to exclude certain land.
(Sec. 1113) This section requires Interior, in coordination with USDA, to conduct a study of land ownership and use patterns in the Chugach region of Alaska. The study must
(Sec. 1114) This section provides support for wildfire response by establishing various programs, systems, and protocols.
Specifically, Interior and USDA must assess unmanned aircraft system technologies used in wildland fire management operations and accelerate the deployment and integration of such technologies into the operations of Interior and USDA.
Additionally, Interior and USDA must develop and operate a tracking system for wildland firefighters to remotely locate the positions of fire resources.
Interior and USDA shall establish the Interagency Wildland Fire Air Quality Response Program.
The section requires the National Fire Data Center to gather and analyze additional information on fires, including all injuries sustained by firefighters that were treated by a doctor.
USDA and Interior must establish the Rapid Response Erosion Database to provide for (1) the automatic incorporation of spatial data related to vegetation, soils, and elevation into an applicable map created by USDA or Interior that shows the changes in land-cover and soil properties caused by a wildland fire; and (2) the generation of a composite map that can be used by the appropriate department to model the effectiveness of treatments in the burned area to prevent flooding, erosion, and landslides under a range of weather scenarios.
USDA and Interior shall establish a system for predicting the locations of future wildfires for fire-prone areas and use such system to develop any wildland fire potential forecasts.
(Sec. 1115) This section establishes the McCoy Flats Trail System in Utah, including public land administered by the BLM in Uintah County. The trail system shall be used for nonmotorized mountain bike recreation. Upon request from Utah, Interior shall seek to acquire state land or interests located within the trail system by purchase from a willing seller or by exchange.
(Sec. 1116) This section modifies provisions concerning lands in Nevada. Specifically, the section
The section affirms and validates a certain patent for the benefit of desert tortoise and other species and their habitats in Clark County. The Bureau of Land Management may issue corrective patents for specified land in Lincoln and Clark Counties.
(Sec. 1117) This section establishes the Ashley Karst National Recreation and Geologic Area in Utah, which shall consist of 173,475 acres of land in the Ashley National Forest, for the conservation and protection of the area's resources.
(Sec. 1118) This section establishes the John Wesley Powell National Conservation Area in Utah, which shall consist of 29,868 acres of land, for the conservation, protection, and enhancement of the resources of the area. Interior shall manage the conservation area as a component of the National Landscape Conservation System.
Upon request by the Utah School and Institutional Trust Lands Administration, Interior shall seek to acquire all state-owned land by exchange or purchase within the boundaries of the conservation area.
Interior may establish programs and projects to conduct scientific, historical, cultural, archaeological, and natural studies through the use of public and private partnerships that further the purposes of the conservation area.
(Sec. 1119) The Department of Defense, in coordination with the Department of Veterans Affairs, shall furnish to Interior a list of all members of the Armed Forces who served between August 5, 1964, and December 31, 1971. Interior shall use the list to determine whether those members are Alaska Native veterans who served during such period. An individual who is eligible
Any available federal land that is conveyed shall be subject to the reservation of minerals to the federal government.
Interior shall report on whether any additional federal lands within units of the National Wildlife Refuge System in Alaska should be made available for selection as allotments.
(Sec. 1120) This section directs the BLM to commission a survey to identify the South Bank boundary line with respect to land along a specified 116-mile stretch of the Red River in Oklahoma and Texas.
(Sec. 1121) This section provides for the use of bidding rights issued by Interior in exchange for the relinquishment of a coal preference right lease application.
This section also cancels specified land selections made by the Navajo Nation pursuant to the Navajo-Hopi Land Settlement Act of 1974 and authorizes such nation to make new selections equal in value to those canceled, subject to an acreage cap, specified land exclusions, and a seven-year deadline.
Additionally, the section designates specified parcels of land in New Mexico as (1) the Ah-shi-sle-pah Wilderness, or (2) part of the Bisti/De-Na-Zin Wilderness. The bill releases land in the Ah-shi-sle-pah Wilderness Study Area not designated as wilderness from further review for designation as wilderness.
(Sec. 1122) This section reauthorizes the Rio Puerco Management Committee and the Rio Puerco Watershed Management Program.
(Sec. 1123) The bill directs Interior to convey without consideration to Uintah County, Utah, upon the county's request, 791 acres of public land identified as the Ashley Springs Property. The management of the land will revert back to Interior if the land is not managed in accordance with certain restrictions, including a prohibition on mining.
Subtitle C--Wilderness Designations and Withdrawals
Part 1--General Provisions
(Sec. 1201) This section designates specified BLM-administered parcels of land in New Mexico as wilderness and as components of the National Wilderness Preservation System.
Interior shall manage certain BLM-administered land, comprising 100 acres and identified as Lookout Peak Communications Site, to preserve the character of such land for its future inclusion in the system.
In implementing a management plan for the Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks National Monument in New Mexico, Interior shall include a watershed health assessment to identify opportunities for watershed restoration. Interior shall convey to New Mexico specified BLM land in exchange for specified parcels of state trust land within the monument.
(Sec. 1202) This section designates the Cerro del Yuta Wilderness (comprising 13,420 acres) and Río San Antonio Wilderness (comprising 8,120 acres) within the Río Grande del Norte National Monument in New Mexico as wilderness and as components of the National Wilderness Preservation System.
(Sec. 1203) This section withdraws 340,079 acres of federal land and interests in land located within the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest in Washington from specified public land, mining, mineral leasing, and geothermal leasing laws.
(Sec. 1204) This section withdraws specified National Forest System land in the Custer Gallatin National Forest in Park County, Montana, from specified mining, and mineral, and geothermal leasing laws.
(Sec. 1205) This section generally revises the designation of specified waterways and areas in Oregon. Specifically, this section adds segments to the Rogue River and includes them as components of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System; designates Franklin Creek, Wasson Creek, and Elk Creek, and other waterways as components of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System; makes technical corrections to the designation of Chetco River; renames Squaw Creek as Whychus Creek; and designates the Molalla River, Nestucca River, Walker Creek, and other waterways as recreational rivers.
Additionally, the section designates 30,621 acres of certain Forest Service and BLM land in Oregon as the Devil's Staircase Wilderness and a component of the National Wilderness Preservation System.
Part II--Emery County Public Land Management
Subpart A--San Rafael Swell Recreation Area
(Sec. 1221) The bill establishes the San Rafael Swell Recreation Area, consisting of 216,995 acres in Utah. Interior shall manage the recreation area in a manner that educates the public about the Cold War and historic uranium mine sites in the area.
Subpart B--Wilderness Areas
(Sec. 1231) The bill designates additional lands in Utah as wilderness and as components of the National Wilderness Preservation System, including the Big Wild Horse Mesa Wilderness, the Cold Wash Wilderness, and the Desolation Canyon Wilderness.
Subpart C--Wild and Scenic River Designation
(Sec. 1241) This section designates a 63-mile segment of Green River in Utah as a component of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System.
Subpart D--Land Management and Conveyances
(Sec. 1251) Interior shall offer to convey without consideration to the Utah Division of Parks and Recreation of the Utah Department of Natural Resources 6,261 acres of land identified as the Proposed Goblin Valley State Park Expansion for management by Utah as a state park.
(Sec. 1252) This section establishes the Jurassic National Monument in Utah, which shall consist of 850 acres of federal land administered by the BLM in Emery County for the conservation, interpretation, and enhancement of the resources of the area surrounding the monument.
(Sec. 1253) Interior may sell public lands in Emery County in Utah that have been identified as suitable for disposal. The proceeds shall be used by Interior to purchase from willing sellers land and interests in land within certain wilderness and recreation areas.
(Sec. 1254) Upon request by the appropriate local governmental entity, Interior shall convey, without consideration, land for the Emery City recreation area, the Huntington Airport, the Emery County Sheriff's Office, and the Buckhorn Information Center.
(Sec. 1255) Interior must exchange all interest of the United States to specified BLM surface and mineral lands in Utah if the School and Institutional Trust Lands Administration offers to convey to the United States title to specified surface and mineral lands owned by the administration in Emery and Uintah Counties. Interior must exclude from any conveyance any parcel of federal land containing critical habitat designated for an endangered or threatened species.
Subtitle D--Wild and Scenic Rivers
(Sec. 1301) This section designates specified segments of the Lower Farmington River and Salmon Brook in Connecticut as components of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System. The section also revises the description of a specified designated segment of the Farmington River in Connecticut.
(Sec. 1302) This section designates specified river segments in the Wood-Pawcatuck watershed in Rhode Island and Connecticut as components of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System.
(Sec. 1303) This section designates specified segments of the Nashua, Squannacook, and Nissitissit Rivers in Massachusetts and New Hampshire as components of the Wild and Scenic Rivers System.
Subtitle E--California Desert Protection and Recreation
Part I--Designation of Wilderness in the California Desert Conservation Area
(Sec. 1411) This section designates specified BLM lands in the California Desert Conservation Area in California as wilderness and as components of the National Wilderness Preservation System.
The section adds and designates specified lands in Death Valley National Park in California as wilderness and as components of the system.
Certain land in the San Bernardino Forest comprising 7,141 acres shall be added to and administered as part of the San Gorgonio Wilderness.
Part II--Designation of Special Management Area
(Sec. 1421) This section establishes the Vinagre Wash Special Management Area in California, which shall consist of approximately 81,880 acres of certain public lands in Imperial County. Interior shall develop a program to provide opportunities for the monitoring and stewardship of the management area in order to minimize environmental impacts and to prevent resource damage from recreational use.
Interior shall complete a tribal cultural resources survey of the management area and consult with the Quechan Indian Nation and other Indian tribes that demonstrate ties to the area's resources in developing and implementing such survey.
Interior may authorize the use of the nonwilderness part of the management area by the Navy for naval special warfare tactical training, including long-range small unit training and navigation, vehicle concealment, and vehicle sustainment training.
Part III--National Park System Additions
(Sec. 1431) This section adjusts the boundaries of Death Valley National Park in California to include 28,923 acres of BLM land in San Bernardino County, and 6,369 acres of BLM land in Inyo County. The section prohibits the designation of the park's wilderness areas from precluding the operation and maintenance of the Mormon Peak Microwave Facility.
(Sec. 1432) This section adjusts the boundaries of the Mojave National Preserve to include 25 acres of BLM land in Baker, California.
(Sec. 1433) This section adjusts the boundaries of the Joshua Tree National Park in California to include 2,879 acres of BLM lands identified as the BLM Proposed Boundary Addition, 1,639 acres of land identified as the MDLT Proposed Boundary Addition, and 25 acres of additional land.
Interior may acquire up to five acres of land and interests in land, and improvements on them, outside of the park's boundaries in the village of Joshua Tree for the purpose of operating a visitor center.
Part IV--Off-Highway Vehicle Recreation Areas
(Sec. 1441) This section designates specified BLM lands within the conservation area in San Bernardino County, California, as Off-Highway Vehicle Recreation Areas.
The section establishes the Alabama Hill National Scenic Area in Inyo County, California, to be comprised of 18,610 acres.
The section requires 132 acres of federal land to be taken into trust for the Lone Pine Paiute-Shoshone Tribe, to be considered as part of the tribe's reservation. Gaming is prohibited on the land.
The section transfers 56 acres of land from the Forest Service to the BLM.
Part V--Miscellaneous
(Sec. 1451) Upon the termination of all mining claims to 934 acres of specified BLM land in San Diego County, California, Interior shall transfer such land to California.
(Sec. 1452) Interior shall conduct a study that assesses the impact of habitat fragmentation on wildlife in the California Desert Conservation Area and establishes policies and procedures that ensure the preservation of wildlife corridors and facilitate the migration of species.
(Sec. 1453) Interior shall not authorize the use of acquired land, conservation land, or donated land in the California Desert Conservation Area for any activities that are contrary to the conservation purposes for which such land was acquired, designated, or donated, including for disposal, rights-of-way, livestock grazing, mineral entry, or off-highway vehicle use. Interior may authorize limited exceptions to those prohibited uses of acquired or donated land.
(Sec. 1454) Interior must ensure access to areas designated under the California Desert Protection Act of 1994 by members of Indian tribes for traditional and cultural and religious purposes.
No more than two years after enactment of this bill, Interior shall implement a tribal cultural resources management plan for the identification, protection, and conservation of cultural resources of Indian tribes associated with the Xam Kwatchan Trail network extending from Avikwaame (Spirit Mountain, Nevada) to Avikwlal (Pilot Knob, California).
(Sec. 1455) Interior shall, upon request by Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, release, convey, or otherwise quitclaim to the district all right, title, and remaining interest of the United States in specified land. This section provides that, by accepting each conveyance, the district shall agree to indemnify and hold harmless the United States regarding any boundary dispute related to any parcel conveyed.
(Sec. 1456) This section revises provisions regarding California State School lands, including by requiring Interior to reach an agreement with the California State Lands Commission concerning certain land exchanges not later than 10 years after the date of enactment.
(Sec. 1457) This section designates specified segments of rivers and creeks in California, including the Amargosa River, the Surprise Canyon Creek, and the Whitewater River, as components of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System.
(Sec. 1459) This section prohibits the development of renewable energy generation facilities (excluding rights-of-way or facilities for the transmission of energy and telecommunication facilities and infrastructure) on 27,990 acres of federal land known as Juniper Flats, California.
(Sec. 1461) Interior shall establish and operate a desert tortoise conservation center on public land along the California-Nevada border to support desert tortoise research, monitoring, handling training, rehabilitation, and reintroduction.
TITLE II--NATIONAL PARKS
Subtitle A--Special Resource Studies
(Sec. 2001) This section directs Interior to conduct a special resource study of the James K. Polk Home and adjacent property in Columbia, Tennessee. Interior shall evaluate the national significance of the site and determine the suitability and feasibility of designating it as a unit of the National Park System (NPS).
(Sec. 2002) This section directs Interior to conduct a special resource study of the public school located in West Baltimore, Maryland, that former Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall attended as a youth and any other resources in the surrounding neighborhood that relate to his early life. Interior shall evaluate the national significance of the site and determine the suitability and feasibility of designating it as a unit of the NPS.
(Sec. 2003) This section directs Interior to conduct a special resource study of the President Street Station, a railroad terminal in Baltimore, Maryland, historically associated with the growth of the railroad industry in the 19th century, the Civil War, the Underground Railroad, and the immigrant influx of the early 20th century. Interior shall evaluate the national significance of the terminal and determine the suitability and feasibility of designating it as a unit of the NPS.
(Sec. 2004) This section directs Interior to conduct a special resource study of the site known as Amache, Camp Amache, and Granada Relocation Center, in Granada, Colorado, which was 1 of the 10 relocation centers where Japanese Americans were incarcerated during World War II. Interior shall evaluate the national significance of the site and determine the suitability and feasibility of designating it as a unit of the NPS.
(Sec. 2005) This section directs Interior to conduct a special resource study of the childhood home of former President George W. Bush, which is located at 1412 West Ohio Avenue in Midland, Texas. Interior shall evaluate the national significance of the site and determine the suitability and feasibility of designating the site as a unit of the NPS.
Subtitle B--National Park System Boundary Adjustments and Related Matters
(Sec. 2101) This section modifies the boundary of Shiloh National Military Park in Tennessee and Mississippi to include the Fallen Timbers Battlefield, the Russell House Battlefield, and the Davis Bridge Battlefield. The Parker's Crossroads Battlefield in Tennessee is established as an affiliated area of the NPS.
(Sec. 2102) This section redesignates the Ocmulgee National Monument in Georgia as the Ocmulgee Mounds National Historical Park. The boundary of the park is adjusted to include approximately 2,100 acres. Interior shall conduct a special resource study of the Ocmulgee River corridor between the cities of Macon and Hawkinsville, Georgia, to evaluate the national significance of the study area and determine the suitability and feasibility of designating the study area as a unit of the NPS.
(Sec. 2103) This section modifies the boundary of the Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park in Georgia to include eight acres identified as Wallis House and Harriston Hill.
(Sec. 2104) This section modifies the boundary of the Fort Frederica National Monument on St. Simons Island, Georgia, and increases the maximum number of acres that may be included in the monument from 250 to 305 acres.
(Sec. 2105) This section allows Interior to acquire by purchase with appropriated funds, by donation (as under current law), or by exchange the lands and interests in land, together with buildings and improvements, known as Fort Scott in the city of Fort Scott in Bourbon County, Kansas. The section also allows for the acquisition of the Lunette Blair structure, a blockhouse built to protect Union supplies during the Civil War. Additionally, the boundary of the Fort Scott National Historic Site in Kansas is modified.
(Sec. 2106) This section modifies the boundaries of the Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument in Colorado and increases from 6,000 to 6,300 the maximum number of acres that may be made available for inclusion in the monument.
(Sec. 2107) This section modifies the boundaries of Voyageurs National Park in Minnesota.
(Sec. 2108) This section revises provisions related to the boundary of Acadia National Park in Maine, including by ratifying the acquisition of approximately 1,441 acres of land and interests in the Schoodic Peninsula. The bill ratifies and approves the acquisition by the United States of such land and interests, effective as of September 26, 2013, and any alteration of such land or interests held or claimed by the United State that occurred after such date. Interior may make certain technical and limited revisions to the permanent boundaries of the park.
Interior shall reestablish and appoint members to the Acadia National Park Advisory Commission.
Certain land in the park that was conveyed by Interior to the town of Tremont, Maine, shall no longer be used exclusively for school purposes, but for public purposes, subject to specified conditions.
Interior shall allow for the traditional taking of marine species, marine worms, and shellfish on land within the park between the mean high watermark and the mean low watermark in accordance with the laws of Maine.
Interior shall convey to the town of Bar Harbor, Maine, a specified parcel of land within the park to be used for a solid waste transfer facility.
(Sec. 2109) This section allows Interior to acquire lands or interests in any property within the Ste. Genevieve Historic District National Historic Landmark in Missouri and to acquire from Independence, Missouri, approximately 1.08 acres of land for inclusion in the Harry S Truman National Historic Site.
(Sec. 2110) This section authorizes Interior to acquire, by donation, purchase from a willing seller, or exchange, 89 acres of land identified as the Morgan Property to be added to the Home of Franklin D. Roosevelt National Historic Site in New York.
Subtitle C--National Park System Redesignations
(Sec. 2201) This section redesignates the Saint-Gaudens National Historic Site, in New Hampshire, as the Saint-Gaudens National Historical Park.
(Sec. 2202) This section redesignates as Robert Emmet Park a specified property in the District of Columbia.
(Sec. 2203) This section establishes the Fort Sumter and Fort Moultrie National Park in South Carolina for the preservation and interpretation of the nationally significant historical and cultural resources associated with Fort Sumter, Fort Moultrie, and Sullivan's Island Life Saving Station Historic District.
(Sec. 2204) This section redesignates the Reconstruction Era National Monument in South Carolina as the Reconstruction Era National Historical Park.
This section also authorizes Interior to acquire lands or interests within the Beaufort National Historic Landmark District which have a historic connection to the Reconstruction Era of 1863-1877 following the Civil War. Interior is also authorized to acquire the lands and interests adjacent to the boundary on St. Helena Island and the lands or interests on such island that have a historic connection to the Reconstruction Era. Interior is further authorized to accept administrative jurisdiction of federal lands or interests adjacent to the boundary at Camp Saxton. The boundary of the park shall be expanded to encompass any such lands or interests.
Interior shall establish within the NPS the Reconstruction Era National Historic Network, to be comprised of all units and programs of the NPS, other governmental and private properties, and nongovernmental sites, facilities, and programs of an educational, research, or interpretive nature, that are related to the Reconstruction Era.
(Sec. 2205) This section redesignates the Golden Spike National Historic Site in Utah as the Golden Spike National Historical Park. The NPS shall establish a program to commemorate and interpret the Transcontinental Railroad, the 1,912 miles of continuous railroad constructed between 1863 and 1869 from Council Bluffs, Iowa, to San Francisco, California.
(Sec. 2206) This section establishes the Pearl Harbor National Memorial in Hawaii to preserve, interpret, and commemorate the history of World War II in the Pacific. The section revises the boundaries of the World War II Valor in the Pacific National Monument in Hawaii to exclude from such monument the land and interests identified as the memorial. Such excluded lands and interests are to be incorporated in and made part of the memorial.
The section redesignates certain areas of the World War II Valor in the Pacific National Monument in California as the Tule Lake National Monument and the World War II Valor in the Pacific National Monument in Alaska as the Aleutian Islands World War II National Monument.
The section establishes the Honouliuli National Historic Site in Hawaii as a unit of the NPS to preserve and interpret the history associated with the internment and detention of civilians of Japanese and other ancestries during World War II in Hawaii, the impact of war and martial law on society in the Hawaiian Islands, and the colocation and diverse experiences of Prisoners of War at the Honouliuli Internment Camp site. The section abolishes the Honouliuli National Monument in Hawaii and incorporates the lands and interests within such monument and makes them a part of the historic site.
Subtitle D--New Units of the National Park System
(Sec. 2301) This section establishes the Medgar Evers and Myrlie Evers Home National Monument in Mississippi as an NPS unit to preserve, protect, and interpret the resources associated with the pivotal role of Medgar and Myrlie Evers in the civil rights movement. The NPS shall seek to enter into a cooperative agreement with Tougaloo College in Tougaloo, Mississippi, for interpretive and educational programming services related to the monument. The NPS may enter into agreements with the owner of a nationally significant property within the Medgar Evers Historic District to identify, mark, interpret, and furnish technical assistance with respect to preserving and interpreting such property.
(Sec. 2302) This section establishes the Mill Springs Battlefield National Monument in Kentucky as an NPS unit to preserve and interpret the nationally significant historic resources of the Mill Springs Battlefield and its role in the Civil War.
(Sec. 2303) This section establishes the Camp Nelson Heritage National Monument in Nicholasville, Kentucky, in order to preserve, protect, and interpret the nationally significant historic resources of Camp Nelson and its role in the Civil War, Reconstruction, and African American history and civil rights.
Subtitle E--National Park System Management
(Sec. 2401) This section expands the nonwilderness areas of Denali National Park and Preserve in Alaska where the NPS may issue right-of-way permits to construct a natural gas pipeline. Additionally, the pipeline shall not be subject to agency approval under the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act.
(Sec. 2402) This section reauthorizes for FY2019-FY2025 the Historically Black Colleges and Universities Historic Preservation Fund Grant Program.
(Sec. 2402A) This section modifies the boundaries of the Cape San Blas Unit P30/P30P of the John H. Chafee Coastal Barrier Resources System, located in Gulf County, Florida.
(Sec. 2403) This section authorizes Interior to enter into cooperative management agreements with the District of Columbia in order to provide for the cooperative management of adjacent park areas.
(Sec. 2404) This section authorizes Interior to establish and collect fees for medical services provided to persons in NPS units or by NPS personnel. The section also establishes the National Park Medical Services Fund, to consist of donations and the fees collected for such services and to be available to Interior for providing such services.
(Sec. 2405) This section authorizes Interior to grant to any states or local governments an easement or right-of-way over federal lands within Gateway National Recreation Area in the states of New York and New Jersey to construct, operate, and maintain projects for the control and prevention of flooding and shoreline erosion.
(Sec. 2406) This section establishes the Adams Memorial Commission to replace the Adams Memorial Foundation for the purpose of planning a permanent memorial in the District of Columbia to honor John Adams and his legacy.
(Sec. 2407) This section renames the U.S. Civil Rights Network within the NPS as the African American Civil Rights Network. This network includes units and programs of the NPS and other federal, state, and private property that relate to the African American civil rights movement.
(Sec. 2408) This section authorizes New Jersey to transfer the James J. Howard Marine Science Laboratory at Gateway National Recreation Area to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration without consideration and sets forth requirements governing the continued use of the laboratory.
(Sec. 2409) NPS may not prohibit individuals from transporting bows and crossbows within the NPS if the bows and crossbows are not ready for immediate use, remain inside the vehicle of the individual, and such possession is not otherwise prohibited by law.
(Sec. 2410) The NPS may use qualified volunteers to assist in wildlife management efforts in reducing the size of wildlife populations in the NPS.
(Sec. 2411) This section directs Interior, if it is no longer in the public interest to operate and maintain a trails interpretation center in Council Bluffs, Iowa, for the interpretation of the history of the development and use in Iowa and the adjacent region of the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail, the Mormon Pioneer Historic Trail, and the Oregon National Historic Trail, to enter into one or more agreements to
The section permits such reversionary interest to be conveyed without consideration if the land subject to such interest is required to be used in perpetuity for public recreational, educational, or similar purposes.
(Sec. 2412) This section designates the bridge located in Blount County, Tennessee, on the Foothills Parkway (commonly known as Bridge 2) as the Dean Stone Bridge.
Subtitle F--National Trails and Related Matters
(Sec. 2501) This section revises the authorized route of the North Country National Scenic Trail, which extends across several states in the Northeast and Midwest. Specifically, this section (1) extends the trail to the Appalachian Trail in Vermont, and (2) modifies the route in northeastern Minnesota.
(Sec. 2502) This section extends the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail from 3,700 miles to 4,900 miles. Specifically, the section adds a trail segment from Wood River, Illinois, to the Ohio River in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
(Sec. 2503) This section authorizes Interior and USDA to place on federal land at points along the American Discovery Trail (from Cape Henlopen State Park, Delaware, to Point Reyes National Seashore, California) acceptable signage donated to the United States. No federal funding may be used to acquire the signage authorized for placement by this section.
(Sec. 2504) This section requires the NPS to assess the Pike National Historic Trail for designation as a national scenic trail. The trail consists of a series of routes extending approximately 3,664 miles that follows the route taken by Lt. Zebulon Montgomery Pike during the 1806-1807 Pike expedition that began in Fort Bellefontaine, Missouri, and continued through parts of Kansas, Nebraska, Colorado, New Mexico, and Texas, before ending in Natchitoches, Louisiana.
TITLE III--CONSERVATION AUTHORIZATIONS
(Sec. 3001) This section makes permanent the authorization for the Land and Water Conservation Fund. The requirement that the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the Northern Mariana Islands are deemed to be one state for apportionment purposes is repealed. Interior and USDA must develop annual priority lists for projects that, through the acquisition of land (or an interest in land), secure recreational public access to federal lands under the jurisdiction of the applicable department for hunting, fishing, recreational shooting, or other outdoor recreational purposes.
(Sec. 3002) Interior shall establish a conservation incentives landowner education program to furnish information regarding federal conservation programs that are available to landowners interested in undertaking conservation actions on their lands, including fee title land acquisition, donation, and perpetual and term conservation easements or agreements. If Interior contacts a landowner directly about participating in such a program, Interior must notify the landowner in writing about the program and make available information on program options that may be available to the landowner.
TITLE IV--SPORTSMEN'S ACCESS AND RELATED MATTERS
Subtitle A--National Policy
(Sec. 4001) This section states that it is U.S. policy that federal departments and agencies must
Subtitle B--Sportsmen's Access to Federal Land
(Sec. 4102) This section declares that specified federal land must be open for hunting, noncommercial fishing, and recreational shooting unless the managing agency acts to close the lands.
(Sec. 4103) This section establishes procedures for closing federal land hunting, noncommercial fishing, and recreational shooting, including reporting on the closures.
(Sec. 4104) The Forest Service or BLM may lease or permit the use of certain federal land for a shooting range, except land within
(Sec. 4105) The NPS, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the BLM, and the Forest Service must prepare a list that identifies land within their respective jurisdictions that is (1) open to the public for hunting, noncommercial fishing, or recreational uses; (2) not accessible to the public because the land does not have public entry or exit points or has significantly restricted public entry and exit points; and (3) at a minimum, 640 acres in size. Those federal entities must (1) make this information available biennially for a 10-year period, and (2) report on options for providing public entry and exit points for the land.
Subtitle C--Open Book on Equal Access to Justice
(Sec. 4201) This section requires the Administrative Conference of the United States to create and maintain a database of specified information about fees awarded in certain court cases and adversarial administrative proceedings in which the United States is a party.
Subtitle D--Migratory Bird Framework and Hunting Opportunities for Veterans
(Sec. 4301) This section revises requirements for hunting ducks, mergansers, and coots. Interior, with respect to the hunting season for such birds, must
The federal framework closing date must not be later than January 31 of each year.
In addition, the section requires Interior to allow states to select two days for youths and two days for veterans and members of the Armed Forces on active duty to hunt eligible ducks, geese, mergansers, coots, moorhens, and gallinules, if the addition of such days is consistent with science-based and sustainable harvest management.
TITLE V--HAZARDS AND MAPPING
(Sec. 5001) This section directs the United States Geological Survey (USGS) to establish the National Volcano Early Warning and Monitoring System to monitor, issue warnings of, and protect U.S. citizens from undue and avoidable harm from volcanic activity. The system shall include (1) a national volcano watch office that is operational 24 hours a day and seven days a week, (2) a national volcano data center, (3) an external grants program to support research in volcano monitoring science and technology, and (4) modernization activities including the comprehensive application of emerging technologies. The USGS may enter into cooperative agreements designating institutions of higher education and state agencies as volcano observatory partners for the system.
(Sec. 5002) This section (1) reauthorizes the National Cooperative Geologic Mapping Program through FY2023, and (2) provides for the Associate Director for Core Science Systems to replace the Associate Director for Geology as the chairperson of the geologic mapping advisory committee.
TITLE VI--NATIONAL HERITAGE AREAS
(Sec. 6001) This section establishes
(Sec. 6002) This section adds Livingston County, the city of Jonesboro in Union County, and the city of Freeport in Stephenson County in Illinois to the Abraham Lincoln National Heritage Area.
(Sec. 6003) This section directs Interior to assess the suitability and feasibility of designating specified counties and other areas in New York as the Finger Lakes National Heritage Area.
(Sec. 6004) This section increases the total amount that may be appropriated for
The section also extends the authorization through FY2021 for the Blue Ridge National Heritage Area, the Tennessee Civil War Heritage Area, the Augusta Canal National Heritage Area in Georgia, and the South Carolina National Heritage Corridor.
Furthermore, the section
TITLE VII--WILDLIFE HABITAT AND CONSERVATION
(Sec. 7001) This section reauthorizes through FY2023 the Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program.
Certain federal departments and agencies shall implement activities to protect water and wildlife to control invasive species on the lands which they manage. Such departments and agencies must use all tools and flexibilities available to them to expedite certain projects and activities for the protection of water or wildlife from an invasive species.
The section also reauthorizes through FY2023 various wildlife conservation funds and revises provisions related to apes.
The section expands conservation activities for marine turtles to include freshwater turtles and tortoises.
The section establishes the Theodore Roosevelt Genius Prize competitions for promotion of wildlife conservation, management of invasive species, protection of endangered species, and nonlethal management of human-wildlife conflicts.
(Sec. 7002) This section extends through FY2023 a program for neotropical migratory bird conservation.
(Sec. 7003) This section replaces maps of John H. Chafee Coastal Barrier Resources System units. The Fish and Wildlife Service must publish digital versions of the maps.
TITLE VIII--WATER AND POWER
Subtitle A--Reclamation Title Transfer
(Sec. 8003) This section authorizes the Bureau of Reclamation to convey all interest of the United States in an eligible dam, canal, pumping station, or other facility to an agency of a state or political subdivision of a state, a joint action or powers agency, a water users association, an Indian tribe, or a tribal utility authority that is the current operator of the facility. Reclamation may reserve an easement over a conveyed property under certain circumstances.
Subtitle B--Endangered Fish Recovery Programs
(Sec. 8101) This section reauthorizes through FY2023 the endangered fish recovery implementation programs for the Upper Colorado and San Juan River Basins.
Subtitle C--Yakima River Basin Water Enhancement Project
(Sec. 8201) This section directs Interior to implement projects under the third phase of the Yakima River Basin Water Enhancement Project in Washington. The section also addresses various issues related to the project, such as the treatment of certain additional stored water made available by the project. The section sets forth requirements concerning the Kachess Drought Relief Pumping Plant, the Keechelus to Kachess pipeline, the Kachess reservoir, and other related infrastructure.
Interior may furnish technical assistance for, participate in, and enter into agreements for the use of excess conveyance capacity in Yakima River Basin Water Enhancement Project facilities for groundwater recharge projects and aquifer storage and recovery projects. Interior may also participate in, providing funding for, and accept nonfederal financing for water conservation projects.
The Bureau of Reclamation may contribute funds for the preparation of plans and the investigation measures, after certifying that such measures are consistent with the water conservation objectives of certain Indian irrigation projects that are located in the Pacific Northwest.
(Sec. 8203) This section directs the Conservation Advisory Group to provide recommendations to advance the purposes and programs of the Yakima River Basin Enhancement Project, including the Integrated Plan.
Federal and state governments may fund up to the 17.5% local cost share of the Basin Conservation Program in exchange for the long-term use of the conserved water.
(Sec. 8204) The Yakama Indian Nation is redesignated as the Yakama Nation.
This section revises the purposes of the Yakima Project to include
Subtitle D--Bureau of Reclamation Facility Conveyances
(Sec. 8301) This section directs Interior to convey to the Arbuckle Master Conservancy District in Murray County, Oklahoma, all interest of the United States in and to the Maintenance Complex and District Office of the Arbuckle Project.
(Sec. 8302) This section directs Interior to offer to convey to the Contra Costa Water District, California, all interest of the United States in the Contra Costa Canal and associated land.
Interior shall convey to the district all U.S. interest in the Rock Slough fish screen facility at the canal pursuant to an agreement that ensures the continued safe and reliable operations of the facility.
Subtitle E--Project Authorizations
(Sec. 8401) This section extends for ten years the Equus Beds Aquifer Recharge and Recovery Project in Kansas.
Subtitle F--Modifications of Existing Programs
(Sec. 8501) This section makes the states of Alaska and Hawaii eligible to receive grants and enter into agreements with Interior under the WaterSMART program, which provides assistance in planning, designing, or constructing certain water management improvements.
For an eligible applicant that is an Indian tribe, Interior must not furnish a grant or enter into an agreement for an improvement to conserve irrigation water unless the tribe agrees not to
Subtitle G--Bureau of Reclamation Transparency
(Sec. 8602) This section directs Interior to publish, and update every two years, an Asset Management Report. The report must describe the Bureau of Reclamation's efforts to (1) maintain in a reliable manner its reserved works (e.g., buildings, structures, facilities, or equipment), and (2) standardize and streamline data reporting and processes across regions and areas for the purpose of maintaining reserved works. The report must include (1) an assessment of major repair and rehabilitation needs for reserved works, and (2) an itemized and prioritized list of major repair and rehabilitation needs of individual facilities.
(Sec. 8603) Interior must coordinate with the nonfederal entities responsible for the operation and maintenance of Reclamation facilities, known as transferred works, in developing reporting requirements for their major repair and rehabilitation needs.
TITLE IX--MISCELLANEOUS
(Sec. 9001) This section directs the Departments of the Interior, Agriculture, Commerce, and the Army to establish the Every Kids Outdoors program to provide fourth graders or home-schooled learners who are 10 years old and who reside in the United States free access to federal lands and waters to which the public has access. Such departments shall issue such students annual passes, upon request, which shall allow free access to
In carrying out such program, such departments
(Sec. 9002) This section directs Interior and USDA to implement a process to provide eligible organizations and individuals expedited access to federal land to conduct Good Samaritan search-and-recovery missions, which are searches for one or more missing individuals believed to be deceased at the time that the search is initiated. Interior and USDA shall develop search-and-recovery focused partnerships with search-and-recovery organizations to coordinate such missions and expedite and accelerate mission efforts.
(Sec. 9003) This section revises the Public Lands Corps Program, which provides opportunities for individuals to work on conservation projects on public lands.
The section includes the National Marine Sanctuary System, coral reefs, other coastal, estuarine, and marine habitats, and other land and facilities administered by NOAA as part of the program.
The section includes as priority projects under the Public Land Corps Program appropriate conservation projects conducted on eligible service lands for the protection, restoration, or enhancement of specified marine, estuarine, riverine, and coastal habitat ecosystem components.
The section additionally makes eligible for participation in the program veterans who are 35 years of age or younger. Under current law, individuals between the ages of 16 and 30 are eligible.
The section authorizes Interior, USDA, and Commerce to provide Corps participants who reside in their own homes transportation to and from appropriate conservation project sites.
Interior, USDA, and Commerce may provide a Corps participant with an educational credit that may be applied toward a postsecondary education program at an institution of higher education that agrees to award such credit for participation in the Corps.
For purposes of a time-limited appointment in the competitive service of the federal government, a former Corps member shall be considered as appointed initially under open, competitive examination. The section makes the hiring and compensation standards for time-limited appointments applicable to any individual participating in an appropriate conservation project through a qualified youth or conservation corps.
The section requires the submission of annual reports on the program and the collection of specified data for such reports.
The section establishes the Indian Youth Service Corps within the program.
(Sec. 9004) This section designates the Nordic Museum at 2655 N.W. Market Street in Seattle, Washington, as the National Nordic Museum.
(Sec. 9005) This section designates the George C. Marshall Museum and George C. Marshall Research Library in Lexington, Virginia, as the National George C. Marshall Museum and Library.
(Sec. 9006) This section requires USDA and the General Services Admini