Title 16, ConservationRelease 119-102

§410e Acquisition of Additional Lands; Reservation of Oil, Gas, and Mineral Rights; Reservation of Royalty Rights

Title 16 › CHAPTER 1 — NATIONAL PARKS, MILITARY PARKS, MONUMENTS, AND SEASHORES › SUBCHAPTER LIV — EVERGLADES NATIONAL PARK › § 410e

Last updated Aug 21, 2026|Official source

Summary

The Secretary of the Interior may buy or otherwise get land inside the boundary shown in deed number 19035 (signed December 28, 1944, accepted March 14, 1947) to consolidate federal ownership for Everglades National Park, using any funds made available for that purpose. Owners (including their heirs, executors, administrators, successors, or assigns) may choose to keep their oil, gas, and mineral rights until October 9, 1958. If oil, gas, or other minerals are being produced in commercial amounts anywhere inside that boundary by that date, the owners’ right to those minerals continues for everyone as long as such production keeps going. To use those rights, owners and their lessees, agents, employees, and assigns may enter and leave the land as needed. When the reserved mineral rights in the paragraph above end, owners still keep the right to normal royalties in effect at the time of production for any minerals taken from the land if production is ever allowed by the federal government or its assigns, but only for minerals produced before January 1, 1985.

Full Legal Text

Title 16, §410e

Conservation, Source: USLM XML via OLRC

In order to consolidate the Federal ownership of lands within the boundary set forth in deed numbered 19035 executed December 28, 1944, by the trustees of the Internal Improvement Fund of the State of Florida, and accepted by the Secretary of the Interior on March 14, 1947, for Everglades National Park purposes, the said Secretary is authorized, within the aforesaid boundary and with any funds made available for that purpose, to procure lands or interests therein by purchase or otherwise, subject, however, to the right of retention by owners of lands, interests in lands, interests in oil, gas, and mineral rights, or royalties, their heirs, executors, administrators, successors, or assigns (hereinafter referred to as “owners”), at their election, of the following:

(1)The reservation until October 9, 1958, of all oil, gas, and mineral rights or interests, including the right to lease, explore for, produce, store, and remove oil, gas, and other minerals from such lands: Provided, That if on or before said date, oil, gas, or other minerals are being produced in commercial quantities anywhere within the boundary set forth in aforesaid deed numbered 19035, then in that event the time of the reservation as set forth in this subsection shall automatically extend for all owners, regardless of whether such production is from land in which such owners have an interest, for so long as oil, gas, or other minerals are produced in commercial quantities anywhere within said boundary. To exercise this reservation, the owners, their lessees, agents, employees, and assigns shall have such right of ingress and egress to and from such lands as may be necessary; and

(2)After the termination of the reserved rights of owners as set forth in subsection (1) hereof, a further reservation of the right to customary royalties, applying at the time of production, in any oil, gas, or other minerals which may be produced from such lands at any time before January 1, 1985, should production ever be authorized by the Federal Government or its assigns.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

16 U.S.C. § 410e

Title 16, Conservation

Last Updated

Aug 21, 2026

Release point: 119-102