§160b Land Acquisitions

Summary

The Secretary may get land or rights to land inside the park by gift, by buying it with donated or budgeted money, or by swapping for other land. If only part of a parcel lies inside the park, the Secretary can buy the rest of that parcel outside the park to avoid extra costs. Land bought outside the park can be swapped for non-Federal land inside the park. Any outside land not used for a swap must be reported to the General Services Administration for disposal under chapters 1 to 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 Secretary for park use without payment. Starting March 12, 2019, administrative control of Bureau of Land Management land inside the park map in section 160a–1(a), and any other public land the BLM says should move, is transferred to the National Park Service. Land owned by the State of Minnesota or its local governments can only be acquired by gift or swap, and the Secretary must update the park boundaries after such an acquisition. The Secretary must also quickly and carefully consider any offer from a landowner inside the park to sell, and must think about hardships the owner would face if the sale is delayed.