§539m–3 Pueblo Rights and Interests in the Area

Summary

The Pueblo has specific rights and interests in the Area. They can enter and use the Area for traditional and cultural activities, unless those activities conflict with the Wilderness Act as it was on February 20, 2003, or with federal wildlife protection laws. The Area’s national forest and wilderness character must be kept forever under the named sections. The Pueblo gets a say in how the Area is managed: they can agree to or refuse new uses, must be consulted about changes or management, and have dispute resolution rights. The Pueblo alone, following its customs and laws, controls who from the Pueblo and other federally recognized tribes may access the Area for traditional or cultural uses. Other related rights are listed in the cited sections. For uses not covered above, the Secretary still manages access and use. If Congress later passes a law after February 20, 2003 that removes the forest or wilderness protection or blocks Pueblo access in any part, the United States must pay the Pueblo as if the Pueblo owned the affected land and as if the government had taken it by eminent domain. When calculating that payment, certain earlier protection limits are ignored. Any payment does not change claim extinguishment under section 539m–8.