Title 16, ConservationRelease 119-110

§8443 Monitoring for Improved Recreation Decision Making

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 › § 8443

Last updated Sep 22, 2026|Official source

Summary

Collect detailed recreation-use data so agency leaders can make better decisions. No later than 1 year after January 4, 2025, and after announcing the plans and taking public comments, the Secretaries must start pilot monitoring at at least 10 management units each. The pilots will model how people use recreation areas, including low-use and spread-out activities that current surveys might miss. "Secretaries" means: the Secretary for lands they manage; the Secretary of Agriculture, through the Forest Service Chief, for Forest Service lands; the Secretary of Commerce, through the NOAA Administrator, for federal waters NOAA manages; and the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works for Army Corps lakes and reservoirs.

Full Legal Text

Title 16, §8443

Conservation, Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)In general

The Secretaries shall seek to capture comprehensive recreation use data to better understand and inform decision making by the Secretaries.

(b)Pilot protocols

Not later than 1 year after January 4, 2025, and after public notice and comment, the Secretaries shall establish pilot protocols at not fewer than 10 land management units under the jurisdiction of each of the Secretaries to model recreation use patterns (including low-use recreation activities and dispersed recreation activities) that may not be effectively measured by existing general and opportunistic survey and monitoring protocols.

(c)Secretaries defined

In this section, the term “Secretaries” means—

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

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

(3)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

(4)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. § 8443

Title 16, Conservation

Last Updated

Sep 22, 2026

Release point: 119-110