Title 16 — ConservationRelease 119-73not60
§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
Summary
Require the Secretaries to collect recreation-use data. Within 1 year after January 4, 2025, and after public notice and comment, they must test monitoring at least 10 units each to model visitor patterns, including low-use and dispersed activities current surveys miss. 'Secretaries' = Interior; Agriculture/Forest Service; Commerce/NOAA; Army Civil Works.
Full Legal Text
Title 16, §8443
Conservation — Source: USLM XML via OLRC
(a)The Secretaries shall seek to capture comprehensive recreation use data to better understand and inform decision making by the Secretaries.
(b)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)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
Apr 5, 2026
Release point: 119-73not60