Title 16, ConservationRelease 119-110

§3197 Revenue-producing Visitor Services

Title 16 › CHAPTER 51 — ALASKA NATIONAL INTEREST LANDS CONSERVATION › SUBCHAPTER VI — ADMINISTRATIVE PROVISIONS › § 3197

Last updated Sep 22, 2026|Official source

Summary

People who were already providing visitor services in a protected area on or before January 1, 1979 must be allowed to keep offering the same kinds of services, as long as the services fit the purposes of that area and the Secretary sets reasonable conditions. When choosing who will provide paid visitor services (not including sport hunting or fishing guides), the Secretary must give preference first to Native Corporations most affected by the area's creation or expansion, next to people who are local residents (as defined by rule), and must offer Cook Inlet Region, Incorporated (with Village Corporations when appropriate) the first chance to take new revenue-producing services in the Kenai National Moose Range or the part of Lake Clark National Park and Preserve inside the Cook Inlet Region. That offer must stay open for ninety days as agreed in the document tied to the Act of January 2, 1976 (Public Law 94–204). A visitor service means any paid service for park visitors, like food, lodging, transport, tours, and guides (except sport hunting and fishing guides). Federal and Alaska licensing for transport are not changed by this rule.

Full Legal Text

Title 16, §3197

Conservation, Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)Continuation of existing visitor services
Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the Secretary, under such terms and conditions as he determines are reasonable, shall permit any persons who, on or before January 1, 1979, were engaged in adequately providing any type of visitor service within any area established as or added to a conservation system unit to continue providing such type of service and similar types of visitor services within such area if such service or services are consistent with the purposes for which such unit is established or expanded.
(b)Preference
Notwithstanding provisions of law other than those contained in subsection (a), in selecting persons to provide (and in contracting for the provision of) any type of visitor service for any conservation system unit, except sport fishing and hunting guiding activities, the Secretary—
(1)shall give preference to the Native Corporations which the Secretary determines are most directly affected by the establishment or expansion of such unit by or under the provisions of this Act;
(2)shall give preference to persons whom he determines, by rule, are local residents; and
(3)shall, consistent with the provisions of this section, offer to Cook Inlet Region, Incorporated, in cooperation with Village Corporations within the Cook Inlet Region when appropriate, the right of first refusal to provide new revenue producing visitor services within the Kenai National Moose Range or that portion of the Lake Clark National Park and Preserve within the boundaries of the Cook Inlet Region that right to remain open for a period of ninety days as agreed to in paragraph VIII of the document referred to in section 12 of the Act of January 2, 1976 (Public Law 94–204).
(c)“Visitor service” defined
As used in this section, the term “visitor service” means any service made available for a fee or charge to persons who visit a conservation system unit, including such services as providing food, accommodations, transportation, tours, and guides excepting the guiding of sport hunting and fishing. Nothing in this Act shall limit or affect the authority of the Federal Government or the State of Alaska to license and regulate transportation services.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

References in Text

This Act, referred to in subsecs. (b)(1) and (c), is Pub. L. 96–487, Dec. 2, 1980, 94 Stat. 2371, known as the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act. For complete classification of this Act to the Code, see

Short Title

note set out under section 3101 of this title and Tables. section 12 of the Act of January 2, 1976 (Public Law 94–204), referred to in subsec. (b)(3), is section 12 of Pub. L. 94–204, Jan. 2, 1976, 89 Stat. 1150, which is set out as a note under section 1611 of Title 43, Public Lands.

Amendments

1998—Subsec. (b)(1). Pub. L. 105–333 substituted “Native Corporations” for “Native Corporation” and “are most directly affected” for “is most directly affected”.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

16 U.S.C. § 3197

Title 16, Conservation

Last Updated

Sep 22, 2026

Release point: 119-110