§160b Land Acquisitions

Summary

The Secretary may acquire land or interests in land inside the park by donation, purchase with donated or appropriated funds, or by exchanging land. If only part of a parcel falls inside the park, the Secretary may buy more of that parcel outside the park to avoid extra severance costs. Land bought outside can be exchanged for non‑Federal land inside the park. Any outside portion not used in an exchange must be sent to the General Services Administration for disposal under chapters 1–11 of title 40 and division C (except sections 3302, 3307(e), 3501(b), 3509, 3906, 4710, and 4711) of subtitle I of title 41. Federal property inside the park can be transferred to the Park Service without payment. Starting March 12, 2019, land managed by the Bureau of Land Management inside the park map, and other public land BLM approves, are transferred to National Park Service control. Land owned by the State of Minnesota (or its political subdivisions) may only be taken by donation or exchange, and the park boundaries must be updated after such an acquisition. The Secretary must promptly and carefully consider any property owner’s offer to sell land inside the park and must consider any hardship that delay might cause the owner.