12 2 STA T . 12 8 2 PUBLIC LA W 11 0– 2 34—M A Y 22 , 2008 ‘ ‘ (1)ELIG I B L E E NT IT Y.—Thet e rm ‘e lig i b lee n tit y’ me a n s a l oc al go v ernmental entity ,I n d ian tribe, or non p ro f it organi z a - tion that o w nsorac qu ires a parcel under the program. ‘‘( 2 )IN D I A NT R IBE.—The term ‘Indian tribe’ has the meaning given the term in section 4 of the Indian S elf- D etermination and Education A ssistance Act (2 5U .S. C .45 0 b). ‘‘( 3 ) LOC AL GO V ERN M ENTAL ENTITY.—The term ‘local govern- mental entity’ includes any municipal government, county government, or other local government body with j urisdiction over local land use decisions. ‘‘(4) N ON P RO F IT ORGANI Z ATION.—The term ‘nonprofit organization’ means any organization that— ‘‘(A) is described in section 1 7 0(h)(3) of the Internal R evenue Code of 1 986; and ‘‘( B ) operates in accordance with 1 or more of the purposes specified in section 170(h)(4)(A) of that Code. ‘‘(5) P ROGRAM.—The term ‘Program’ means the community forest and open space conservation program established under subsection (b). ‘‘(6) SECRETARY.—The term ‘Secretary’ means the Secretary of Agriculture, acting through the Chief of the F orest Service. ‘‘(b) E S TABLIS H MENT.—The Secretary shall establish a program, to be k nown as the ‘community forest and open space conservation program’. ‘‘(c) G RANT PROGRAM.— ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary may award grants to eligible entities to acquire private forest land, to be owned in fee simple, that— ‘‘(A) are threatened by conversion to nonforest uses; and ‘‘(B) provide public benefits to communities, including— ‘‘(i) economic benefits through sustainable forest management; ‘‘(ii) environmental benefits, including clean water and wildlife habitat; ‘‘(iii) benefits from forest-based educational pro- grams, including vocational education programs in for- estry; ‘‘(iv) benefits from serving as models of effective forest stewardship for private landowners; and ‘‘(v) recreational benefits, including hunting and fishing. ‘‘(2) FEDERAL COST SHARE.—An eligible entity may receive a grant under the Program in an amount equal to not more than 50 percent of the cost of acquiring 1 or more parcels, as determined by the Secretary. ‘‘(3) NON-FEDERAL SHARE.—As a condition of receipt of the grant, an eligible entity that receives a grant under the Pro- gram shall provide, in cash, donation, or in kind, a non-Federal matching share in an amount that is at least equal to the amount of the grant received. ‘‘(4) APPRAISAL OF PARCELS.—To determine the non-Federal share of the cost of a parcel of privately-owned forest land under paragraph (2), an eligible entity shall require appraisals of the land that comply with the Uniform Appraisal Standards for Federal Land Acquisitions developed by the Interagency Land Acquisition Conference.
�
