§1615 — Title 43 Public Lands | U.S. Code

Summary

The government removes all public land in any township that holds part of these Southeast Alaska Native villages — Angoon, Craig, Hoonah, Hydaburg, Kake, Kasaan, Klawock, Saxman, and Yakutat — and in townships that touch them, except land kept for national defense. Those lands cannot be claimed or picked under the federal public land laws, including mining and mineral leases, or chosen under the Alaska Statehood Act. Each Village Corporation for those villages must pick 23,040 acres within three years after December 18, 1971. Their chosen land must include the township with the village, may use nearby townships if needed, be in one connected, fairly compact block (unless water separates parts), and follow the U.S. land survey system as closely as possible. Money paid under the Act of July 9, 1968 (82 Stat. 307) to satisfy Court of Claims judgment number 47,900, and paid out under the Act of July 13, 1970 (84 Stat. 431), counts instead of giving extra acreage to the qualified villages in section 1610. For Klukwan, the Secretary must set aside 70,000 acres so the Klukwan Village Corporation can choose 23,040 acres and get the same benefits as other villages. That set-aside land must be in southeastern Alaska and, as much as possible, similar to the Chilkat Valley. The withdrawal must happen within six months of October 4, 1976, and Klukwan must select and receive its 23,040 acres within one year after the withdrawal. The land chosen for Klukwan cannot already be claimed by another Native corporation or be on Admiralty Island. The Klukwan rules only take effect if the Klukwan Village Corporation gives up its reservation land rights under the Act of September 2, 1957 (71 Stat. 596) to the Chilkat Indian Village, and if the U.S. and Klukwan give up any income from those reservation lands received after December 18, 1971 and before January 2, 1976. Withdrawals will not be taken from existing forest reserves without first consulting the Secretary of Agriculture, and nothing here reduces any Regional Corporation land rights under section 1613(h)(8).

Title 43, §1615

Public Lands — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)All public lands in each township that encloses all or any part of a Native village listed below, and in each township that is contiguous to or corners on such township, except lands withdrawn or reserved for national defense purposes, are hereby withdrawn, subject to valid existing rights, from all forms of appropriation under the public land laws, including the mining and mineral leasing laws, and from selection under the Alaska Statehood Act, as amended: Angoon, Southeast. Craig, Southeast. Hoonah, Southeast. Hydaburg, Southeast. Kake, Southeast. Kasaan, Southeast. Klawock, Southeast. Saxman, Southeast. Yakutat, Southeast.

(b)During a period of three years from December 18, 1971, each Village Corporation for the villages listed in subsection (a) shall select, in accordance with rules established by the Secretary, an area equal to 23,040 acres, which must include the township or townships in which all or part of the Native village is located, plus, to the extent necessary, withdrawn lands from the townships that are contiguous to or corner on such townships. All selections shall be contiguous and in reasonably compact tracts, except as separated by bodies of water, and shall conform as nearly as practicable to the United States Lands Survey System.

(c)The funds appropriated by the Act of July 9, 1968 (82 Stat. 307), to pay the judgment of the Court of Claims in the case of The Tlingit and Haida Indians of Alaska, et al. against The United States, numbered 47,900, and distributed to the Tlingit and Haida Indians pursuant to the Act of July 13, 1970 (84 Stat. 431), are in lieu of the additional acreage to be conveyed to qualified villages listed in section 1610 of this title.

(d)(1)The Secretary is authorized and directed to withdraw seventy thousand acres of public lands, as defined in section 1602 of this title, in order that the Village Corporation for the village of Klukwan may select twenty-three thousand and forty acres of land. Such Corporation and the shareholders thereof shall otherwise participate fully in the benefits provided by this chapter to the same extent as they would have participated had they not elected to acquire title to their former reserve as provided by section 1618(b) of this title: Provided, That nothing in this subsection shall affect the existing entitlement of any Regional Corporation to lands pursuant to section 1613(h)(8) of this title: Provided further, That no such lands shall be withdrawn from an area previously withdrawn as a forest reserve without prior consultation with the Secretary of Agriculture: Provided further, That the foregoing provisions of this subsection shall not become effective unless and until the Village Corporation for the village of Klukwan shall quitclaim to Chilkat Indian Village, organized under the provisions of the Act of June 18, 1934 (48 Stat. 984), as amended by the Act of May 1, 1936 (49 Stat. 1250),11 See References in Text note below. all its right, title, and interest in the lands of the reservation defined in and vested by the Act of September 2, 1957 (71 Stat. 596), which lands are hereby conveyed and confirmed to said Chilkat Indian Village in fee simple absolute, free of trust and all restrictions upon alienation, encumbrance, or otherwise: Provided further, That the United States and the Village Corporation for the village of Klukwan shall also quitclaim to said Chilkat Indian Village any right or interest they may have in and to income derived from the reservation lands defined in and vested by the Act of September 2, 1957, after December 18, 1971, and prior to January 2, 1976.

(2)The lands withdrawn by the Secretary pursuant to paragraph (1) of this subsection shall be located in the southeastern Alaska region and shall be of similar character and comparable value, to the extent possible, to those of the Chilkat Valley surrounding the village of Klukwan. Such withdrawal shall be made within six months of October 4, 1976, and the Village Corporation for the village of Klukwan shall select, within one year from the time that the withdrawal is made, and be conveyed, twenty-three thousand and forty acres. None of the lands withdrawn by the Secretary for selection by the Village Corporation for the village of Klukwan shall have been selected by, or be subject to an outstanding nomination for selection by, any other Native Corporation organized pursuant to this chapter, or located on Admiralty Island.

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

References in Text

The Alaska Statehood Act, as amended, referred to in subsec. (a), is Pub. L. 85–508,

July 7, 1958, 72 Stat. 239, which is set out as a note preceding section 21 of Title 48, Territories and Insular Possessions. For complete classification of this Act to the Code, see Tables. Act of

July 9, 1968 (82 Stat. 307), referred to in subsec. (c), is Pub. L. 90–392,

July 9, 1968, 82 Stat. 307, known as the Second Supplemental Appropriation Act, 1968, which is not classified to the Code. The United States Court of Claims, referred to in subsec. (c), and the United States Court of Customs and Patent Appeals were merged effective Oct. 1, 1982, into a new United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit by Pub. L. 97–164, Apr. 2, 1982, 96 Stat. 25, which also created a United States Claims Court [now United States Court of Federal Claims] that inherited the trial jurisdiction of the Court of Claims. See section 48, 171 et seq., 791 et seq., and 1491 et seq. of Title 28, Judiciary and Judicial Procedure. Act of

July 13, 1970 (84 Stat. 431), referred to in subsec. (c), is Pub. L. 91–335,

July 13, 1970, 84 Stat. 431, which was classified to section 1211 of Title 25, Indians, prior to omission from the Code as being of special and not general application. Act of

June 18, 1934, referred to in subsec. (d)(1), is act

June 18, 1934, ch. 576, 48 Stat. 984, popularly known as the Indian Reorganization Act, which is classified generally to chapter 45 (§ 5101 et seq.) of Title 25, Indians. Act of

June 18, 1934, is not amended by the act of

May 1, 1936. However, section 1 of act

May 1, 1936, ch. 254, 49 Stat. 1250, relates to applicability of certain provisions of act

June 18, 1934, to the Territory of Alaska, and is classified to section 5119 of Title 25. For complete classification of Act

June 18, 1934, to the Code, see

Short Title

note set out under section 5101 of Title 25 and Tables. For complete classification of Act

May 1, 1936, to the Code, see Tables. Act of

September 2, 1957, referred to in subsec. (d)(1), is Pub. L. 85–271, Sept. 2, 1957, 71 Stat. 596, which is not classified to the Code.

Amendments

1977—Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 95–178 struck out provisions relating to allocations received by the Regional Corporation for the southeastern Alaska region under section 1613(h)(8) of this title and selection and conveyance of such allocated lands. 1976—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 94–456, § 1(a), struck out “Klukwan, Southeast.” from list of villages. Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 94–204, § 10, inserted provisions relating to the selection and conveyance of such allocation as the Regional Corporation for the southeastern Alaska region shall receive. Subsec. (d). Pub. L. 94–456, § 1(b), designated existing provisions as par. (1), substituting provision relating to authorization and direction of Secretary to withdraw lands in order that the Village Corporation may select twenty-three thousand and forty acres for provision that the lands enclosing and surrounding the village which were withdrawn by subsec. (a) are rewithdrawn to the same extent and for the same purposes as provided by said subsec. (a) for one year from January 2, 1976, during which the Village Corporation shall select an area equal to twenty-three thousand and forty acres in accordance with subsec. (b) and inserting proviso against withdrawal of such lands from an area previously withdrawn as a forest reserve without prior consultation with the Secretary of Agriculture, and added par. (2). Pub. L. 94–204, § 9, added subsec. (d).

§1615 Withdrawal and Selection of Public Lands; Funds in Lieu of Acreage