§ 460jj–1 — Land Acquisition

(1) The Secretary is authorized to acquire by donation, purchase with donated or appropriated funds, exchange, or bequest, any lands or lesser interests therein, including mineral interests and scenic easements, which the Secretary determines are needed to establish and manage the Arapaho National Recreation Area. In determining what private property is needed to establish and manage the Arapaho National Recreation Area the Secretary shall utilize the approved county zoning plan to identify those properties whose use or intended use is not in conformance with the overall intent of this subchapter. (2) As used in this section, the term “scenic easement” means the right to control the use of land in order to carry out this subchapter, but shall not preclude the continuation of any use that is compatible with the overall management plan for the Arapaho National Recreation Area developed pursuant to subsection (c) of section 460jj of this title. (b) In exercising the authority conferred by this section to acquire lands, the Secretary shall give prompt and careful consideration to any offer made by an individual owning any land, or interest in land, within the Arapaho National Recreation Area. In considering any such offer, the Secretary shall take into consideration any hardship to the owner which might result from any undue delay in acquiring the property. Purchases made under this authority shall be made on a willing buyer, willing seller basis. (c) In exercising the authority conferred by this section to acquire property by exchange, the Secretary may accept title to any non-Federal land, or interests therein, located within the Arapaho National Recreation Area and the Secretary may convey in exchange therefor any federally owned lands or interests inlands within the State of Colorado which are classified by the Secretary as suitable for exchange and which are under the Secretary’s administrative jurisdiction. The values of any lands or interests in lands so exchanged shall be approximately equal, or if they are not approximately equal, they shall be equalized by the payment of cash to the grantor or to the Secretary so long as payment does not exceed 25 per centum of the total value of the land or interest in land. In utilizing cash equalization in exchanges the Secretary shall try to reduce the amount of the payment of money to as small an amount as possible. In the exercise of his exchange authority, the Secretary may utilize authorities and procedures available to him in making exchanges of national forest lands. (d) Any land or interest in land owned by the State of Colorado or any of its political subdivisions may be acquired only by donation or exchange. (e) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, any Federal lands or interests in lands located within the Arapaho National Recreation Area shall be transferred without consideration to the administrative jurisdiction of the Secretary for use by the Secretary in carrying out this subchapter. Lands within the Arapaho National Recreation Area acquired by the Secretary or transferred to the Secretary’s administrative jurisdiction shall become part of that recreation area and of the national forest within or adjacent to which they are located: Provided, That the operation and facilities of the Colorado Big Thompson project shall remain under the jurisdiction of the United States Bureau of Reclamation.