Arkansas Administrative Code

15 CAR § 310-102. Purpose. (a) The purpose of the Arkansas Natural and Cultural Resources Council shall be to: (1) Administer the Arkansas Natural and Cultural Resources Grants and Trust Fund, established by Acts 1987, No. 729, now codified as Arkansas Code §§ 15-12-101 – 15-12-1…

15 CAR § 310-103. Public information. (a) All actions taken by the Arkansas Natural and Cultural Resources Council and all procedures will conform to the Arkansas Administrative Procedure Act, Arkansas Code § 25-15-201 et seq., and the Freedom of Information Act of 1967, Arkansas…

15 CAR § 310-201. Members generally. The Arkansas Natural and Cultural Resources Council shall consist of eleven (11) voting members, as follows: (1) The Secretary of the Department of Parks, Heritage, and Tourism; (2) The Director of the Division of Arkansas Heritage; (3) The Ch…

15 CAR § 310-202. Payment for members. Members of the Arkansas Natural and Cultural Resources Council shall serve without pay, provided that: (1) The Secretary of the Department of Parks, Heritage, and Tourism, the Director of the Division of Arkansas Heritage, the Chair of the S…

15 CAR § 310-203. Attendance. (a) Any member appointed by the Governor to serve as an Arkansas Natural and Cultural Resources Council member who shall be absent from two (2) successive regular meetings shall be subject to removal in the event he or she fails to present to the Sec…

15 CAR § 310-204. Code of ethics. (a) All members of the Arkansas Natural and Cultural Resources Council shall comply with the Arkansas code of ethics law, Arkansas Code §§ 21-8-301 – 21-8-309 [repealed], or any successor act thereto. (b) No council member shall use his or her po…

15 CAR § 310-301. Officers. (a) The officers of the Arkansas Natural and Cultural Resources Council shall be: (1) The Chair of the Arkansas Natural and Cultural Resources Council; (2) A vice chair; and (3) The Secretary of the Arkansas Natural and Cultural Resources Council. (b) …

15 CAR § 310-302. Duties of the officers. (a) The officers shall: (1) Have general supervision of the affairs of the Arkansas Natural and Cultural Resources Council between its regular meetings; (2) Fix the hour, place, and agendas of meetings; (3) Make recommendations to the cou…

15 CAR § 310-303. Meetings of the officers. Meetings of the officers: (1) May be called by the Chair of the Arkansas Natural and Cultural Resources Council; and (2) Shall be called upon the written request of two (2) of the officers.

15 CAR § 310-304. Terms of office. (a) The officers, except the Secretary of the Arkansas Natural and Cultural Resources Council, shall be elected by ballot to serve for one (1) year or until their successors are elected, and their term of office shall begin at the close of the a…

15 CAR § 310-401. Annual meeting. The Arkansas Natural and Cultural Resources Council will meet annually for the purposes of: (1) Assessing the amount of funds available for grant awards; (2) Making grants; (3) Reviewing reports; (4) Reviewing and making needed changes in policie…

15 CAR § 310-402. Regular meetings. (a) The Arkansas Natural and Cultural Resources Council shall meet: (1) In regular session at least three (3) times per year; and (2) In special session as often as its business may require, pursuant to Arkansas Code § 25-17-208. (b) All meetin…

15 CAR § 310-403. Special called meetings. (a) The Arkansas Natural and Cultural Resources Council shall meet: (1) On call of the Chair of the Arkansas Natural and Cultural Resources Council; or (2) Upon written request of four (4) or more members. (b) The purpose of the meeting …

15 CAR § 310-404. Notice of meetings and agendas. (a) Each Arkansas Natural and Cultural Resources Council member and each person who shall have requested notice shall receive a written agenda of upcoming regular meetings not later than two (2) weeks prior to the meeting date. (b…

15 CAR § 310-405. Quorum and action taken. (a) A majority of voting members of the Arkansas Natural and Cultural Resources Council shall constitute a quorum. (b) All action taken by the council shall be by affirmative vote of a majority of the members of the council unless otherw…

15 CAR § 310-406. Committee meetings. (a) Committee meetings may be called by the respective chair of each committee. (b) Decisions may be made by a majority vote of the committee. (c) Committee meetings will follow the Freedom of Information Act of 1967, Arkansas Code § 25-19-10…

15 CAR § 310-501. Committee meetings generally. (a) The Chair of the Arkansas Natural and Cultural Resources Council shall appoint committee members for standing or special committees as the Arkansas Natural and Cultural Resources Council or officers shall from time to time deem …

15 CAR § 310-601. Parliamentary authority generally. The rules contained in the most recently published edition of Robert’s Rules of Order Newly Revised shall govern the Arkansas Natural and Cultural Resources Council in all cases to which they are applicable and in which they ar…

15 CAR § 310-701. Amendment of bylaws generally. (a) This part may be amended at any regular meeting of the Arkansas Natural and Cultural Resources Council by a two-thirds (2/3) (six (6) votes) vote from the members, provided that the amendment has been submitted in writing at th…

15 CAR § 310-801. Fiscal year. The Arkansas Natural and Cultural Resources Council will operate on the State of Arkansas’s fiscal year.

15 CAR § 310-802. Budget. (a) The Arkansas Natural and Cultural Resources Council may establish an annual budget for administrative expenses funded by the Natural and Cultural Resources Grants and Trust Fund. (b) The budget will be approved by the full council and administered by…

15 CAR § 310-803. Compliance with other laws. (a) Disbursement of funds shall be limited to the appropriation for the Arkansas Natural and Cultural Resources Council and funds made available by law for the support of the council’s appropriation. (b) The restrictions of the fiscal…

15 CAR § 310-804. Auditing. (a) The financial operations of the Arkansas Natural and Cultural Resources Council shall be subject to auditing by Arkansas Legislative Audit staff. (b) Each grantee shall be responsible for the retention of records according to state law.…

15 CAR § 310-901. Grant funding and application procedures generally. There shall be special rules of procedure followed by the Arkansas Natural and Cultural Resources Council for the: (1) Administration of the Natural and Cultural Resources Grants and Trust Fund; and (2) Adminis…

15 CAR § 310-902. Amendments. Amendments to the special rules of procedure shall require a: (1) Notice of two (2) weeks; and (2) Two-thirds (2/3) vote of the members.

15 CAR § 310-903. Suspension. A suspension of the rules of procedure requires a two-thirds (2/3) vote of the members.

15 CAR § 311-101. Accrual of funds generally. (a) Funds will be collected and deposited pursuant to the purposes as stated in Acts 1987, No. 729, as codified in Arkansas Code §§ 15-12-101 – 15-12-103. (b)(1) The ten percent (10%) credited to the Natural and Cultural Resources His…

15 CAR § 311-201. Trust fund. (a)(1) There shall be established within the Natural and Cultural Resources Grants and Trust Fund a separate and segregated account for the purpose of ensuring the viability of the program through the creation of an inviolate corpus (principal accoun…

15 CAR § 311-202. Annual grants. (a) Projects are funded during a regular annual grant period. (b) These grants are submitted through the regular annual grant cycle with projects and expenditures occurring between July 1 and June 30 of each year.

15 CAR § 311-203. Emergency grants. (a) Projects for unanticipated opportunities deemed highly significant and critical for the state to fund, according to the SCORP (Statewide Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan) guidelines and the Arkansas Natural and Cultural Resources Counc…

15 CAR § 311-301. Eligibility to apply. Applicants for funding from the Natural and Cultural Resources Grants and Trust Fund shall be agencies of the State of Arkansas that receive general revenue funding and are authorized by law to acquire, manage, operate, or maintain state-ow…

15 CAR § 311-302. Grant review criteria. (a)(1) The Arkansas Natural and Cultural Resources Council will fund projects for acquisition, management, and stewardship of state-owned lands or the preservation of state-owned historic sites, buildings, structures, or objects that the c…

15 CAR § 311-303. Categories of grants. (a) There are two (2) categories of grants for which application may be made: (1) Annual grants; and (2) Emergency grants. (b) Annual grants are for projects funded during a regular annual grant cycle with projects and expenditures occurrin…

15 CAR § 311-304. What is/is not funded. (a) The Arkansas Natural and Cultural Resources Council will fund projects that conform to the purposes defined in the: (1) Legislation; (2) Bylaws of the Arkansas Natural and Cultural Resources Council, 15 CAR pt. 310; and (3) Grant appli…

15 CAR § 311-305. Types of grants. (a) Grants may be for: (1) Acquisition; (2) Management/stewardship; or (3) A combination of the two (2). (b) Acquisition. A grant is defined as an acquisition grant if funding is requested for the purpose of acquisition by the state. (c) Managem…

15 CAR § 311-306. Historic property rehabilitation and restoration grants. (a)(1) Applicants approved for funding for the preservation of historic property sites should schedule a meeting and site visit with: (A) Arkansas Natural and Cultural Resources Council staff; (B) Arkansas…

15 CAR § 311-307. Application instructions. (a) Application form. (1) Each grant application must include a completed Arkansas Natural and Cultural Resources Council grant application form. (2) Grant applications may include more than one (1) like project. (b) Approval by agency’…

15 CAR § 311-308. Legal, financial, and reporting requirements for grant recipients. (a) Contracts. (1)(A) After award decisions are made, award letters, contracts, final budget forms, and instructions shall be mailed to recipients. (B) All documents are to be completed, signed, …

15 CAR § 320-1001. Fiscal year. The Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission shall operate on the State of Arkansas’s fiscal year.

15 CAR § 320-1002. Compliance with other laws. (a) Disbursement of funds shall be limited to the appropriation to the Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission and funds made available by law for support of the commission’s appropriation. (b) In disbursement of funds the commission sh…

15 CAR § 320-1003. Auditing. The financial operations of the Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission shall be subject to auditing by the staff of Arkansas Legislative Audit.

15 CAR § 320-101. Name. The name of this commission shall be the Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission (Arkansas Code § 15-20-304), hereinafter referred to as the commission.

15 CAR § 320-1101. Research — Authority. (a)(1) The Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission is to conduct research and investigation and to publish and disseminate information and recommendations pertaining to natural areas and to the system of natural areas. (2) Arkansas Code § 15-…

15 CAR § 320-1102. Inventory. (a) For practical reasons, the Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission relies on its staff to maintain an extensive inventory of elements of natural diversity in the State of Arkansas. (b) It has adopted the natural heritage data system used by the inte…

15 CAR § 320-1103. Data sharing. (a) The Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission shares inventory information with all who need it for educational purposes, research, and planning economic development, in accordance with the policy of the State of Arkansas to strike a proper balance…

15 CAR § 320-1104. Fees for data research. (a)(1)(A) The Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission shall establish by rule and operate a system of fees or special charges to defray a portion of the expense of providing research services to users of the natural heritage data system. (B…

15 CAR § 320-1201. Approval for acquisition of land or interests in land — Authority. (a)(1) The Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission is to acquire, by purchase, gift, devise, grant, dedication, as hereinafter defined, or otherwise, the fee or other interest in real property for …

15 CAR § 320-1202. Limitations. (a)(1) No acquisition of lands, waters, or any interests therein, whether by dedication or otherwise, shall become effective until after the Governor shall have received thirty (30) days’ notice in writing. (2) Arkansas Code § 15-20-310(c). (b)(1) …

15 CAR § 320-1203. Disposition of interests in real property. The Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission shall, after due consideration of the particular characteristics of a natural area, the type and extent of management required to maintain that area in its natural condition, th…

15 CAR § 320-1204. Preliminary approval. (a)(1) Each tract of land proposed for acquisition shall be examined and described to members of the Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission and advisors by a person or persons designated by the commission. (2) Tract information shall include…