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PUBLIC LAW 92-237-MAR. 1, 1972 Public Law 92-237
March 1, 1972 [S. 7]
Buffalo National River, Ark. Establishment.
Lands and waters, acquisition.
Retention rights.
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[86 STAT.
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AN ACT 'I'd provi<l(' for the esfnhlisliineiii: of the Buffalo Xjitioiuil River in the State ()f Arkansas, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Seimte and Iloin^e of RepreHentatireH of the United States of Anrenca in Congress assembled. That for the \)\\vposes of conserving and interpreting an area containing unique scenic and scientific features, and preserving as a free-flowing stream an impoifant segment of the Buffalo River in Arkansas for the benefit and enjoyment of present and future generations, the Secretary of the Interior (hereinafter referred to as the "Secretary") may establish and administer the Buffalo National River. The boundaries of the national river shall be as generally depicted on the drawing entitled "Proposed Buffalo National River" numbered NR-BUF-7103 and dated December 1967, which shall be on file and available for public inspection in the offices of the National P a r k Service, Department of the Interior. The Secretary is authorized to make minor revisions of the boundaries of the national river when necessary, after advising the Committees on Interior and Insular Affairs of the United States House of Representatives and the United States Senate in writing, but the total acreage within such boundaries shall not exceed ninetyfive thousand seven hundred and thiity acres. SEC. 2. (a) Within the boundaries of the Buffalo National River, the Secretary may acquire lands and waters or interests therein by donation, purchase or exchange, except that lands owned by the State of Arkansas or a political subdivision thereof may be acquired only by donation: Provided. That the Secretary may, with funds appropriated for development of the area, reimburse such State for its share of the cost of facilities developed on State park lands if such facilities were developed in a manner approved by the Secretary and if the development of such facilities commenced subsequent to the enactment of this Act: Provided further., That such reimbursement shall not exceed a total of $875,000. When an individual tract of land is only partly within the boundaries of the national river, the Secretary may acquire all of the tract by any of the above methods in order to avoid the payment of severance costs. Land so acquired outside of the boundaries of the national river may be exchanged by the Secretary for non-Federal hinds within the national river boundaries, and any portion of the hind not utilized for such exchanges may be disposed of in accordance with the provisions of the Federal Property and Administrative Services Act of 1949 (6a Stat. 877; 40 U.S.C. 471 et seq.), as amended. With the concurrence of the agency having custody thereof, any Federal property within the boundaries of the national river may be transferred without consideration to the administrative jurisdiction of the Secretary for administration as part of the national river. (b) Except for property which the Secretary determines to be necessary for the purposes of administration, development, access or public use, an owner or owners (hereafter referred to as "owner") of any improved property which is used solely for noncommercial residential purposes on the date of its acquisition by the Secretary or any owner of lands used solely for agricultural purposes (including, but not limited to, grazing) may retain, as a condition of the acquisition of such property or lands, a right of use and occupancy of such property for such residential or agricultural purposes. The term of the right retained shall expire upon the death of the owner or the death of his spouse, whichever occurs later, or in lieu thereof, after a definite term which shall not exceed twenty-five years after the date of acquisition. The owner shall elect, at the time of con-veyance, the term of the right
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