Collapse to view only § 1781. California Desert Conservation Area

§ 1781. California Desert Conservation Area
(a) Congressional findings
The Congress finds that—
(1) the California desert contains historical, scenic, archeological, environmental, biological, cultural, scientific, educational, recreational, and economic resources that are uniquely located adjacent to an area of large population;
(2) the California desert environment is a total ecosystem that is extremely fragile, easily scarred, and slowly healed;
(3) the California desert environment and its resources, including certain rare and endangered species of wildlife, plants, and fishes, and numerous archeological and historic sites, are seriously threatened by air pollution, inadequate Federal management authority, and pressures of increased use, particularly recreational use, which are certain to intensify because of the rapidly growing population of southern California;
(4) the use of all California desert resources can and should be provided for in a multiple use and sustained yield management plant 1
1 So in original. Probably should be “plan”.
to conserve these resources for future generations, and to provide present and future use and enjoyment, particularly outdoor recreation uses, including the use, where appropriate, of off-road recreational vehicles;
(5) the Secretary has initiated a comprehensive planning process and established an interim management program for the public lands in the California desert; and
(6) to insure further study of the relationship of man and the California desert environment, preserve the unique and irreplaceable resources, including archeological values, and conserve the use of the economic resources of the California desert, the public must be provided more opportunity to participate in such planning and management, and additional management authority must be provided to the Secretary to facilitate effective implementation of such planning and management.
(b) Statement of purpose
(c) Description of Area
(1) For the purpose of this section, the term “California desert” means the area generally depicted on a map entitled “California Desert Conservation Area—Proposed” dated April 1974, and described as provided in subsection (c)(2).
(2) As soon as practicable after October 21, 1976, the Secretary shall file a revised map and a legal description of the California Desert Conservation Area with the Committees on Interior and Insular Affairs of the United States Senate and the House of Representatives, and such map and description shall have the same force and effect as if included in this Act. Correction of clerical and typographical errors in such legal description and a map may be made by the Secretary. To the extent practicable, the Secretary shall make such legal description and map available to the public promptly upon request.
(d) Preparation and implementation of comprehensive long-range plan for management, use, etc.
(e) Interim program for management, use, etc.
(f) Applicability of mining laws
(g) Advisory Committee; establishment; functions
(1) The Secretary, within sixty days after October 21, 1976, shall establish a California Desert Conservation Area Advisory Committee (hereinafter referred to as “advisory committee”) in accordance with the provisions of section 1739 of this title.
(2) It shall be the function of the advisory committee to advise the Secretary with respect to the preparation and implementation of the comprehensive, long-range plan required under subsection (d) of this section.
(h) Management of lands under jurisdiction of Secretary of Agriculture and Secretary of Defense
(i) Omitted
(j) Authorization of appropriations
(Pub. L. 94–579, title VI, § 601, Oct. 21, 1976, 90 Stat. 2782.)
§ 1781a. Acceptance of donation of certain existing permits or leases
(1) During fiscal year 2012 and thereafter, the Secretary of the Interior shall accept the donation of any valid existing permits or leases authorizing grazing on public lands within the California Desert Conservation Area. With respect to each permit or lease donated under this paragraph, the Secretary shall terminate the grazing permit or lease, ensure a permanent end (except as provided in paragraph (2)), to grazing on the land covered by the permit or lease, and make the land available for mitigation by allocating the forage to wildlife use consistent with any applicable Habitat Conservation Plan, section 10(a)(1)(B) permit, or section 7 consultation under the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.).
(2) If the land covered by a permit or lease donated under paragraph (1) is also covered by another valid existing permit or lease that is not donated under such paragraph, the Secretary of the Interior shall reduce the authorized grazing level on the land covered by the permit or lease to reflect the donation of the permit or lease under paragraph (1). To ensure that there is a permanent reduction in the level of grazing on the land covered by a permit or lease donated under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall not allow grazing use to exceed the authorized level under the remaining valid existing permit or lease that is not donated.
(Pub. L. 112–74, div. E, title I, § 122(b), Dec. 23, 2011, 125 Stat. 1013.)
§ 1782. Bureau of Land Management Wilderness Study
(a) Lands subject to review and designation as wilderness
(b) Presidential recommendation for designation as wilderness
(c) Status of lands during period of review and determination
(Pub. L. 94–579, title VI, § 603, Oct. 21, 1976, 90 Stat. 2785; Pub. L. 102–154, title I, Nov. 13, 1991, 105 Stat. 1000; Pub. L. 102–285, § 10(b), May 18, 1992, 106 Stat. 172.)
§ 1783. Yaquina Head Outstanding Natural Area
(a) Establishment
(b) Administration by Secretary of the Interior; management plan; quarrying permits
(1) The Secretary of the Interior (hereinafter referred to as the “Secretary”) shall administer the Yaquina Head Outstanding Natural Area in accordance with the laws and regulations applicable to the public lands as defined in section 103(e) of the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976, as amended (43 U.S.C. 1702) [43 U.S.C. 1702(e)], in such a manner as will best provide for—
(A) the conservation and development of the scenic, natural, and historic values of the area;
(B) the continued use of the area for purposes of education, scientific study, and public recreation which do not substantially impair the purposes for which the area is established; and
(C) protection of the wildlife habitat of the area.
(2) The Secretary shall develop a management plan for the area which accomplishes the purposes and is consistent with the provisions of this section. This plan shall be developed in accordance with the provisions of section 202 of the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976, as amended (43 U.S.C. 1712).
(3) Notwithstanding any other provision of this section, the Secretary is authorized to issue permits or to contract for the quarrying of materials from the area in accordance with the management plan for the area on condition that the lands be reclaimed and restored to the satisfaction of the Secretary. Such authorization to quarry shall require payment of fair market value for the materials to be quarried, as established by the Secretary, and shall also include any terms and conditions which the Secretary determines necessary to protect the values of such quarry lands for purposes of this section.
(c) Revocation of 1866 reservation of lands for lighthouse purposes; restoration to public lands status
(d) Acquisition of lands not already in Federal ownership
(e) Wind energy research
(f) Reclamation and restoration of lands affected by quarrying operations
(g) Authorization of appropriations
(Pub. L. 96–199, title I, § 119, Mar. 5, 1980, 94 Stat. 71.)
§ 1784. Lands in Alaska; designation as wilderness; management by Bureau of Land Management pending Congressional action

Notwithstanding any other provision of law, section 1782 of this title shall not apply to any lands in Alaska. However, in carrying out his duties under sections 1711 and 1712 of this title and other applicable laws, the Secretary may identify areas in Alaska which he determines are suitable as wilderness and may, from time to time, make recommendations to the Congress for inclusion of any such areas in the National Wilderness Preservation System, pursuant to the provisions of the Wilderness Act [16 U.S.C. 1131 et seq.]. In the absence of congressional action relating to any such recommendation of the Secretary, the Bureau of Land Management shall manage all such areas which are within its jurisdiction in accordance with the applicable land use plans and applicable provisions of law.

(Pub. L. 96–487, title XIII, § 1320, Dec. 2, 1980, 94 Stat. 2487.)
§ 1785. Fossil Forest Research Natural Area
(a) Establishment
(b) Map and legal description
(1) In general
(2) Force and effect
(3) Technical corrections
(4) Public inspection
(c) Management
(1) In generalThe Secretary of the Interior, acting through the Director of the Bureau of Land Management, shall manage the Area—
(A) to protect the resources within the Area; and
(B) in accordance with this Act, the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 (43 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.), and other applicable provisions of law.
(2) Mining
(A) Withdrawal
(B) Coal preference rights
(C) Oil and gas leases
(3) Grazing
(d) Inventory
(e) Management plan
(1) In general
(2) ContentsThe management plan shall include—
(A) a plan for the implementation of a continuing cooperative program with other agencies and groups for—
(i) laboratory and field interpretation; and
(ii) public education about the resources and values of the Area (including vertebrate fossils);
(B) provisions for vehicle management that are consistent with the purpose of the Area and that provide for the use of vehicles to the minimum extent necessary to accomplish an individual scientific project;
(C) procedures for the excavation and collection of fossil remains, including botanical fossils, and the use of motorized and mechanical equipment to the minimum extent necessary to accomplish an individual scientific project; and
(D) mitigation and reclamation standards for activities that disturb the surface to the detriment of scenic and environmental values.
(Pub. L. 98–603, title I, § 103, Oct. 30, 1984, 98 Stat. 3156; Pub. L. 104–333, div. I, title X, § 1022(e), Nov. 12, 1996, 110 Stat. 4213; Pub. L. 106–176, title I, § 124, Mar. 10, 2000, 114 Stat. 30.)
§ 1786. Piedras Blancas Historic Light Station
(a) Definitions
In this section:
(1) Light Station
(2) Outstanding Natural Area
(3) Public lands
(4) Secretary
(b) Findings
Congress finds as follows:
(1) The publicly owned Piedras Blancas Light Station has nationally recognized historical structures that should be preserved for present and future generations.
(2) The coastline adjacent to the Light Station is internationally recognized as having significant wildlife and marine habitat that provides critical information to research institutions throughout the world.
(3) The Light Station tells an important story about California’s coastal prehistory and history in the context of the surrounding region and communities.
(4) The coastal area surrounding the Light Station was traditionally used by Indian people, including the Chumash and Salinan Indian tribes.
(5) The Light Station is historically associated with the nearby world-famous Hearst Castle (Hearst San Simeon State Historical Monument), now administered by the State of California.
(6) The Light Station represents a model partnership where future management can be successfully accomplished among the Federal Government, the State of California, San Luis Obispo County, local communities, and private groups.
(7) Piedras Blancas Historic Light Station Outstanding Natural Area would make a significant addition to the National Landscape Conservation System administered by the Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Land Management.
(8) Statutory protection is needed for the Light Station and its surrounding Federal lands to ensure that it remains a part of our historic, cultural, and natural heritage and to be a source of inspiration for the people of the United States.
(c) Designation of the Piedras Blancas Historic Light Station Outstanding Natural Area
(1) In general
(2) Maps and legal descriptions
(3) Basis of management
(4) Withdrawal
Subject to valid existing rights, and in accordance with the existing withdrawal as set forth in Public Land Order 7501 (Oct. 12, 2001, Vol. 66, No. 198, Federal Register 52149), the Federal lands and interests in lands included within the Outstanding Natural Area are hereby withdrawn from—
(A) all forms of entry, appropriation, or disposal under the public land laws;
(B) location, entry, and patent under the public land mining laws; and
(C) operation of the mineral leasing and geothermal leasing laws and the mineral materials laws.
(d) Management of the Piedras Blancas Historic Light Station Outstanding Natural Area
(1) In general
(2) Uses
(3) Management plan
Not later than 3 years after of 2
2 So in original. The word “of” probably should not appear.
May 8, 2008, the Secretary shall complete a comprehensive management plan consistent with the requirements of section 202 of the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 (43 U.S.C. 1712) to provide long-term management guidance for the public lands within the Outstanding Natural Area and fulfill the purposes for which it is established, as set forth in subsection (c)(1). The management plan shall be developed in consultation with appropriate Federal, State, and local government agencies, with full public participation, and the contents shall include—
(A) provisions designed to ensure the protection of the resources and values described in subsection (c)(1);
(B) objectives to restore the historic Light Station and ancillary buildings;
(C) an implementation plan for a continuing program of interpretation and public education about the Light Station and its importance to the surrounding community;
(D) a proposal for minimal administrative and public facilities to be developed or improved at a level compatible with achieving the resources objectives for the Outstanding Natural Area as described in paragraph (1) and with other proposed management activities to accommodate visitors and researchers to the Outstanding Natural Area; and
(E) cultural resources management strategies for the Outstanding Natural Area, prepared in consultation with appropriate departments of the State of California, with emphasis on the preservation of the resources of the Outstanding Natural Area and the interpretive, education, and long-term scientific uses of the resources, giving priority to the enforcement of the Archaeological Resources Protection Act of 1979 (16 U.S.C. 470aa et seq.) and division A of subtitle III of title 54 within the Outstanding Natural Area.
(4) Cooperative agreements
(5) Research activities
(6) Acquisition
State and privately held lands or interests in lands adjacent to the Outstanding Natural Area and identified as appropriate for acquisition in the management plan may be acquired by the Secretary as part of the Outstanding Natural Area only by—
(A) donation;
(B) exchange with a willing party; or
(C) purchase from a willing seller.
(7) Additions to the Outstanding Natural Area
(8) Overflights
Nothing in this section or the management plan shall be construed to—
(A) restrict or preclude overflights, including low level overflights, military, commercial, and general aviation overflights that can be seen or heard within the Outstanding Natural Area;
(B) restrict or preclude the designation or creation of new units of special use airspace or the establishment of military flight training routes over the Outstanding Natural Area; or
(C) modify regulations governing low-level overflights above the adjacent Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary.
(9) Law enforcement activities
(10) Native American uses and interests
(11) No buffer zones
(e) Authorization of appropriations
(Pub. L. 110–229, title II, § 201, May 8, 2008, 122 Stat. 759; Pub. L. 113–287, § 5(l)(8), Dec. 19, 2014, 128 Stat. 3271.)
§ 1787. Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse Outstanding Natural Area
(a) DefinitionsIn this section:
(1) Commandant
(2) Lighthouse
(3) Local PartnersThe term “Local Partners” includes—
(A) Palm Beach County, Florida;
(B) the Town of Jupiter, Florida;
(C) the Village of Tequesta, Florida; and
(D) the Loxahatchee River Historical Society.
(4) Management plan
(5) Map
(6) Outstanding Natural Area
(7) Public land
(8) Secretary
(9) State
(b) Establishment of the Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse Outstanding Natural Area
(1) Establishment
(2) PurposesThe purposes of the Outstanding Natural Area are to protect, conserve, and enhance the unique and nationally important historic, natural, cultural, scientific, educational, scenic, and recreational values of the Federal land surrounding the Lighthouse for the benefit of present generations and future generations of people in the United States, while—
(A) allowing certain recreational and research activities to continue in the Outstanding Natural Area; and
(B) ensuring that Coast Guard operations and activities are unimpeded within the boundaries of the Outstanding Natural Area.
(3) Availability of map
(4) Withdrawal
(A) In generalSubject to valid existing rights, subsection (e), and any existing withdrawals under the Executive orders and public land order described in subparagraph (B), the Federal land and any interests in the Federal land included in the Outstanding Natural Area are withdrawn from—
(i) all forms of entry, appropriation, or disposal under the public land laws;
(ii) location, entry, and patent under the mining laws; and
(iii) operation of the mineral leasing and geothermal leasing laws and the mineral materials laws.
(B) Description of Executive ordersThe Executive orders and public land order described in subparagraph (A) are—
(i) the Executive Order dated October 22, 1854;
(ii) Executive Order No. 4254 (June 12, 1925); and
(iii) Public Land Order No. 7202 (61 Fed. Reg. 29758).
(c) Management plan
(1) In generalNot later than 3 years after May 8, 2008, the Secretary, in consultation with the Commandant, shall develop a comprehensive management plan in accordance with section 202 of the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 (43 U.S.C. 1712) to—
(A) provide long-term management guidance for the public land in the Outstanding Natural Area; and
(B) ensure that the Outstanding Natural Area fulfills the purposes for which the Outstanding Natural Area is established.
(2) Consultation; public participationThe management plan shall be developed—
(A) in consultation with appropriate Federal, State, county, and local government agencies, the Commandant, the Local Partners, and other partners; and
(B) in a manner that ensures full public participation.
(3) Existing plans
(4) InclusionsThe management plan shall include—
(A) objectives and provisions to ensure—
(i) the protection and conservation of the resource values of the Outstanding Natural Area; and
(ii) the restoration of native plant communities and estuaries in the Outstanding Natural Area, with an emphasis on the conservation and enhancement of healthy, functioning ecological systems in perpetuity;
(B) objectives and provisions to maintain or recreate historic structures;
(C) an implementation plan for a program of interpretation and public education about the natural and cultural resources of the Lighthouse, the public land surrounding the Lighthouse, and associated structures;
(D) a proposal for administrative and public facilities to be developed or improved that—
(i) are compatible with achieving the resource objectives for the Outstanding Natural Area described in subsection (d)(1)(A)(ii); and
(ii) would accommodate visitors to the Outstanding Natural Area;
(E) natural and cultural resource management strategies for the Outstanding Natural Area, to be developed in consultation with appropriate departments of the State, the Local Partners, and the Commandant, with an emphasis on resource conservation in the Outstanding Natural Area and the interpretive, educational, and long-term scientific uses of the resources; and
(F) recreational use strategies for the Outstanding Natural Area, to be prepared in consultation with the Local Partners, appropriate departments of the State, and the Coast Guard, with an emphasis on passive recreation.
(5) Interim plan
(d) Management of the Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse Outstanding Natural Area
(1) Management
(A) In generalThe Secretary, in consultation with the Local Partners and the Commandant, shall manage the Outstanding Natural Area—
(i) as part of the National Landscape Conservation System;
(ii) in a manner that conserves, protects, and enhances the unique and nationally important historical, natural, cultural, scientific, educational, scenic, and recreational values of the Outstanding Natural Area, including an emphasis on the restoration of native ecological systems; and
(iii) in accordance with the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 (43 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.) and other applicable laws.
(B) Limitation
(2) Uses
(3) Cooperative agreements
(4) Research activities
(5) Acquisition of land
(A) In generalSubject to subparagraph (B), the Secretary may acquire for inclusion in the Outstanding Natural Area any State or private land or any interest in State or private land that is—
(i) adjacent to the Outstanding Natural Area; and
(ii) identified in the management plan as appropriate for acquisition.
(B) Means of acquisition
(C) Additions to the Outstanding Natural Area
(6) Law enforcement activitiesNothing in this section, the management plan, or the Jupiter Inlet Coordinated Resource Management Plan (including any updates or amendments to the Jupiter Inlet Coordinated Resource Management Plan) precludes, prohibits, or otherwise affects—
(A) any maritime security, maritime safety, or environmental protection mission or activity of the Coast Guard;
(B) any border security operation or law enforcement activity by the Department of Homeland Security or the Department of Justice; or
(C) any law enforcement activity of any Federal, State, or local law enforcement agency in the Outstanding Natural Area.
(7) Future disposition of Coast Guard facilities
(e) Effect on ongoing and future Coast Guard operationsNothing in this section, the management plan, or the Jupiter Inlet Coordinated Resource Management Plan (including updates or amendments to the Jupiter Inlet Coordinated Resource Management Plan) precludes, prohibits, or otherwise affects ongoing or future Coast Guard operations or activities in the Outstanding Natural Area, including—
(1) the continued and future operation of, access to, maintenance of, and, as may be necessitated for Coast Guard missions, the expansion, enhancement, or replacement of, the Coast Guard High Frequency antenna site on lot 16;
(2) the continued and future operation of, access to, maintenance of, and, as may be necessitated for Coast Guard missions, the expansion, enhancement, or replacement of, the military family housing area on lot 18;
(3) the continued and future use of, access to, maintenance of, and, as may be necessitated for Coast Guard missions, the expansion, enhancement, or replacement of, the pier on lot 18;
(4) the existing lease of the Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse on lot 18 from the Coast Guard to the Loxahatchee River Historical Society; or
(5) any easements or other less-than-fee interests in property appurtenant to existing Coast Guard facilities on lots 16 and 18.
(f) Authorization of appropriations
(Pub. L. 110–229, title II, § 202, May 8, 2008, 122 Stat. 763.)