2000
[DOCID: f:s1718enr.txt]
S.1718
One Hundred Fifth Congress
of the
United States of America
AT THE SECOND SESSION
Begun and held at the City of Washington on Tuesday,
the twenty-seventh day of January, one thousand nine hundred and ninety-
eight
An Act
To amend the Weir Farm National Historic Site Establishment Act of 1990
to authorize the acquisition of additional acreage for the historic site
to permit the development of visitor and administrative facilities and
to authorize the appropriation of additional amounts for the acquisition
of real and personal property, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. WEIR FARM NATIONAL HISTORIC SITE, CONNECTICUT.
(a) Acquisition of Land for Visitor and Administrative
Facilities.--Section 4 of the Weir Farm National Historic Site
Establishment Act of 1990 (16 U.S.C. 461 note; Public Law 101-485; 104
Stat. 1171) is amended by adding at the end the following:
``(d) Acquisition of Land for Visitor and Administrative
Facilities; Limitations.--
``(1) Acquisition.--
``(A) In general.--To preserve and maintain the historic
setting and character of the historic site, the Secretary may
acquire not more than 15 additional acres for the development
of visitor and administrative facilities for the historic site.
``(B) Proximity.--The property acquired under this
subsection shall be contiguous to or in close proximity to the
property described in subsection (b).
``(C) Management.--The acquired property shall be included
within the boundary of the historic site and shall be managed
and maintained as part of the historic site.
``(2) Development.--The Secretary shall keep development of the
property acquired under paragraph (1) to a minimum so that the
character of the acquired property will be similar to the natural
and undeveloped landscape of the property described in subsection
(b).
``(3) Agreements.--Prior to and as a prerequisite to any
development of visitor and administrative facilities on the
property acquired under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall enter
into one or more agreements with the appropriate zoning authority
of the town of Ridgefield, Connecticut, and the town of Wilton,
Connecticut, for the purposes of--
``(A) developing the parking, visitor, and administrative
facilities for the historic site; and
``(B) managing bus traffic to the historic site and
limiting parking for large tour buses to an offsite
location.''.
(b) Increase in Maximum Acquisition Authority.--Section 7 of the
Weir Farm National Historic Site Act of 1990 (16 U.S.C. 461 note;
Public Law 101-485; 104 Stat. 1173) is amended by striking
``$1,500,000'' and inserting ``$4,000,000''.
SEC. 2. ACQUISITION AND MANAGEMENT OF WILCOX RANCH, UTAH, FOR WILDLIFE
HABITAT.
(a) Findings.--Congress finds the following:
(1) The lands within the Wilcox Ranch in eastern Utah are prime
habitat for wild turkeys, eagles, hawks, bears, cougars, elk, deer,
bighorn sheep, and many other important species, and Range Creek
within the Wilcox Ranch could become a blue ribbon trout stream.
(2) These lands also contain a great deal of undisturbed
cultural and archeological resources, including ancient pottery,
arrowheads, and rock homes constructed centuries ago.
(3) These lands, while comprising only approximately 3,800
acres, control access to over 75,000 acres of Federal lands under
the jurisdiction of the Bureau of Land Management.
(4) Acquisition of the Wilcox Ranch would benefit the people of
the United States by preserving and enhancing important wildlife
habitat, ensuring access to lands of the Bureau of Land Management,
and protecting priceless archeological and cultural resources.
(5) These lands, if acquired by the United States, can be
managed by the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources at no additional
expense to the Federal Government.
(b) Acquisition of Lands.--As soon as practicable, after the date
of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of the Interior shall
acquire, through purchase, the Wilcox Ranch located in Emery County, in
eastern Utah.
(c) Funds for Purchase.--The Secretary of the Interior is
authorized to use not more than $5,000,000 from the land and water
conservation fund established under section 2 of the Land and Water
Conservation Fund Act of 1965 (16 U.S.C. 460l-5) for the purchase of
the Wilcox Ranch under subsection (b).
(d) Management of Lands.--Upon payment by the State of Utah of one-
half of the purchase price of the Wilcox Ranch to the United States, or
transfer by the State of Utah of lands of the same such value to the
United States, the Secretary of the Interior shall transfer to the
State of Utah all right, title, and interest of the United States in
and to those Wilcox Ranch lands acquired under subsection (b) for
management by the State Division of Wildlife Resources for wildlife
habitat and public access.
SEC. 3. LAND CONVEYANCE, YAVAPAI COUNTY, ARIZONA.
(a) Conveyance Required.--Notwithstanding any other provision of
law, the Secretary of the Interior shall convey, without consideration
and for educational related purposes, to Embry-Riddle Aeronautical
University, Florida, a nonprofit corporation authorized to do business
in the State of Arizona, all right, title, and interest of the United
States, if any, to a parcel of real property consisting of
approximately 16 acres in Yavapai County, Arizona, which is more fully
described as the parcel lying east of the east right-of-way boundary of
the Willow Creek Road in the southwest one-quarter of the southwest
one-quarter (SW\1/4\SW\1/4\) of section 2, township 14 north, range 2
west, Gila and Salt River meridian.
(b) Terms of Conveyance.--Subject to the limitation that the land
to be conveyed is to be used only for educational related purposes, the
conveyance under subsection (a) is to be made without any other
conditions, limitations, reservations, restrictions, or terms by the
United States. If the Secretary of the Interior determines that the
conveyed lands are not being used for educational related purposes, at
the option of the United States, the lands shall revert to the United
States.
SEC. 4. LAND EXCHANGE, EL PORTAL ADMINISTRATIVE SITE, CALIFORNIA.
(a) Authorization of Exchange.--If the non-Federal lands described
in subsection (b) are conveyed to the United States in accordance with
this section, the Secretary of the Interior shall convey to the party
conveying the non-Federal lands all right, title, and interest of the
United States in and to a parcel of land consisting of approximately 8
acres administered by the Department of Interior as part of the El
Portal Administrative Site in the State of California, as generally
depicted on the map entitled ``El Portal Administrative Site Land
Exchange'', dated June 1998.
(b) Receipt of Non-Federal Lands.--The parcel of non-Federal lands
referred to in subsection (a) consists of approximately 8 acres, known
as the Yosemite View parcel, which is located adjacent to the El Portal
Administrative Site, as generally depicted on the map referred to in
subsection (a). Title to the non-Federal lands must be acceptable to
the Secretary of the Interior, and the conveyance shall be subject to
such valid existing rights of record as may be acceptable to the
Secretary. The parcel shall conform with the title approval standards
applicable to Federal land acquisitions.
(c) Equalization of Values.--If the value of the Federal land and
non-Federal lands to be exchanged under this secti
5c6
on are not equal in
value, the difference in value shall be equalized through a cash
payment or the provision of goods or services as agreed upon by the
Secretary and the party conveying the non-Federal lands.
(d) Applicability of Other Laws.--Except as otherwise provided in
this section, the Secretary of the Interior shall process the land
exchange authorized by this section in the manner provided in part 2200
of title 43, Code of Federal Regulations, as in effect on the date of
the enactment of this subtitle.
(e) Boundary Adjustment.--Upon completion of the land exchange, the
Secretary shall adjust the boundaries of the El Portal Administrative
Site as necessary to reflect the exchange. Lands acquired by the
Secretary under this section shall be administered as part of the El
Portal Administrative Site.
(f) Map.--The map referred to in subsection (a) shall be on file
and available for inspection in appropriate offices of the Department
of the Interior.
(g) Additional Terms and Conditions.--The Secretary of the Interior
may require such additional terms and conditions in connection with the
land exchange under this section as the Secretary considers appropriate
to protect the interests of the United States.
Speaker of the House of Representatives.
Vice President of the United States and
President of the Senate.
0