Title 16 — ConservationRelease 119-73

§8443 Monitoring for improved recreation decision making

Title 16 › Chapter CHAPTER 103— - EXPANDING PUBLIC LANDS OUTDOOR RECREATION EXPERIENCES › Subchapter SUBCHAPTER I— - OUTDOOR RECREATION AND INFRASTRUCTURE › Part Part C— - Supporting Gateway Communities and Addressing Park Overcrowding › § 8443

Last updated Apr 6, 2026|Official source

Summary

Secretaries must collect recreation-use data to help make better decisions. Within 1 year after January 4, 2025, and after public notice and a chance for people to comment, they must run pilot protocols at 10 or more land or water units each to model use patterns current surveys may miss, including low-use and dispersed activities. “Secretaries” means the four officials responsible for federal lands, the Forest Service, NOAA waters, and Army Corps lakes and reservoirs.

Full Legal Text

Title 16, §8443

Conservation — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)The Secretaries shall seek to capture comprehensive recreation use data to better understand and inform decision making by the Secretaries.

(b)Not later than 1 year after January 4, 2025, and after public notice and comment, the Secretaries shall establish pilot protocols at not fewer than 10 land management units under the jurisdiction of each of the Secretaries to model recreation use patterns (including low-use recreation activities and dispersed recreation activities) that may not be effectively measured by existing general and opportunistic survey and monitoring protocols.

(c)In this section, the term “Secretaries” means—

(1)the Secretary, with respect to lands under the jurisdiction of the Secretary;

(2)the Secretary of Agriculture, acting through the Chief of the Forest Service, with respect to lands under the jurisdiction of the Forest Service;

(3)the Secretary of Commerce, acting through the Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, with respect to Federal waters under the jurisdiction of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration; and

(4)the Assistant Secretary of Army for Civil Works, with respect to lakes and reservoirs under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

16 U.S.C. § 8443

Title 16 — Conservation

Last Updated

Apr 6, 2026

Release point: 119-73