§460t–1 Acquisition of Land

Summary

The Secretary can get land inside the recreation area and up to ten acres just outside near Lovell, Wyoming, for a visitor contact station and administrative site. The Secretary may accept land by donation, buy it using donated or appropriated funds, trade for it, or use other methods. In trades, the Secretary may take non‑federal land inside the area and give federal land in Montana or Wyoming that he says is suitable, even if other laws would normally limit such swaps. Traded properties must be about equal in fair market value, and the Secretary may accept or pay cash to balance values. Land owned by Montana, Wyoming, or their local governments inside the area can only be obtained by donation or exchange. No tribal mountain lands or other Crow Indian Tribe lands can be added to the recreation area unless the tribe’s council asks for it. If added, those Indian lands can be developed and run under the recreation area’s laws, subject to any limits the tribal council sets and the Secretary’s approval. The Crow Tribe may build and operate water recreation sites (like landing ramps, boathouses, and fishing facilities) along the part of Yellowtail Reservoir shoreline next to the Crow Reservation and may keep the revenue. “Shoreline” here means the land bordering both Yellowtail Reservoir and the reservation boundary, plus the reservoir area needed for the facilities.