Washita Battlefield National Historic Site Act of 1996

Summary: Washita Battlefield National Historic Site Act of 1996 - Establishes the Washita Battlefield National Historic Site in Oklahoma to provide for the preservation and interpretation of the Battle of the Washita. 
Directs the Secretary of the Interior, acting through the Director of the National Park Service, to consult, and authorizes cooperative agreements with, the Cheyenne-Arapaho Tribe in developing a management plan and public educational programs. 
Authorizes appropriations.

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Washita Battlefield National 
Historic Site Act of 1996''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSES.

    (a) Findings.--The Congress finds that--
            (1) the Battle of the Washita, November 27, 1868, was one 
        of the largest engagements between Plains tribes and the United 
        States Army on the Southern Great Plains. The site is a 
        registered National Historic Landmark;
            (2) Lt. Colonel George A. Custer, leading the 7th United 
        States Calvary, attacked the sleeping Cheyenne village of peace 
        chief Black Kettle. Custer's attack resulted in more than 150 
        Indian casualties, many of them women and children;
            (3) the Battle of the Washita symbolizes the struggle of 
        the Southern Great Plains tribes to maintain their traditional 
        lifeways and not to submit to reservation confinement; and
            (4) the Washita battle site possesses a high degree of 
        integrity and the cultural landscape is essentially intact. The 
        Cheyenne village site has not been altered substantially except 
        by periodic flooding of the Washita River.
    (b) Purposes.--The purposes of this Act are to--
            (1) recognize the importance of the Battle of the Washita 
        as a nationally significant element of frontier military 
        history and as a symbol of the struggles of the Southern Great 
        Plains tribes to maintain control of their traditional use 
        areas; and
            (2) establish the site of the Battle of the Washita as a 
        national historic site and provide opportunities for American 
        Indian groups including the Cheyenne-Arapaho Tribe to be 
        involved in the formulation of plans and educational programs 
        for the national historic site.

SEC. 3. ESTABLISHMENT.

    (a) In General.--In order to provide for the preservation and 
interpretation of the Battle of the Washita, there is hereby 
established the Washita Battlefield National Historic Site in the State 
of Oklahoma (hereafter in this Act referred to as the ``national 
historic site'').
    (b) Boundary.--
            (1) In general.--The national historic site shall consist 
        of--
                    (A) approximately 326 acres, as generally depicted 
                on the map entitled ``Washita Battlefield National 
                Historic Site'', numbered 20,000A and dated 12/95; and
                    (B) the private lands subject to conservation 
                easements referred to in section 5(b).
            (2) Map.--The map referred to in paragraph (1) shall be on 
        file in the offices of the Director of the National Park 
        Service, Department of the Interior, and other appropriate 
        offices of the National Park Service. The Secretary of the 
        Interior (hereafter in this Act referred to as the 
        ``Secretary'') may, from time to time, make minor revisions in 
        the boundary of the national historic site in accordance with 
        section 7(c) of the Land and Water Conservation Act of 1965 (16 
        U.S.C. 460l-4 and following).

SEC. 4. ADMINISTRATION.

    (a) In General.--The Secretary, acting through the Director of the 
National Park Service, shall manage the national historic site in 
accordance with this Act and the provisions of law generally applicable 
to units of the National Park System, including ``An Act to establish a 
National Park Service, and for other purposes'', approved August 25, 
1916 (39 Stat. 535; 16 U.S.C. 1, 2-4), and the Act of August 21, 1935 
(49 Stat. 666; 16 U.S.C. 461-467).
    (b) Management Purposes.--The Secretary shall manage the national 
historic site for the following purposes, among others:
            (1) To protect and preserve the national historic site, 
        including the topographic features important to the battle 
        site, artifacts and other physical remains of the battle, and 
        the visual scene as closely as possible as it was at the time 
        of the battle.
            (2) To interpret the cultural and natural resources of the 
        historic site, providing for public understanding and 
        appreciation of the area in such manner as to perpetuate these 
qualities and values for future generations.
    (c) Consultation and Training.--The Secretary, acting through the 
Director of the National Park Service, shall consult regularly with the 
Cheyenne-Arapaho Tribe on the formulation of the management plan 
provisions referred to in section 6(5) and on preparation of 
educational programs provided to the public. The Secretary is 
authorized to enter into cooperative agreements with the Cheyenne-
Arapaho Tribe, its subordinate boards, committees, enterprises, and 
traditional leaders to further the purposes of this Act.

SEC. 5. ACQUISITION OF PROPERTY.

    (a) Park Boundaries.--Within the boundaries of the national 
historic site, the Secretary is authorized to acquire lands and 
interest in lands by donation, purchase with donated or appropriated 
funds, or exchange, except that--
            (1) no lands or interest in lands within the historic site 
        may be acquired without the consent of the owner thereof, and
            (2) lands and interests in lands owned by the State of 
        Oklahoma or any political subdivision thereof may be acquired 
        only by donation.
    (b) Conservation Easements.--The Congress finds that the State of 
Oklahoma, acting through the Oklahoma Historical Society, will work 
with local land owners to acquire and hold in perpetuity conservation 
easements in the vicinity of the national historic site as deemed 
necessary for the visual and interpretive integrity of the site. The 
intent of the easements will be to keep occupancy of the land in 
private ownership and use of the land in general agriculture.

SEC. 6. MANAGEMENT PLAN.

    Within five years after the date funds are made available for 
purposes of this Act, the Secretary, acting through the Director of the 
National Park Service, shall prepare a general management plan for the 
national historic site. The plan shall address, but not be limited to, 
each of the following:
            (1) A resource protection program.
            (2) A visitor use plan including programs and facilities 
        that will be provided for public use, including the location 
        and cost of public facilities.
            (3) A research and curation plan.
            (4) A highway signing program.
            (5) Involvement by the Cheyenne-Arapaho Tribe in the 
        formulation of educational programs for the national historic 
        site.
            (6) Involvement by the State of Oklahoma and other local 
        and national entities willing to share in the responsibilities 
        of developing and supporting the national historic site.

SEC. 7. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this Act 
$5,000,000.