Title 16, ConservationRelease 119-110

§8442 Improved Recreation Visitation Data

Title 16 › CHAPTER 103 — EXPANDING PUBLIC LANDS OUTDOOR RECREATION EXPERIENCES › SUBCHAPTER I — OUTDOOR RECREATION AND INFRASTRUCTURE › Part C — Supporting Gateway Communities and Addressing Park Overcrowding › § 8442

Last updated Sep 22, 2026|Official source

Summary

Create one nationwide system that gives accurate annual visitor counts for every unit of Federal recreational lands and waters and for tribal trust lands if a tribe asks. The system must put visits into several activity categories and give an estimate of how many people use each category at each site. Within 5 years after January 4, 2025, the agencies must run a Real-Time Data Pilot Program to share public real-time or predictive visitor data (including available non-government sources) for chosen sites, nearby areas when possible, and nearby recreation sites run by other agencies when possible. The pilot must also share information about lesser-known nearby sites to spread out visitors. At first, the pilot must include 10 units managed by the Secretary, 5 units managed by the Secretary of Agriculture (Forest Service), 1 unit managed by the Secretary of Commerce (NOAA), and 1 unit managed by the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works. A report to Congress about the pilot is due not later than 6 years after January 4, 2025. Agencies must get local community feedback and only pick sites whose nearby communities agree. They may partner with local groups, tribes, state and local offices, tourism groups, tech and data companies, and experts, and may use existing programs and past data. They must not track individual visitors, read private communications, or collect information from adjacent landowners or non‑Federal land. Finally, not later than 1 year after January 4, 2025, and every year after, the agencies must publish on their website annual visitation reports for each site, with activity-based counts when possible. Definitions: “Federal recreational lands and waters” means the Federal recreation places defined in law and includes sites run by NOAA and the Army Corps of Engineers. “Secretaries” means the officials responsible for those lands (the Secretary, the Secretary of Agriculture through the Forest Service Chief, the Secretary of Commerce through NOAA, and the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works).

Full Legal Text

Title 16, §8442

Conservation, Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)Consistent visitation data

(1)Annual visitation data

The Secretaries shall establish a single visitation data reporting system to report accurate annual visitation data, in a consistent manner, for— (A)

(B)land held in trust for an Indian Tribe, on request of the Indian Tribe.

(2)Categories of use

Within the visitation data reporting system established under paragraph (1), the Secretaries shall—

(A)establish multiple categories of different recreation activities that are reported consistently across agencies; and

(B)provide an estimate of the number of visitors for each applicable category established under subparagraph (A) for each unit of Federal recreational lands and waters.

(b)Real-Time Data Pilot Program

(1)In general

Not later than 5 years after January 4, 2025, using existing funds available to the Secretaries, the Secretaries shall carry out a pilot program, to be known as the “Real-Time Data Pilot Program” (referred to in this section as the “Pilot Program”), to make available to the public, for each unit of Federal recreational lands and waters selected for participation in the Pilot Program under paragraph (2)—

(A)real-time or predictive data on visitation (including data and resources publicly available from existing nongovernmental platforms) at—

(i)the unit of Federal recreational lands and waters;

(ii)to the extent practicable, areas within the unit of Federal recreational lands and waters; and

(iii)to the extent practicable, recreation sites managed by any other Federal agency, a State agency, or a local agency that are located near the unit of Federal recreational lands and waters; and

(B)through multiple media platforms, information about lesser-known recreation sites located near the unit of Federal recreational lands and waters (including recreation sites managed by any other Federal agency, a State agency, or a local agency), in an effort to encourage visitation among recreational sites.

(2)Locations

(A)Initial number of units

On establishment of the Pilot Program, the Secretaries shall select for participation in the Pilot Program—

(i)10 units of Federal recreational lands and waters managed by the Secretary;

(ii)5 units of Federal recreational lands and waters managed by the Secretary of Agriculture (acting through the Chief of the Forest Service);

(iii)1 unit of Federal recreational lands and waters managed by the Secretary of Commerce (acting through the Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration); and

(iv)1 unit of Federal recreational lands and waters managed by the Assistant Secretary of Army for Civil Works.

(B)Report

Not later than 6 years after January 4, 2025, the Secretaries shall submit a report to Congress regarding the implementation of the pilot program, including policy recommendations to expand the pilot program to additional units managed by the Secretaries.

(C)Feedback; support of gateway communities

The Secretaries shall—

(i)solicit feedback regarding participation in the Pilot Program from communities adjacent to units of Federal recreational lands and waters and the public; and

(ii)in carrying out subparagraphs (A) and (B), select a unit of Federal recreation lands and waters to participate in the Pilot Program only if the community adjacent to the unit of Federal recreational lands and waters is supportive of the participation of the unit of Federal recreational lands and waters in the Pilot Program.

(3)Dissemination of information

The Secretaries may disseminate the information described in paragraph (1) directly or through an entity or organization referred to in subsection (c).

(4)Inclusion of current assessments

In carrying out the Pilot Program, the Secretaries may, to the extent practicable, rely on assessments completed or data gathered prior to January 4, 2025.

(c)Community partners and third-party providers

For purposes of carrying out this section, the Secretary concerned may—

(1)coordinate and partner with—

(A)communities adjacent to units of Federal recreational lands and waters;

(B)State and local outdoor recreation and tourism offices;

(C)local governments;

(D)Indian Tribes;

(E)trade associations;

(F)local outdoor recreation marketing organizations;

(G)permitted facilitated recreation providers; or

(H)other relevant stakeholders; and

(2)coordinate or enter into agreements, as appropriate, with private sector and nonprofit partners, including—

(A)technology companies;

(B)geospatial data companies;

(C)experts in data science, analytics, and operations research; or

(D)data companies.

(d)Existing programs

The Secretaries may use existing programs or products of the Secretaries to carry out this section.

(e)Privacy clauses

Nothing in this section provides authority to the Secretaries—

(1)to monitor or record the movements of a visitor to a unit of Federal recreational lands and waters;

(2)to restrict, interfere with, or monitor a private communication of a visitor to a unit of Federal recreational lands and waters; or

(3)to collect—

(A)information from owners of land adjacent to a unit of Federal recreational lands and waters; or

(B)information on non-Federal land.

(f)Reports

Not later than 1 year after January 4, 2025, and annually thereafter, the Secretaries shall publish on a website of the Secretaries a report that describes the annual visitation of each unit of Federal recreational lands and waters, including, to the maximum extent practicable, visitation categorized by recreational activity.

(g)Definitions

In this section

(1) Federal recreational lands and waters

(2)Secretaries

The term “Secretaries” means—

(A)the Secretary, with respect to lands under the jurisdiction of the Secretary;

(B)the Secretary of Agriculture, acting through the Chief of the Forest Service, with respect to lands under the jurisdiction of the Forest Service;

(C)the Secretary of Commerce, acting through the Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, with respect to Federal waters under the jurisdiction of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration; and

(D)the Assistant Secretary of Army for Civil Works, with respect to lakes and reservoirs under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

16 U.S.C. § 8442

Title 16, Conservation

Last Updated

Sep 22, 2026

Release point: 119-110