Title 43—Public Lands: Interior--Volume 1
PART 2650—ALASKA NATIVE SELECTIONS
§ 2650.0-1   Purpose.
The purpose of the regulations in this part is to provide procedures for orderly and timely implementation of those provisions of the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act of December 18, 1971 (43 U.S.C. 1601) which pertain to selections of lands and interests in lands in satisfaction of the land selections conferred by said Act upon Alaska Natives and Alaska Native corporations.
§ 2650.0-2   Objectives.
The program of the Secretary is to implement such provisions in keeping with the congressional declaration of policy that the settlement of the Natives' aboriginal land claims be fair and just and that it be accomplished rapidly, with certainty, in conformity with the real economic and social needs of Natives, without litigation and with maximum participation by Natives in decisions affecting their rights and property.
§ 2650.0-3   Authority.
Section 25 of the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act of December 18, 1971, authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to issue and publish in the Federal Register, pursuant to the Administrative Procedure Act (5 U.S.C. 551, et seq. ), such regulations as may be necessary to carry out the purposes of the act.
§ 2650.0-5   Definitions.
(a) Act means the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act of December 18, 1971 (43 U.S.C. 1601) and any amendments thereto.
(b) Secretary means the Secretary of the Interior or his authorized delegate.
(c) Native means a Native as defined in section 3(b) of the Act.
(d) Native village means any tribe, band, clan, group, village, community, or association in Alaska, as defined in section 3(c) of the Act.
(e) Village corporation means a profit or nonprofit Alaska Native village corporation which is eligible under § 2651.2 of this chapter to select land and receive benefits under the act, and is organized under the laws of the State of Alaska in accordance with the provisions of section 8 of the Act.
(f) Regional corporation means an Alaska Native regional corporation organized under the laws of the State of Alaska in accordance with the provisions of section 7 of the Act.
(g) Public lands means all Federal lands and interests in lands located in Alaska (including the beds of all non-navigable bodies of water), except:
(1) The smallest practicable tract, as determined by the Secretary, enclosing land actually used, but not necessarily having improvements thereon, in connection with the administration of a Federal installation; and,
(2) Land selections of the State of Alaska which have been patented or tentatively approved under section 6(g) of the Alaska Statehood Act, as amended (72 Stat. 341; 77 Stat. 223; 48 U.S.C. Ch. 2), or identified for selection by the State prior to January 17, 1969, except as provided in § 2651.4(a)(1) of this chapter.
(h) Interim conveyance as used in these regulations means the conveyance granting to the recipient legal title to unsurveyed lands, and containing all the reservations for easements, rights-of-way, or other interests in land, provided by the act or imposed on the land by applicable law, subject only to confirmation of the boundary descriptions after approval of the survey of the conveyed land.
(i) Patent as used in these regulations means the original conveyance granting legal title to the recipient to surveyed lands, and containing all the reservations for easements, rights-of-way, or other interests in land, provided by the act or imposed on the land by applicable law; or the document issued after approval of the survey by the Bureau of Land Management, to confirm the boundary description of the unsurveyed conveyed lands.
(j) Conveyance as used in these regulations means the transfer of title pursuant to the provisions of the act whether by interim conveyance or patent, whichever occurs first.
(k) National Wildlife Refuge System means all lands, waters, and interests therein administered on December 18, 1971, by the Secretary as wildlife refuges, areas for the protection and conservation of fish and wildlife that are threatened with extinction, wildlife ranges, game ranges, wildlife management areas, or waterfowl production areas, as provided in the Act of October 15, 1966, 80 Stat. 927, as amended by the Act of July 18, 1968, 82 Stat. 359 (16 U.S.C. 668dd).
(l) Protraction diagram means the approved diagram of the Bureau of Land Management mathematical plan for extending the public land surveys and does not constitute an official Bureau of Land Management survey, and, in the absence of an approved diagram of the Bureau of Land Management, includes the State of Alaska protraction diagrams which have been authenticated by the Bureau of Land Management.
(m) Date of filing shall be the date of postmark, except when there is no postmark, in which case it shall be the date of receipt in the proper office.
(n) LUPC means the Joint Federal-State Land Use Planning Commission for Alaska.
(o) Major waterway means any river, stream, or lake which has significant use in its liquid state by watercraft for access to publicly owned lands or between communities. Significant use means more than casual, sporadic or incidental use by watercraft, including floatplanes, but does not include use of the waterbody in its frozen state by snowmobiles, dogsleds or skiplanes. Designation of a river or stream as a major waterway may be limited to a specific segment of the particular waterbody.
(p) Present existing use means use by either the general public which includes both Natives and non-Natives alike or by a Federal, State, or municipal corporation entity on or before December 18, 1976, or the date of selection, whichever is later. Past use which has long been abandoned shall not be considered present existing use.
(q) Public easement means any easement reserved by authority of section 17(b) of the Act and under the criteria set forth in these regulations. It includes easements for use by the general public and easements for use by a specific governmental agency. Public easements may be reserved for transportation, communication and utility purposes, for air, light or visibility purposes, or for guaranteeing international treaty obligations.
(r) Publicly owned lands means all Federal, State, or municipal corporation (including borough) lands or interests therein in Alaska, including public lands as defined herein, and submerged lands as defined by the Submerged Lands Act, 43 U.S.C. 1301, et seq.
(s) Director means the Director, Bureau of Land Management.
(t) Isolated tract means a tract of one or more contiguous parcels of publicly owned lands completely surrounded by lands held in nonpublic ownership or so effectively separated from other publicly owned lands as to make its use impracticable without a public easement for access.
(u) State means the State of Alaska.
(v) Native corporation means any Regional Corporation, any Village Corporation, Urban Corporation and any Native Group.
§ 2650.0-7   References.
(a) Native enrollment procedures are contained in 25 CFR part 43h. 1
1 At 47 FR 13327, Mar. 30, 1982, part 43h of Title 25 was redesignated as part 69.
(b) Withdrawal procedures are contained in part 2300 of this chapter.
(c) Application procedures are contained in subpart 1821 of this chapter.
(d) Appeals procedures are contained in 43 CFR part 4, subpart E.
(e) Mineral patent application procedures are contained in part 3860 of this chapter.
§ 2650.0-8   Waiver.
The Secretary may, in his discretion, waive any nonstatutory requirement of these regulations. When the rights of third parties will not be impaired, and when rapid, certain settlement of the claims of Natives will be assisted, minor procedural and technical errors should be waived.
§ 2650.1   Provisions for interim administration.
(a)(1) Prior to any conveyance under the Act, all public lands withdrawn pursuant to sections 11, 14, and 16, or covered by section 19 of the Act, shall be administered under applicable laws and regulations by the Secretary of the Interior, or by the Secretary of Agriculture in the case of national forest lands, as provided by section 22(i) of the Act. The authority of the Secretary of the Interior and of the Secretary of Agriculture to make contracts and to issue leases, permits, rights-of-way, or easements is not impaired by the withdrawals.
(2)(i) Prior to the Secretary's making contracts or issuing leases, permits, rights-of-way, or easements, the views of the concerned regions or villages shall be obtained and considered, except as provided in paragraph (a)(2)(ii) of this section.
(ii) Prior to making contracts, or issuing leases, permits, rights-of-way, or easements on lands subject to election pursuant to section 19(b) of the Act, the Secretary shall obtain the consent of the representatives of the Natives living on those lands.
(b) As provided in section 17(d)(3) of the Act, any lands withdrawn pursuant to section 17(d) shall be subject to administration by the Secretary under applicable laws and regulations and his authority to make contracts, and to issue leases, permits, rights-of-way, or easements shall not be impaired by the withdrawal. To the extent that any such land is also subject to the provisions of paragraph (a) of this section, the provisions of that subsection shall govern.
(c) As provided in section 21(e) of the Act, so long as there are no substantial revenues from real property interests conveyed pursuant to this Act and the lands are not subject to State and local real property taxes, such lands shall continue to receive forest fire protection services from the United States at no cost. The Secretary will promulgate criteria, after consultation with the concerned Native corporations and the State of Alaska, for determining when substantial revenues are accruing as to lands for which forest fire protection services are furnished by the Department of the Interior and no discontinuance of such service will be ordered by the Secretary unless he finds, after notice and opportunity for submission of views, that such discontinuance is in conformity with the criteria.
§ 2650.2   Application procedures for land selections.
(a) Applications for land selections must be filed on forms approved by the Director, Bureau of Land Management. Applications must be filed in accordance with subpart 1821 of this chapter.
(b) Each regional corporation shall submit with its initial application under this section a copy of the resolution authorizing the individual filing the application to do so.
(c) Each village corporation under subpart 2651 of this chapter must submit with its initial application under this section a certificate of incorporation, evidence of approval of its articles of incorporation by the regional corporation for that region, and a copy of the authorization of the individual filing the application to do so.
(d)(1) Regional and village corporations authorized by the act subsequently filing additional or amendatory applications need only refer to the serial number of the initial filing.
(2) Any change of the officer authorized to act for any corporation in the matter of land selections should be promptly submitted to the appropriate office of the Bureau of Land Management.
(e)(1) If the lands applied for are surveyed, the legal description of the lands in accordance with the official plats of survey shall be used.
(2) If the lands applied for are unsurveyed, they shall be described by protraction diagrams.
(3) If the lands applied for are not surveyed and are not covered by protraction diagrams, they must be described by metes and bounds commencing at a readily identifiable topographic feature, such as a mountain peak, mouth of a stream, etc., or a monumented point of known position, such as a triangulation station, and the description must be accompanied by a topographic map delineating the boundary of the area applied for.
(4) Where 1:63,360 U.S.G.S. quadrangle maps with the protraction diagram plotted thereon have been published, these maps shall be used to portray and describe the lands applied for. Where 1:63,360 U.S.G.S. quadrangle maps with the protraction diagram plotted thereon have not been published, then the 1:250,000 U.S.G.S. quadrangle maps with the protraction diagrams plotted thereon shall be used.
(5) If the written description shown on the application and the map portrayal accompanying the application do not agree the delineation shown on the map shall be controlling.
(f) The selected areas may be adjusted by the Secretary with the consent of the applicant and amendment of the application by the applicant, provided that the adjustment will not create an excess over the selection entitlement.
§ 2650.3   Lawful entries, lawful settlements, and mining claims.
§ 2650.3-1   Lawful entries and lawful settlements.
(a) Pursuant to sections 14(g) and 22(b) of the Act, all conveyances issued under the act shall exclude any lawful entries or entries which have been perfected under, or are being maintained in compliance with, laws leading to the acquisition of title, but shall include land subject to valid existing rights of a temporary or limited nature such as those created by leases (including leases issued under section 6(g) of the Alaska Statehood Act), contracts, permits, rights-of-way, or easements.
(b) The right of use and occupancy of persons who initiated lawful settlement or entry of land, prior to August 31, 1971, is protected: Provided, That:
(1) Occupancy has been or is being maintained in accordance with the appropriate public land law, and
(2) Settlement or entry was not in violation of Public Land Order 4582, as amended. Any person who entered or settled upon land in violation of that public land order has gained no rights.
(c) In the event land excluded from conveyance under paragraph (a) of this section reverts to the United States, the grantee or his successor in interest shall be afforded an opportunity to acquire such land by exchange pursuant to section 22(f) of the Act.
§ 2650.3-2   Mining claims.
(a) Possessory rights. Pursuant to section 22(c) of the Act, on any lands to be conveyed to village or regional corporations, any person who prior to August 31, 1971, initiated a valid mining claim or location, including millsites, under the general mining laws and recorded notice thereof with the appropriate State or local office, shall not be challenged by the United States as to his possessory rights, if all requirements of the general mining laws are met. However, the validity of any unpatented mining claim may be contested by the United States, the grantee of the United States or its successor in interest, or by any person who may initiate a private contest. Contest proceedings and appeals therefrom shall be to the Interior Board of Land Appeals.
(b) Patent requirements met. An acceptable mineral patent application must be filed with the appropriate Bureau of Land Management office not later than December 18, 1976, on lands conveyed to village or regional corporations.
(1) Upon a showing that a mineral survey cannot be completed by December 18, 1976, the filing of an application for a mineral survey, which states on its face that it was filed for the purpose of proceeding to patent, will constitute an acceptable mineral patent application, provided all applicable requirements under the general mining laws have been met.
(2) The failure of an applicant to prosecute diligently his application for mineral patent to completion will result in the loss of benefits afforded by section 22(c) of the Act.
(3) The appropriate office of the Bureau of Land Management shall give notice of the filing of an application under this section to the village or regional corporation which has selection rights in the land covered by the application.
(c) Patent requirements not met. Any mineral patent application filed after December 18, 1976, on land conveyed to any village or regional corporation pursuant to this Act, will be rejected for lack of departmental jurisdiction. After that date, patent applications may continue to be filed on land not conveyed to village or regional corporations until such land is conveyed.
§ 2650.4   Conveyance reservations.
§ 2650.4-1   Existing rights and contracts.
Any conveyance issued for surface and subsurface rights under this act will be subject to any lease, contract, permit, right-of-way, or easement and the rights of the lessee, contractee, permittee, or grantee to the complete enjoyment of all rights, privileges, and benefits thereby granted him.
§ 2650.4-2   Succession of interest.
Upon issuance of any conveyance under this authority, the grantee thereunder shall succeed and become entitled to any and all interests of the State of Alaska or of the United States as lessor, contractor, permitter, or grantor, in any such lease, contract, permit, right-of-way, or easement covering the estate conveyed, subject to the provisions of section 14(g) of the Act.
§ 2650.4-3   Administration.
Leases, contracts, permits, rights-of-way, or easements granted prior to the issuance of any conveyance under this authority shall continue to be administered by the State of Alaska or by the United States after the conveyance has been issued, unless the responsible agency waives administration. Where the responsible agency is an agency of the Department of the Interior, administration shall be waived when the conveyance covers all the land embraced within a lease, contract, permit, right-of-way, or easement, unless there is a finding by the Secretary that the interest of the United States requires continuation of the administration by the United States. In the latter event, the Secretary shall not renegotiate or modify any lease, contract, right-of-way or easement, or waive any right or benefit belonging to the grantee until he has notified the grantee and allowed him an opportunity to present his views.
§ 2650.4-4   Revenues. [Reserved]
§ 2650.4-5   National forest lands.
Every conveyance which includes lands within the boundaries of a national forest shall, as to such lands, contain reservations that:
(a) Until December 18, 1976, the sale of any timber from the land is subject to the same restrictions relating to the export of timber from the United States as are applicable to national forest lands in Alaska under rules and regulations of the Secretary of Agriculture; and,
(b) Until December 18, 1983, the land shall be managed under the principles of sustained yield and under management practices for protection and enhancement of environmental quality no less stringent than such management practices on adjacent national forest lands.
§ 2650.4-6   National wildlife refuge system lands.
(a) Every conveyance which includes lands within the national wildlife refuge system shall, as to such lands, provide that the United States has the right of first refusal so long as such lands remain within the system. The right of first refusal shall be for a period of 120 days from the date of notice to the United States that the owner of the land has received a bona fide offer of purchase. The United States shall exercise such right of first refusal by written notice to the village corporation within such 120-day period. The United States shall not be deemed to have exercised its right of first refusal if the village corporation does not consummate the sale in accordance with the notice to the United States.
(b) Every conveyance which covers lands lying within the boundaries of a national wildlife refuge in existence on December 18, 1971, shall provide that the lands shall remain subject to the laws and regulations governing use and development of such refuge so long as such lands remain in the refuge. Regulations governing use and development of refuge lands conveyed pursuant to section 14 shall permit such uses that will not materially impair the values for which the refuge was established.
§ 2650.4-7   Public easements.
(a) General requirements. (1) Only public easements which are reasonably necessary to guarantee access to publicly owned lands or major waterways and the other public uses which are contained in these regulations, or to guarantee international treaty obligations shall be reserved.
(2) In identifying appropriate public easements assessment shall be made in writing of the use and purpose to be accommodated.
(3) The primary standard for determining which public easements are reasonably necessary for access shall be present existing use. However, a public easement may be reserved absent a demonstration of present existing use only if it is necessary to guarantee international treaty obligations, if there is no reasonable alternative route or site available, or if the public easement is for access to an isolated tract or area of publicly owned land. When adverse impacts on Native culture, lifestyle, and subsistence needs are likely to occur because of the reservation of a public easement, alternative routes shall be assessed and reserved where reasonably available. The natural environment and other relevant factors shall also be considered.
(4) All public easements which are reserved shall be specific as to use, location, and size. Standard sizes and uses which are delineated in this subsection may be varied only when justified by special circumstances.
(5) Transportation, communication, and utility easements shall be combined where the combination of such easements is reasonable considering the primary purposes for which easement is to be reserved.
(6) Public easements may be reserved to provide access to present existing Federal, State, or municipal corporation sites; these sites themselves shall not be reserved as public easements. Unless otherwise justified, access to these sites shall be limited to government use.
(7) Scenic easements or easements for recreation on lands conveyed pursuant to the Act shall not be reserved. Nor shall public easements be reserved to hunt or fish from or on lands conveyed pursuant to the Act.
(8) The identification of needed easements and major waterways shall include participation by appropriate Natives and Native corporations, LUPC, State, Federal agencies, and other members of the public.
(9) After reviewing the identified easements needs, the Director shall tentatively determine which easements shall be reserved. Tentative determinations of major waterways shall also be made by the Director and shall apply to rivers, streams, and lakes. All lakes over 640 acres in size shall be screened to determine if they qualify as major waterways. Those smaller than 640 acres may be considered on a case-by-case basis. The Director shall issue a notice of proposed easements which notifies all parties that participated in the development of the easement needs and information on major waterways as to the tentative easement reservations and which directs that all comments be sent to the LUPC and the Director.
(10) The State and the LUPC shall be afforded 90 days after notice by the Director to make recommendations with respect to the inclusion of public easements in any conveyance. If the Director does not receive a recommendation from the LUPC or the State within the time period herein called for, he may proceed with his determinations.
(11) Prior to making a determination of public easements to be reserved, the Director shall review the recommendations of the LUPC, appropriate Native corporation(s), other Federal agencies, the State, and the public. Consideration shall be given to recommendations for public easement reservations which are timely submitted to the Bureau of Land Management and accompanied by written justification.
(12) The Director, after such review, shall prepare a decision to convey that includes all necessary easements and other appropriate terms and conditions relating to conveyance of the land. If the decision prepared by the Director is contrary to the LUPC's recommendations, he shall notify the LUPC of the variance(s) and shall afford the LUPC 10 days in which to document the reasons for its disagreement before making his final decision. The Director shall then issue a Decision to Issue Conveyance (DIC).
(13) The Director shall terminate a public easement if it is not used for the purpose for which it was reserved by the date specified in the conveyance, if any, or by December 18, 2001, whichever occurs first, He may terminate an easement at any time if he finds that conditions are such that its retention is no longer needed for public use or governmental function. However, the Director shall not terminate an access easement to isolated tracts of publicly owned land solely because of the absence of proof of public use. Public easements which have been reserved to guarantee international treaty obligations shall not be terminated unless the Secretary determines that the reasons for such easements no longer justify the reservation. No public easement shall be terminated without proper notice and an opportunity for submission of written comments or for a hearing if a hearing is deemed to be necessary by either the Director or the Secretary.
(b) Transportation easements. (1) Public easements for transportation purposes which are reasonably necessary to guarantee the public's ability to reach publicly owned lands or major waterways may be reserved across lands conveyed to Native corporations. Such purposes may also include transportation to and from communities, airports, docks, marine coastline, groups of private holdings sufficient in number to constitute a public use, and government reservations or installations. Public easements may also be reserved for railroads. If public easements are to be reserved, they shall:
(i) Be reserved across Native lands only if there is no reasonable alternative route of transportation across publicly owned lands;
(ii) Within the standard of reasonable necessity, be limited in number and not duplicative of one another (nonduplication does not preclude separate easements for winter and summer trails, if otherwise justified);
(iii) Be subject only to specific uses and sizes which shall be placed in the appropriate interim conveyance and patent documents;
(iv) Follow existing routes of travel unless a variance is otherwise justified;
(v) Be reserved for future roads, including railroads and roads for future logging operations, only if they are site specific and actually planned for construction within 5 years of the date of conveyance;
(vi) Be reserved in topographically suitable locations whenever the location is not otherwise determined by an existing route of travel or when there is no existing site;
(vii) Be reserved along the marine coastline only to preserve a primary route of travel between coastal communities, publicly owned uplands, or coastal communities and publicly owned uplands;
(viii) Be reserved from publicly owned uplands to the marine coastline only if significant present existing use has occurred on those publicly owned lands below the line of mean high tide. However, for isolated tracts of publicly owned uplands, public easements may be reserved to provide transportation from the marine coastline if there is no other reasonable transportation route;
(ix) Be reserved along major waterways only to provide short portages or transportation routes around obstructions. However, this condition does not preclude the reservation of a trail or road easement which happens to run alongside a waterway;
(x) Not be reserved on the beds of major waterways except where use of the bed is related to road or trail purposes, portaging, or changing the mode of travel between water and land (e.g., launching or landing a boat); a specific portion of the bed or shore of the waterway which is necessary to provide portage or transportation routes around obstructions, including those that are dangerous or impassible or seasonably dangerous or impassible, may be reserved.
(xi) Not be reserved on the beds of nonmajor waterways except where use of the beds is related to road or trail purposes. However, this exception shall not be used to reserve a continuous linear easement on the streambed to facilitate access by boat.
(xii) Not be reserved simply to reflect patterns of Native use on Native lands;
(xiii) Not be reserved for the purpose of protecting Native stockholders from their respective corporations;
(xiv) Not be reserved on the basis of subsistence use of the lands of one village by residents of another village.
(2) Transportation easements shall be limited to roads and sites which are related to access. The use of these easements shall be controlled by applicable Federal, State, or municipal corporation laws or regulations. The uses stated herein will be specified in the interim conveyance and patent documents as permitted uses of the easement.
(i) The width of a trail easement shall be no more than 25 feet if the uses to be accommodated are for travel by foot, dogsleds, animals, snowmobiles, two and three-wheel vehicles, and small all-terrain vehicles (less than 3,000 lbs. G.V.W.);
(ii) The width of a trail easement shall be no more than 50 feet if the uses to be accommodated are for travel by large all-terrain vehicles (more than 3,000 lbs. G.V.W.), track vehicles and 4-wheel drive vehicles, in addition to the uses included under paragraph (b)(2)(i) of this section;
(iii) The width of an existing road easement shall be no more than 60 feet if the uses to be accommodated are for travel by automobiles or trucks in addition to the uses included under paragraphs (b)(2) (i) and (ii) of this section. However, if an existing road is wider than 60 feet, the specific public easement may encompass that wider width. For proposed roads, including U.S. Forest Service logging roads, the width of the public easement shall be 100 feet, unless otherwise justified. Prior to construction, trail uses which are included under paragraphs (b)(2) (i) and (ii) of this section may be permitted if otherwise justified and may continue if the road is not built. If after the road has been constructed a lesser width is sufficient to accommodate the road, the Director shall reduce the size of the easement to that width.
(iv) The width of a proposed railroad easement shall be 100 feet on either side of the center line of any such railroad.
(3) Site easements. Site easements which are related to transportation may be reserved for aircraft landing or vehicle parking (e.g., aircraft, boats, ATV's, cars, trucks), temporary camping, loading or unloading at a trail head, along an access route or waterway, or within a reasonable distance of a transportation route or waterway where there is a demonstrated need to provide for transportation to publicly owned lands or major waterways. Temporary camping, loading, or unloading shall be limited to 24 hours. Site easements shall not be reserved for recreational use such as fishing, unlimited camping, or other purposes not associated with use of the public easement for transportation. Site easements shall not be reserved for future logging or similar operations (e.g., log dumps, campsites, storage or staging areas). Before site easements are reserved on transportation routes or on major waterways, a reasonable effort shall be made to locate parking, camping, beaching, or aircraft landing sites on publicly owned lands; particularly, publicly owned lands in or around communities, or bordering the waterways. If a site easement is to be reserved, it shall:
(i) Be subject to the provisions of paragraphs (b)(1) (ii), (iii), (vi), (xii), (xiii), and (xiv) of this section.
(ii) Be no larger than one acre in size and located on existing sites unless a variance is in either instance, otherwise justified;
(iii) Be reserved on the marine coastline only at periodic points along the coast where they are determined to be reasonably necessary to facilitate transportation on coastal waters or transportation between coastal waters and publicly owned uplands;
(iv) Be reserved only at periodic points on major waterways. Uses shall be limited to those activities which are related to travel on the waterway or to travel between the waterway and publicly owned lands. Also, periodic site easements shall be those necessary to allow a reasonable pattern of travel on the waterway;
(v) Be reserved for aircraft landing strips only if they have present significant use and are a necessary part of a transportation system for access to publicly owned lands and are not suitable for reservation under section 14(c)(4) of the Act. Any such easement shall encompass only that area which is used for takeoffs and landings and any clear space around such site that is needed for parking or public safety.
(c) Miscellaneous easements. The public easements referred to in this subsection which do not fall into the categories above may be reserved in order to continue certain uses of publicly owned lands and major waterways. These public easements shall be limited in number. The identification and size of these public easements may vary from place to place depending upon particular circumstances. When not controlled by applicable law or regulation, size shall not exceed that which is reasonably necessary for the purposes of the identified easement. Miscellaneous easements may be reserved for the following purposes:
(1) Public easements which are for utility purposes (e.g., water, electricity, communications, oil, gas, and sewage) may be reserved and shall be based upon present existing use. Future easements for these purposes may also be reserved, but only if they are site specific and actually planned for construction within 5 years of the date of conveyance;
(2) Easements for air light or visibility purposes may be reserved if required to insure public safety or to permit proper use of improvements developed for public benefit or use; e.g., protection for aviation or navigation aids or communications sites;
(3) Public easements may be reserved to guarantee international treaty obligations or to implement any agreement entered into between the United States and the Native Corporation receiving the conveyance. For example, the agreement of May 14, 1974, related to Naval Petroleum Reserve Number Four (redesignated June 1, 1977, as the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska) between the United States Department of the Navy and the Arctic Slope Regional Corporation and four Native village corporations, shall be incorporated in the appropriate conveyances and the easements necessary to implement the agreement shall be reserved.
(d) Conveyance provisions. (1) Public easement provisions shall be placed in interim conveyances and patents.
(2) Permissible uses of a specific easement shall be listed in the appropriate conveyance document. The conveyance documents shall include a general provision which states that uses which are not specifically listed are prohibited.
(3) The easements shall be identified on appropriate maps which shall be part of the pertinent interim conveyance and patent.
(4) All public easement shall be reserved to the United States and subject, as appropriate, to further Federal, State, or municipal corporation regulation.
(5) All conveyance documents shall contain a general provision which states that pursuant to section 17(b)(2) of the Act, any valid existing right recognized by the Act shall continue to have whatever right of access as is now provided for under existing law.
§ 2650.5   Survey requirements.
§ 2650.5-1   General.
(a) Selected areas are to be surveyed as provided in section 13 of the Act. Any survey or description used as a basis for conveyance must be adequate to identify the lands to be conveyed.
(b) The following procedures shall be used to determine what acreage is not to be charged against Native entitlement:
(1) For any approved plat of survey where meanderable water bodies were not segregated from the survey but were included in the calculation of acreage to be charged against the Native corporation's land entitlement, the chargeable acreage shall, at no cost to the Native corporation, be recalculated to conform to the principles contained in the Bureau of Land Management's Manual of Surveying Instructions, 1973, except as modified by this part. Pursuant to such principles, the acreage of meanderable water bodies, as modified by this part, shall not be included in the acreage charged against the Native corporation's land entitlement.
(2) For any plat of survey approved after December 5, 1983, water bodies shall be meandered and segregated from the survey in accordance with the principles contained in the Bureau of Land Management's Manual of Surveying Instructions, 1973, as modified by this part, as the basis for determining acreage chargeability.
(3) If title to lands beneath navigable waters, as defined in the Submerged Lands Act, of a lake less than 50 acres in size or a river or stream less than 3 chains in width did not vest in the State on the date of Statehood, such lake, river or stream shall not be meandered and shall be charged against the Native corporation's entitlement.
(4) Any determinations of meanders which may be made pursuant to this paragraph shall not require monumentation on the ground unless specifically required by law or for good cause in the public interest.
§ 2650.5-2   Rule of approximation.
To assure full entitlement, the rule of approximation may be applied with respect to the acreage limitations applicable to conveyances and surveys under this authority, i.e., any excess must be less than the deficiency would be if the smallest legal subdivision were eliminated (see 62 I.D. 417, 421).
§ 2650.5-3   Regional surveys.
Lands to be conveyed to a regional corporation, when selected in contiguous units, shall be grouped together for the purpose of survey and surveyed as one tract, with monuments being established on the exterior boundary at angle points and at intervals of approximately 2 miles on straight lines. If requested by the grantee, the Secretary may survey, insofar as practicable, the individual selections that comprise the total tract.
§ 2650.5-4   Village surveys.
(a) Only the exterior boundaries of contiguous entitlements for each village corporation will be surveyed. Where land within the outer perimeter of a selection is not selected, the boundaries along the area excluded shall be deemed exterior boundaries. The survey will be made after the total acreage entitlement of the village has been selected.
(b) Surveys will be made within the village corporation selections to delineate those tracts required by law to be conveyed by the village corporations pursuant to section 14(c) of the Act.
(c) (1) The boundaries of the tracts described in paragraph (b) of this section shall be posted on the ground and shown on a map which has been approved in writing by the affected village corporation and submitted to the Bureau of Land Management. Conflicts arising among potential transferees identified in section 14(c) of the Act, or between the village corporation and such transferees, will be resolved prior to submission of the map. Occupied lots to be surveyed will be those which were occupied as of December 18, 1971.
(2) Lands shown by the records of the Bureau of Land Management as not having been conveyed to the village corporation will be excluded by adjustments on the map by the Bureau of Land Management. No surveys shall begin prior to final written approval of the map by the village corporation and the Bureau of Land Management. After such written approval, the map will constitute a plan of survey. Surveys will then be made in accordance with the plan of survey. No further changes will be made to accommodate additional section 14(c) transferees, and no additional survey work desired by the village corporation or municipality within the area covered by the plan of survey or immediately adjacent thereto will be performed by the Secretary.
§ 2650.5-5   Cemetery sites and historical places.
Only those cemetery sites and historical places to be conveyed under section 14(h)(1) of the Act shall be surveyed.
§ 2650.5-6   Adjustment to plat of survey.
All conveyances issued for lands not covered by officially approved surveys of the Bureau of Land Management shall note that upon the filing of an official plat of survey, the boundary of the selected area, described in terms of protraction diagrams or by metes and bounds, shall be redescribed in accordance with the plats of survey. However, no change will be made in the land selected.
§ 2650.6   Selection limitations.
(a) Notwithstanding any other provisions of the act, no village or regional corporation may select lands which are within 2 miles from the boundary of any home rule or first-class city (excluding boroughs) as the boundaries existed and the cities were classified on December 18, 1971, or which are within 6 miles from the boundary of Ketchikan, except that a village corporation organized by Natives of a community which is itself a first class or home-rule city is not prohibited from making selections within 2 miles from the boundary of that first class or home-rule city, unless such selections fall within 2 miles from the boundary of another first class or home-rule city which is not itself a Native village or within 6 miles from the boundary of Ketchikan.
(b) Determination as to which cities were classified as home rule or first class as of December 18, 1971, and their boundaries as of that date will be made in accordance with the laws of the State of Alaska.
(c) If any village corporation whose land withdrawals encompass Dutch Harbor is found eligible under this act, it may select lands pursuant to subpart 2651 of this chapter and receive a conveyance under the terms of section 14(a) of the Act.
§ 2650.7   Publication.
In order to determine whether there are any adverse claimants to the land, the applicant should publish notice of his application. If the applicant decides to avail himself of the privilege of publishing a notice to all adverse claimants and requests it, the authorized officer will prepare a notice for publication. The publication will be in accordance with the following procedure:
(a) The applicant will have the notice published allowing all persons claiming the land adversely to file in the appropriate land office their objections to the issuance of any conveyance. The notice shall be published once a week for 4 consecutive weeks in a newspaper of general circulation.
(b) The applicant shall file a statement of the publisher, accompanied by a copy of the published notice, showing that publication has been had for 4 consecutive weeks. The applicant must pay the cost of publication.
(c) Any adverse claimant must serve on the applicant a copy of his objections and furnish evidence of service thereof to the appropriate land office.
(d) For all land selections made under the Act, in order to give actual notice of the decision of the Bureau of Land Management proposing to convey lands, the decision shall be served on all known parties of record who claim to have a property interest or other valid existing right in land affected by such decision, the appropriate regional corporation, and any Federal agency of record. In order to give constructive notice of the decision to any unknown parties, or to known parties who cannot be located after reasonable efforts have been expended to locate, who claim a property interest or other valid existing right in land affected by the decision, notice of the decision shall be published once in the Federal Register and, once a week, for four (4) consecutive weeks, in one or more newspapers of general circulation in the State of Alaska nearest the locality where the land affected by the decision is situated, if possible. Any decision or notice actually served on parties or constructively served on parties in accord with this subsection shall state that any party claiming a property interest in land affected by the decision may appeal the decision to the Board of Land Appeals. The decision or notice of decision shall also state that:
(1) Any party receiving actual notice of the decision shall have 30 days from the receipt of actual notice to file an appeal; and,
(2) That any unknown parties, any parties unable to be located after reasonable efforts have been expended to locate, and any parties who failed or refused to sign a receipt for actual notice, shall have 30 days from the date of publication in the Federal Register to file an appeal. Furthermore, the decision or notice of decision shall inform readers where further information on the manner of, and requirements for, filing appeal may be obtained, and shall also state that any party known or unknown who may claim a property interest which is adversely affected by the decision shall be deemed to have waived their rights which were adversely affected unless an appeal is filed in accordance with the requirements stated in the decisions or notices provided for in this subsection and the regulation governing such appeals set out in 43 CFR part 4, subpart E.
§ 2650.8   Appeals.
Any decision relating to a land selection shall become final unless appealed to the Board of Land Appeals by a person entitled to appeal, under, and in accordance with, subpart E of part 4, 43 CFR.
§ 2651.0-3   Authority.
Sections 12 and 16(b) of the Act provide for the selection of lands by eligible village corporations.
§ 2651.1   Entitlement.
(a) Village corporations eligible for land benefits under the Act shall be entitled to a conveyance to the surface estate in accordance with sections 14(a) and 16(b) of the Act.
(b) In addition to the land benefits in paragraph (a) of this section, each eligible village corporation shall be entitled to select and receive a conveyance to the surface estate for such acreage as is reallocated to the village corporation in accordance with section 12(b) of the Act.
§ 2651.2   Eligibility requirements.
(a) Pursuant to sections 11(b) and 16(a) of the Act, the Director, Juneau Area Office, Bureau of Indian Affairs, shall review and make a determination, not later than December 19, 1973, as to which villages are eligible for benefits under the act.
(1) Review of listed native villages. The Director, Juneau Area Office, Bureau of Indian Affairs, shall make a determination of the eligibility of villages listed in section 11(b)(1) and 16(a) of the Act. He shall investigate and examine available records and evidence that may have a bearing on the character of the village and its eligibility pursuant to paragraph (b) of this section.
(2) Findings of fact and notice of proposed decision. After completion of the investigation and examination of records and evidence with respect to the eligibility of a village listed in sections 11(b)(1) and 16(a) of the Act for land benefits, the Director, Juneau Area Office, Bureau of Indian Affairs, shall publish in the Federal Register and in one or more newspapers of general circulation in Alaska his proposed decision with respect to such eligibility and shall mail a copy of the proposed decision to the affected village, all villages located in the region in which the affected village is located, all regional corporations within the State of Alaska and the State of Alaska. His proposed decision is subject to protest by any interested party within 30 days of the publication of the proposed decision in the Federal Register. If no valid protest is received within the 30-day period, such proposed decision shall become final and shall be published in the Federal Register. If the final decision is in favor of a listed village, the Director, Juneau Area Office, Bureau of Indian Affairs, shall issue a certificate as to the eligibility of the village in question for land benefits under the act, and certify the record and the decision to the Secretary. Copies of the final decisions and certificates of village eligibility shall be mailed to the affected village, all villages located in the region in which the affected village is located, all regional corporations within the State of Alaska, and the state of Alaska.
(3) Protest. Within 30 days from the date of publication of the proposed decision in the Federal Register, any interested party may protest a proposed decision as to the eligibility of a village. No protest shall be considered which is not accompanied by supporting evidence. The protest shall be mailed to the Director, Juneau Area Office, Bureau of Indian Affairs.
(4) Action on protest. Upon receipt of a protest, the Director, Juneau Area Office, Bureau of Indian Affairs, shall examine and evaluate the protest and supporting evidence required herein, together with his record of findings of fact and proposed decision, and shall render a decision on the eligibility of the Native village that is the subject of the protest. Such decision shall be rendered within 30 days from the receipt of the protest and supporting evidence by the Director, Juneau Area Office, Bureau of Indian Affairs. The decision of the Director, Juneau Area Office, Bureau of Indian Affairs, shall be published in the Federal Register and in one or more newspapers of general circulation in the State of Alaska and a copy of the decision and findings of fact upon which the decision is based shall be mailed to the affected village, all villages located in the region in which the affected village is located, all regional corporations within the State of Alaska, the State of Alaska, and any other party of record. Such decision shall become final unless appealed to the Secretary by a notice filed within 30 days of its publication in the Federal Register in accordance with the regulations governing appeals set out in 43 CFR part 4, subpart E.
(5) Action on appeals. Appeals shall be made to the Board of Land Appeals in accordance with subpart E of part 4 of this title. Decisions of the Board on village eligibility appeals are not final until personally approved by the Secretary.
(6) Applications by unlisted villages for determination of eligibility. The head or any authorized subordinate officer of a Native village not listed in section 11(b) of the Act may file on behalf of the unlisted village an application for a determination of its eligibility for land benefits under the act. Such application shall be filed in duplicate with the Director, Juneau Area Office, Bureau of Indian Affairs, prior to September 1, 1973. If the application does not constitute prima facie evidence of compliance with the requirements of paragraph (b) of this section, he shall return the application to the party filing the same with a statement of reasons for return of the application, but such filing, even if returned, shall constitute timely filing of the application. The Director, Juneau Area Office, Bureau of Indian Affairs, shall immediately forward an application which appears to meet the criteria for eligibility to the appropriate office of the Bureau of Land Management for filing. Each application must identify the township or townships in which the Native village is located.
(7) Segregation of land. The receipt of the selection application for filing by the Bureau of Land Management shall operate to segregate the lands in the vicinity of the village as provided in sections 11(a)(1) and (2) of the Act.
(8) Action on application for eligibility. Upon receipt of an application which appears to meet the criteria for eligibility, the Director, Juneau Area Office, Bureau of Indian Affairs, shall have a notice of the filing of the application published in the Federal Register and in one or more newspapers of general circulation in Alaska and shall promptly review the statements contained in the application. He shall investigate and examine available records and evidence that may have a bearing on the character of the village and its eligibility pursuant to this subpart 2651, and thereafter make findings of fact as to the character of the village. No later than December 19, 1973, the Director, Juneau Area Office, Bureau of Indian Affairs, shall make a determination as to the eligibility of the village as a Native village for land benefits under the act and shall issue a decision. He shall publish his decision in the Federal Register and in one or more newspapers of general circulation in Alaska and shall mail a copy of the decision to the representative or representatives of the village, all villages in the region in which the village is located, all regional corporations, and the State of Alaska.
(9) Protest to eligibility determination. Any interested party may protest a decision of the Director, Juneau Area Office, Bureau of Indian Affairs, regarding the eligibility of a Native village for land benefits under the provisions of sections 11(b)(3)(A) and (B) of the Act by filing a notice of protest with the Director, Juneau Area Office, Bureau of Indian Affairs, within 30 days from the date of publication of the decision in the Federal Register. A copy of the protest must be mailed to the representative or representatives of the village, all villages in the region in which the village is located, all regional corporations within Alaska, the State of Alaska, and any other parties of record. If no protest is received within the 30-day period, the decision shall become final and the Director, Juneau Area Office, Bureau of Indian Affairs, shall certify the record and the decision to the Secretary. No protest shall be considered which is not accompanied by supporting evidence. Anyone protesting a decision concerning the eligibility or ineligibility of an unlisted Native village shall have the burden of proof in establishing that the decision is incorrect. Anyone appealing a decision concerning the eligibility or ineligibility of an unlisted Native village shall have the burden of proof in establishing that the decision is incorrect.
(10) Action on protest appeal. Upon receipt of a protest, the Director, Juneau Area Office, Bureau of Indian Affairs, shall follow the procedure outlined in paragraph (a)(4) of this section. If an appeal is taken from a decision on eligibility, the provisions of paragraph (a)(5) of this section shall apply.
(b) Except as provided in paragraph (b)(4) of this section, villages must meet each of the following criteria to be eligible for benefits under sections 14(a) and (b) of the Act:
(1) There must be 25 or more Native residents of the village on April 1, 1970, as shown by the census or other evidence satisfactory to the Secretary. A Native properly enrolled to the village shall be deemed a resident of the village.
(2) The village shall have had on April 1, 1970, an identifiable physical location evidenced by occupancy consistent with the Natives' own cultural patterns and life style and at least 13 persons who enrolled thereto must have used the village during 1970 as a place where they actually lived for a period of time: Provided, That no village which is known as a traditional village shall be disqualified if it meets the other criteria specified in this subsection by reason of having been temporarily unoccupied in 1970 because of an act of God or government authority occurring within the preceding 10 years.
(3) The village must not be modern and urban in character. A village will be considered to be of modern and urban character if the Secretary determines that it possessed all the following attributes as of April 1, 1970:
(i) Population over 600.
(ii) A centralized water system and sewage system that serves a majority of the residents.
(iii) Five or more business establishments which provide goods or services such as transient accommodations or eating establishments, specialty retail stores, plumbing and electrical services, etc.
(iv) Organized police and fire protection.
(v) Resident medical and dental services, other than those provided by Indian Health Service.
(vi) Improved streets and sidewalks maintained on a year-round basis.
(4) In the case of unlisted villages, a majority of the residents must be Native, but in the case of villages listed in sections 11 and 16 of the Act, a majority of the residents must be Native only if the determination is made that the village is modern and urban pursuant to paragraph (b)(3) of this section.
§ 2651.3   Selection period.
Each eligible village corporation must file its selection application(s) not later than December 18, 1974, under sections 12(a) or 16(b) of the Act; and not later than December 18, 1975, under section 12(b) of the Act.
§ 2651.4   Selection limitations.
(a) Each eligible village corporation may select the maximum surface acreage entitlement under sections 12(a) and (b) and section 16(b) of the Act. Village corporations selecting lands under sections 12(a) and (b) may not select more than:
(1) 69,120 acres from land that, prior to January 17, 1969, has been selected by, or tentatively approved to, but not yet patented to the State under the Alaska Statehood Act; and
(2) 69,120 acres of land from the National Wildlife Refuge System; and
(3) 69,120 acres of land from the National Forest System.
(b) To the extent necessary to obtain its entitlement, each eligible village corporation shall select all available lands within the township or townships within which all or part of the village is located, and shall complete its selection from among all other available lands. Selections shall be contiguous and, taking into account the situation and potential uses of the lands involved, the total area selected shall be reasonably compact, except where separated by lands which are unavailable for selection. The total area selected will not be considered to be reasonably compact if (1) it excludes other lands available for selection within its exterior boundaries; or (2) lands which are similar in character to the village site or lands ordinarily used by the village inhabitants are disregarded in the selection process; or (3) an isolated tract of public land of less than 1,280 acres remains after selection.
(c) The lands selected under sections 12(a) or (b) shall be in whole sections where they are available, or shall include all available lands in less than whole sections, and, wherever feasible, shall be in units of not less than 1,280 acres. Lands selected under section 16(b) of the Act shall conform to paragraph (b) of this section and shall conform as nearly as practicable to the U.S. land survey system.
(d) Village corporation selections within sections 11 (a)(1) and (a)(3) areas shall be given priority over regional corporation selections for the same lands.
(e) Village or regional corporations are not required to select lands within an unpatented mining claim or millsite. Unpatented mining claims and millsites shall be deemed to be selected, unless they are excluded from the selection by metes and bounds or other suitable description and there is attached to the selection application a copy of the notice of location and any amendments thereto. If the village or regional corporation selection omits lands within an unpatented mining claim or millsite, this will not be construed as violating the requirements for compactness and contiguity. If, during the selection period, the excepted mining claims or millsites are declared invalid, or under the State of Alaska mining laws are determined to be abandoned, the selection will no longer be considered as compact and contiguous. The corporation shall be required to amend its selection, upon notice from the authorized officer of the Bureau of Land Management, to include the lands formerly included in the mining claim or millsite. If the corporation fails to amend its selection to include such lands, the selection may be rejected.
(f) Eligible village corporations may file applications in excess of their total entitlement. To insure that a village acquires its selection in the order of its priorities, it should identify its choices numerically in the order it wishes them granted. Such selections must be filed not later than December 18, 1974, as to sections 12(a) or 16(b) selections and December 18, 1975, as to section 12(b) selections.
(g) Whenever the Secretary determines that a dispute exists between villages over land selection rights, he shall accept, but not act on, selection applications from any party to the dispute until the dispute has been resolved in accordance with section 12(e) of the Act.
(h) Village or regional corporations may, but are not required to, select lands within pending Native allotments. If the village or regional corporation selection omits lands within a pending Native allotment, this will not be construed as violating the requirements for compactness and contiguity. If, during the selection period, the pending Native allotment is finally rejected and closed, the village or regional corporation may amend its selection application to include all of the land formerly in the Native allotment application, but is not required to do so to meet the requirements for compactness and contiguity.
§ 2651.5   Conveyance reservations.
In addition to the conveyance reservations in § 2650.4 of this chapter, conveyances issued to village corporations shall provide for the transfer of the surface estates specified in section 14(c) of the Act, and shall be subject to valid existing rights under section 14(g) of the Act.
§ 2651.6   Airport and air navigation facilities.
(a) Every airport and air navigation facility owned and operated by the United States which the Secretary determines is actually used in connection with the administration of a Federal program will be deemed a Federal installation under the provisions of section 3(e) of the Act, and the Secretary will determine the smallest practicable tract which shall enclose such Federal installations. Such Federal installations are not public lands as defined in the act and are therefore not lands available for selection under the provisions of these regulations.
(b) The surface of all other lands of existing airport sites, airway beacons, or other navigation aids, together with such additional acreage or easements as are necessary to provide related services and to insure safe approaches to airport runways, shall be conveyed by the village corporation to the State of Alaska, and the Secretary will include in the conveyance to any village corporation any and all covenants which he deems necessary to insure the fulfillment of this obligation.
§ 2652.0-3   Authority.
Sections 12 (a)(1) and (c)(3) provide for selections by regional corporations; and sections 14 (e), (f), (h), (1), (2), (3), (5), and (8), provide for the conveyance to regional corporations of the selected surface and subsurface estates, as appropriate.
§ 2652.1   Entitlement.
(a) Eligible regional corporations may select the maximum acreage granted pursuant to section 12(c) of the Act. They will be notified by the Secretary of their entitlement as expeditiously as possible.
(b) Where subsurface rights are not available to the eligible regional corporations in lands whose surface has been conveyed under section 14 of the Act, the regional corporations may select an equal subsurface acreage from lands withdrawn under sections 11(a) (1) and (3) of the Act, within the region, if possible.
(c) As appropriate, the regional corporations will receive title to the subsurface estate of lands, the surface estate of which is conveyed pursuant to section 14 of the Act.
(d) If a 13th regional corporation is organized under section 7(c) of the Act, it will not be entitled to any grant of lands.
§ 2652.2   Selection period.
All regional corporations must file their selection applications not later than December 18, 1975, for lands other than those allocated under section 14(h)(8) of the Act.
§ 2652.3   Selection limitations.
(a) To the extent necessary to obtain its entitlement, each regional corporation must select all available lands withdrawn pursuant to sections 11(a)(1)(B) and (C) of the Act, before selecting lands withdrawn pursuant to section 11(a)(3) of the Act, except that regional corporations selecting lands withdrawn pursuant to sections 11(a)(1) (B) and (C) may select only even-numbered townships in even-numbered ranges and only odd-numbered townships in odd-numbered ranges.
(b) Village corporation selections within section 11(a)(1) and section 11(a)(3) areas shall be given priority over regional corporation selections for the same lands.
(c) Whenever a regional selection is made in any township, the regional corporation shall select all available lands in that township: Provided, That such selection would not exceed the entitlement of that regional corporation.
(d) Subsurface selections made by a regional corporation pursuant to section 12(a) of the Act shall be contiguous and the total area selected shall be reasonably compact, except as separated by subsurface interests that are not the property of the United States including subsurface interests under bodies of water, and the selection shall be in whole sections where they are available, or shall include all available subsurface interests in less than whole sections and, wherever feasible, shall be in units of not less than 1,280 acres. The total area selected shall not be considered to be reasonably compact if (1) it excludes other subsurface interests available for selection within its exterior boundaries; or (2) an isolated tract of subsurface interests owned by the United States of less than 1,280 acres remains after selection.
(e) Regional corporations are not required to select lands within unpatented mining claims or millsites, as provided in § 2651.4(e) of this chapter.
(f) Regional corporations may file applications in excess of their total entitlement. To insure that a regional corporation acquires its selections in the order of its priorities, it should identify its choices numerically in the order it wishes them granted.
§ 2652.4   Conveyance reservations.
In addition to the conveyance reservations in § 2650.4 of this chapter, conveyances issued to regional corporations for the subsurface estate of lands whose surface has been conveyed to village corporations shall provide that the right to explore, develop, or remove minerals from the subsurface estate in the lands within the boundaries of any Native village shall be subject to the consent of the village corporation.
§ 2653.0-3   Authority.
Section 14(h) of the Act requires the Secretary to withdraw and to convey 2 million acres of unreserved and unappropriated public lands located outside the areas withdrawn by sections 11 and 16 of the Act. The Secretary will convey the land in part as follows:
(a) Title to existing cemetery sites and historical places to the regional corporations for the regions in which the lands are located;
(b) Title to the surface estate to any Native group that qualifies pursuant to this subpart 2653;
(c) Title to the surface estate of lands to the Natives residing in each of the cities of Sitka, Kenai, Juneau, and Kodiak, who have incorporated;
(d) Title to the surface estate of land to a Native as a primary place of residence.
(e) Title to the regional corporations for lands selected, if any remain, pursuant to section 14(h)(8) of the Act; and
(f) Title to the subsurface estate to the regional corporations of lands conveyed under paragraphs (b) and (d) of this section and title to the regional corporations to the subsurface estate to those lands not located in a National Wildlife Refuge under paragraph (c) of this section.
§ 2653.0-5   Definitions.
(a) Cemetery site means a burial ground consisting of the gravesites of one or more Natives.
(b) Historical place means a distinguishable tract of land or area upon which occurred a significant Native historical event, which is importantly associated with Native historical or cultural events or persons, or which was subject to sustained historical Native activity, but sustained Native historical activity shall not include hunting, fishing, berry-picking, wood gathering, or reindeer husbandry. However, such uses may be considered in the evaluation of the sustained Native historical activity associated with the tract or area.
(c) Native group means any tribe, band, clan, village, community or village association of Natives composed of less than 25, but more than 3 Natives, who comprise a majority of the residents of a locality and who have incorporated under the laws of the State of Alaska.
(d) Primary place of residence means a place comprising a primary place of residence of an applicant on August 31, 1971, at which he regularly resides on a permanent or seasonal basis for a substantial period of time.
§ 2653.1   Conveyance limitations.
(a) Under section 14(h) of the Act, a total of 2 million acres may be selected for cemetery sites and historical places, Native groups, corporations formed by the Native residents of Sitka, Kenai, Juneau, and Kodiak, for primary places of residence, and for Native allotments approved as provided in section 18 of the Act. Selections must be made before July 1, 1976. Of this total amount:
(1) 500,000 acres will be set aside to be used by the Secretary to satisfy applications filed pursuant to section 14(h) (1), (2), and (5) of the Act. The 500,000 acres will be allocated by: (i) Dividing 200,000 acres among the regions based on the number of Natives enrolled in each region; and, (ii) dividing 300,000 acres equally among the regions;
(2) 92,160 acres will be set aside for possible allocation by the Secretary to corporations formed by the Natives residing in Sitka, Kenai, Juneau, and Kodiak;
(3) 400,000 acres will be set aside to be used by the Secretary to satisfy Native allotment applications approved prior to December 18, 1975, under the Act of May 17, 1906 (34 Stat. 197), the Act of February 8, 1887 (24 Stat. 389), as amended and supplemented, and the Act of June 25, 1910 (36 Stat. 863). Any Native allotment applications pending before the Bureau of Indian Affairs or the Bureau of Land Management on December 18, 1971, will be considered as pending before the Department. Those allotment applications which have been determined to meet the requirements of the acts cited herein and for which survey has been requested before December 18, 1975, shall be considered approved under section 14(h)(6) of the Act and shall be charged against the acreage.
(b) After subtracting the number of acres used in accordance with paragraph (a) of this section from 2 million acres, the remainder will, after July 1, 1976, be reallocated by the Secretary among the regional corporations in accordance with the number of Natives enrolled in each region.
(c) No Native allotment applications pending before the Secretary on December 18, 1971, will be rejected solely for the reason that the acreage set aside by paragraph (a)(3) of this section has been exhausted.
§ 2653.2   Application procedures.
(a) All applications must be filed in accordance with the procedures in § 2650.2(a) of this chapter.
(b) Applications by corporations of Native groups under section 14(h)(2) and by a Native for a primary place of residence under section 14(h)(5) of the Act must be accompanied by written concurrence of the affected regional corporation. In the case of Native groups, such concurrence must also indicate how much land per member of the Native group, not to exceed 320 acres per member, the regional corporation recommends that the Secretary convey. Any application not accompanied by the necessary concurrence and recommendation of the affected region will be rejected.
(c) Native groups, and Natives residing in Sitka, Kenai, Juneau, and Kodiak, as provided in sections 14(h) (2) and (3), respectively, must comply with the applicable terms of § 2650.2(a), (c), (d), (e), and (f) of this chapter.
(d) The filing of an application under the regulations of this section will constitute a request for withdrawal of the lands, and will segregate the lands from all other 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, subject to valid existing rights, but will not segregate the lands from selections under section 12 or 16 of the Act. The segregative effect of such an application will terminate if the application is rejected.
§ 2653.3   Lands available for selection.
(a) Selection may be made for existing cemetery sites or historical places, Native groups, corporations formed by the Natives residing in Sitka, Kenai, Juneau, and Kodiak, and for primary places of residence, from any unappropriated and unreserved lands which the Secretary may withdraw for these purposes: Provided, That National Wildlife Refuge System lands and National Forest lands may be made available as provided by section 14(h)(7) of the Act and the regulations in this subpart. Selections for these purposes may also be made from any unappropriated and unreserved lands which the Secretary may withdraw from lands formerly withdrawn and not selected under section 16 of the Act and after December 18, 1975, from lands formerly withdrawn under section 11(a)(1) or 11(a)(3) and not selected under sections 12 or 19 of the Act.
(b) After December 18, 1975, selection of the lands allocated pursuant to § 2653.1(b), shall be made from any lands previously withdrawn under sections 11 or 16 of the Act which are not otherwise appropriated.
(c) A withdrawal made pursuant to section 17(d)(1) of the Act which is not part of the Secretary's recommendation to Congress of December 18, 1973, on the four national systems shall not preclude a withdrawal pursuant to section 14(h) of the Act.
§ 2653.4   Termination of selection period.
Except as provided in § 2653.10, applications for selections under this subpart will be rejected after all allocated lands, as provided in § 2653.1, have been exhausted, or if the application is received after the following dates, whichever occurs first:
(a) As to primary place of residence—December 18, 1973.
(b) As to all recipients described in sections 14(h) (1), (2), and (3) of the Act—December 31, 1976.
(c) As to all recipients under section 14(h)(8) of the Act and § 2653.1(b)—September 18, 1978.
§ 2653.5   Cemetery sites and historical places.
(a) The appropriate regional corporation may apply to the Secretary for the conveyance of existing cemetery sites or historical places pursuant to section 14(h) of the Act. The Secretary may give favorable consideration to these applications: Provided, That the Secretary determines that the criteria in these regulations are met: And provided further, That the regional corporation agrees to accept a covenant in the conveyance that these cemetery sites or historical places will be maintained and preserved solely as cemetery sites or historical places by the regional corporation, in accordance with the provisions for conveyance reservations in § 2653.11.
(b) A historical place may be granted in a National Wildlife Refuge or National Forest unless, in the judgment of the Secretary, the events or the qualities of the site from which it derives its particular value and significance as a historical place can be commemorated or found in an alternative site outside the refuge or forest, or if the Secretary determines that the conveyance could have a substantial detrimental effect on (1) a fish or wildlife population, (2) its habitat, (3) the management of such population or habitat, or (4) access by a fish or wildlife population to a critical part of its habitat.
(c) Although the existence of a cemetery site or historical place and a proper application for its conveyance create no valid existing right, they operate to segregate the land from all other forms of appropriation under the public land laws. Conveyances of lands reserved for the National Wildlife Refuge System made pursuant to this subpart are subject to the provisions of section 22(g) of the Act and § 2650.4-6 as though they were conveyances to a village corporation.
(d) For purposes of evaluating and determining the eligibility of properties as historical places, the quality of significance in Native history or culture shall be considered to be present in places that possess integrity of location, design, setting, materials, workmanship, feeling and association, and:
(1) That are associated with events that have made a significant contribution to the history of Alaskan Indians, Eskimos or Aleuts, or
(2) That are associated with the lives of persons significant in the past of Alaskan Indians, Eskimos or Aleuts, or
(3) That possess outstanding and demonstrably enduring symbolic value in the traditions and cultural beliefs and practices of Alaskan Indians, Eskimos or Aleuts, or
(4) That embody the distinctive characteristics of a type, period, or method of construction, or that represent the work of a master, or that possess high artistic values, or
(5) That have yielded, or are demonstrably likely to yield information important in prehistory or history.
(e) Criteria considerations for historic places: Ordinarily, cemeteries, birthplaces, or graves of historical figures, properties owned by religious institutions or used for religious purposes, structures that have been moved from their original locations, reconstructed historic buildings, properties primarily commemorative in nature, and properties that have achieved significance within the past 50 years shall not be considered eligible as a historical place unless they fall within one of the following categories:
(1) A religious property deriving primary significance from architectural or artistic distinction or historical importance;
(2) A building or structure removed from its original location but which is the surviving structure most importantly associated with a historic person or event;
(3) A birthplace or grave of a historical figure of outstanding importance if there is no appropriate site or building directly associated with his productive life;
(4) A cemetery which derives its primary significance from graves of persons of transcendent importance, from age, from distinctive design features, or from association with historic events;
(5) A reconstructed building when accurately executed in a suitable environment and preserved in a dignified manner as part of a restoration master plan and when no other building or structure with the same association has survived;
(6) A property primarily commemorative in intent if design, age, tradition, or symbolic value has invested it with its own historical significance; or
(7) A property achieving significance within the past 50 years if it is of exceptional importance.
(f) Applications by a regional corporation under section 14(h)(1) of the Act for conveyance of existing cemetery sites or historical places within its boundaries shall be filed with the proper office of the Bureau of Land Management in accordance with § 2650.2(a) of this chapter. The regional corporation shall include as an attachment to its application for a historical place a statement describing the events that took place and the qualities of the site from which it derives its particular value and significance as a historical place. In making the application, the regional corporation should identify accurately and with sufficient specificity the size and location of the site for which the application is made as an existing cemetery site or historical place to enable the Bureau of Land Management to segregate the proper lands. The land shall be described in accordance with § 2650.2(e) of this chapter, except that if the site under application is less than 2.50 acres or if it cannot be described by a protracted survey description, it shall be described by a metes and bounds description.
(g) Upon receipt of an application for an existing cemetery site or historical place, the Bureau of Land Management shall segregate from all other appropriation under the public land laws the land which it determines, adequately encompasses the site described in the application.
(h) Notice of filing of such application specifying the regional corporation, the size and location of the segregated lands encompassing the site for which application has been made, the date of filing, and the date by which any protest of the application must be filed shall be published once in the Federal Register and in one or more newspapers of general circulation in Alaska once a week for three consecutive weeks by the Bureau of Land Management. The Bureau of Land Management shall then forward the application to the Director, Juneau Area Office, Bureau of Indian Affairs, for investigation, report, and certification and supply a copy to the National Park Service. When an application pertains to lands within a National Wildlife Refuge or National Forest, the Bureau of Land Management shall also forward informational copies of the application and the size and location of segregated lands to the agency or agencies involved.
(i) If, during its investigation, the Bureau of Indian Affairs finds that the location of the site as described in the application is in error, it shall notify the applicant, the Bureau of Land Management, and other affected Federal agencies, of such error. The applicant shall have 60 days from receipt of such notice to file with the Bureau of Land Management an amendment to its application with respect to the location of the site. Upon acceptance of such amendment the Bureau of Land Management shall reprocess the application, including segregation of lands and publication of notice.
(j) The Bureau of Indian Affairs shall identify on a map and mark on the ground, including gravesites or other important items, the location and size of the site or place with sufficient clarity to enable the Bureau of Land Management to locate on the ground said site or place. The Bureau of Indian Affairs, after consultation with the National Park Service and, in the case of refuges and forests, the agency or agencies involved, shall certify as to the existence of the site or place and that it meets the criteria in this subpart.
(1) Cemetery sites. The Bureau of Indian Affairs shall certify specifically that the site is the burial place of one or more Natives. The Bureau of Indian Affairs shall determine whether the cemetery site is in active or inactive use, and if active, it shall estimate the degree of use by Native groups and villages in the area which it shall identify.
(2) Historical places. The Bureau of Indian Affairs shall describe the events that took place and qualities of the site which give it particular value and significance as a historical place.
(k) The Bureau of Indian Affairs shall submit its report and certification along with the written comments and recommendations of the National Park Service and any other Federal agency, to the Bureau of Land Management. If the land is available, the Bureau of Land Management shall issue a decision to convey. However, where the issues in § 2653.5(b) are raised by the reports of the Fish and Wildlife Service or the Forest Service, the State Director, Bureau of Land Management shall submit the record including a land status report, to the Secretary for a resolution of any conflicts. If the land is available for that purpose, the Secretary shall make his determination to convey or not to convey the site to the applicant.
(l) The decision of the Bureau of Land Management or the Secretary shall be served on the applicant and all parties of record in accordance with the provisions of 43 CFR part 4, subpart E and shall be published in accordance with § 2650.7 of this part. The decision of the Bureau of Land Management shall become final unless appealed to the Board of Land Appeals in accordance with 43 CFR part 4, subpart E. Any agency adversely affected by the certification of BIA or the decision of the Bureau of Land Management may also appeal the matter to the Board of Land Appeals. After a decision to convey an existing cemetery site or historical place has become final, the Bureau of Land Management shall adjust the segregation of the lands to conform with said conveyance.
(m) For inactive cemeteries, the boundaries of such cemetery sites shall include an area encompassing all actual gravesites including a reasonable buffer zone of not more than 66 feet. For active cemeteries, the boundaries of such sites shall include an area of actual use and reasonable future expansion of not more than 10 acres, but the BLM in consultation with any affected Federal agency may include more than 10 acres upon a determination that special circumstances warrant it. For historical places, the boundaries shall include an area encompassing the actual site with a reasonable buffer zone of not more than 330 feet.
§ 2653.6   Native groups.
(a) Eligibility. (1) The head or any authorized representative of a Native group incorporated pursuant to section 14(h)(2) of the Act may file on behalf of the group an application for a determination of its eligibility under said section of the Act. Such application shall be filed in duplicate with the appropriate officer, Bureau of Land Management, prior to April 16, 1976, in accordance with § 2650.2(a) of this chapter. Upon serialization of the application, the Bureau of Land Management office will forward a copy of such application to the Director, Juneau Area Office, Bureau of Indian Affairs, who shall investigate and report the findings of fact required to be made herein to the Bureau of Land Management with a certification thereof. A copy of an application by a group located within a National Wildlife Refuge or a National Forest will be furnished to the appropriate agency administering the area.
(2) Each application must identify the section, township, and range in which the Native group is located, and must be accompanied by a list of the names of the Native members of the group, a listing of permanent improvements and periods of use of the locality by members, a conformed copy of the group's article of incorporation, and the regional corporation's concurrence and recommendation under § 2653.2(b).
(3) Notice of the filing of such application specifying the date of such filing, the identity and location of the Native group, and the date by which any protest of the application must be filed shall be prepared by the Bureau of Indian Affairs and shall be published once in the Federal Register and in one or more newspapers of general circulation in Alaska once a week for three consecutive weeks by the Bureau of Land Management. Any protest to the application shall be filed with the Bureau of Indian Affairs within the time specified in the notice.
(4) The Bureau of Indian Affairs shall investigate and determine whether each member of a Native group formed pursuant to section 14(h)(2) of the Act is enrolled pursuant to section 5 of the Act. The Bureau of Indian Affairs shall determine whether the members of the Native group actually reside in and are enrolled to the locality specified in its application. The Bureau of Indian Affairs shall specify the number and names of Natives who actually reside in and are enrolled to the locality, including children who are members of the group and who are temporarily elsewhere for purposes of education, and it shall further determine whether the members of the Native group constitute the majority of the residents of the locality where the group resides. The Bureau of Indian Affairs shall determine and identify the exterior boundaries of the Native group's locality and the location of all those permanent structures of the Native group used as dwelling houses.
(5) The Native group must have an identifiable physical location. The members of the group must use the group locality as a place where they actually live in permanent structures used as dwelling houses. The group must have the character of a separate community, distinguishable from nearby communities, and must be composed of more than a single family or household. Members of a group must have enrolled to the group's locality pursuant to section 5 of the Act, must actually have resided there as of the 1970 census enumeration date, and must have lived there as their principal place of residence since that date.
(6) The Bureau of Indian Affairs shall issue its certification, containing its findings of fact required to be made herein and its determination of the eligibility of the Native group, except it shall issue a certification of ineligibility when it is notified by the Bureau of Land Management that the land is unavailable for selection by such Native group. It shall send a copy thereof by certified mail to the Bureau of Land Management, the Native group, its regional corporation and any party of record.
(7) Appeals concerning the eligibility of a Native group may be made to the Board of Land Appeals in accordance with 43 CFR part 4, subpart E.
(b) Selections. (1) Native group selections shall not exceed the amount recommended by the regional corporation or 320 acres for each Native member of a group, or 7,680 acres for each Native group, whichever is less. Any acreage selected in excess of that number shall be identified as alternate selections and shall be numerically ordered to indicate selection preference. Native groups will not receive land benefits unless the land which is occupied by their permanent structures used as dwelling houses is available, or in the case where such land is not State or federally owned, the land which is contiguous to and immediately surrounds the land occupied by their permanent structures used as dwelling houses is available, and is not within a wildlife refuge or forest, pursuant to section 14(h) of the Act. Public lands which may be available for this purpose are set forth in § 2653.3 (a) and (c). Conveyances of lands reserved for the National Wildlife Refuge System made pursuant to this part are subject to the provisions of section 22(g) of the Act and § 2650.4-6 of this chapter as though they were conveyances to a village corporation.
(2) Upon receipt of the applications of a Native group for a determination of its eligibility under section 14(h)(2) of the Act, the Bureau of Land Management shall segregate the land encompassed within the group locality from land available for that purpose pursuant to § 2653.6(b)(1). However, segregation of land for Native groups whose dwelling structures are located outside but adjacent to a National Wildlife Refuge or National Forest shall not include such reserved land, unless the Native group's dwelling structures are located on land excepted from the Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge pursuant to Public Land Order 1634 (FR Doc. 58-3696, filed May 16, 1958).
(3) The Bureau of Indian Affairs shall visit the locality of the group and shall recommend to the Bureau of Land Management the manner in which the segregation should be modified to encompass the residences of as many members as possible while allowing for the inclusion of the land most intensively used by members of the Native group. The recommended segregation must be contiguous and as compact as possible. The Bureau of Land Management may segregate the land accordingly provided such lands are otherwise available in accordance with paragraph (b)(1) and (b)(2). If the Bureau of Land Management finds the lands are unavailable for selection by a Native group, it shall notify the Bureau of Indian Affairs.
(4) Selections shall be made from lands segregated for that purpose and shall be filed prior to July 1, 1976. Selections shall be contiguous and taking into account the situation and potential uses of the lands involved, the total area selected shall be reasonably compact except where separated by lands which are unavailable for selection. The total area selected will not be considered to be reasonably compact if (i) it excludes other lands available for selection within its exterior boundaries; or (ii) an isolated tract of public land of less than 640 acres remains after selection. The lands selected shall be in quarter sections where they are available unless the exhaustion of the acreage which the group may be entitled to select does not permit the selection of a quarter section and shall include all available lands in less than quarter sections. Lands selected shall conform as nearly as practicable to the United States land survey system.
(5) A Native group whose eligibility has not been finally determined may file its land selections as if it were determined to be eligible. The Bureau of Land Management shall release from segregation the lands not selected and shall continue segregation of the selected land until the lands are conveyed or the group is finally determined to be ineligible. However, in the case of a group determined to be ineligible by the Board of Land Appeals, the segregation shall be continued for a period of 60 days from the date of such decision.
(6) Where any conflict in land selection occurs between any eligible Native groups, the Bureau of Land Management shall request the appropriate regional corporation to recommend the manner in which such conflict should be resolved.
(7) The Bureau of Land Management shall issue a decision on the selection of a Native group determined to be eligible and shall serve a copy of such decision by certified mail on the Native group, its regional corporation and any party of record and the decision shall be published in accordance with § 2650.7 of this part.
(8) Appeals from the Bureau of Land Management decision on the selection by a Native group under this section shall be made to the Board of Land Appeals in accordance with 43 CFR part 4, subpart E.
§ 2653.7   Sitka-Kenai-Juneau-Kodiak selections.
(a) The corporations representing the Natives residing in Sitka, Kenai, Juneau, and Kodiak, who incorporate under the laws of the State of Alaska, may each select the surface estate of up to 23,040 acres of lands of similar character located in reasonable proximity to those municipalities.
(b) The corporations representing the Natives residing in Sitka, Kenai, Juneau, and Kodiak, shall nominate not less than 92,160 acres of lands within 50 miles of each of the four named cities which are similar in character to the lands in which each of the cities is located. After review and public hearings, the Secretary shall withdraw up to 46,080 acres near each of the cities from the lands nominated. Each corporation representing the Native residents of the four named cities may select not more than one-half the area withdrawn for selection by that corporation. The Secretary shall convey the area selected.
§ 2653.8   Primary place of residence.
(a) An application under this subpart may be made by a Native who occupied land as a primary place of residence on August 31, 1971.
(b) Applications for a primary place of residence must be filed not later than December 18, 1973.
§ 2653.8-1   Acreage to be conveyed.
A Native may secure title to the surface estate of only a single tract not to exceed 160 acres under the provisions of this subpart, and shall be limited to the acreage actually occupied and used. An application for title under this subpart shall be accompanied by a certification by the applicant that he will not receive title to any other tract of land pursuant to sections 14 (c)(2), (h)(2), or 18 of the Act.
§ 2653.8-2   Primary place of residence criteria.
(a) Periods of occupancy. Casual or occasional use will not be considered as occupancy sufficient to make the tract applied for a primary place of residence.
(b) Improvements constructed on the land. (1) Must have a dwelling.
(2) May include associated structures such as food cellars, drying racks, caches etc.
(c) Evidence of occupancy. Must have evidence of permanent or seasonal occupancy for substantial periods of time.
§ 2653.8-3   Appeals.
Appeals from decisions made by the Bureau of Land Management on applications filed pursuant to section 14(h)(5) of the Act shall be made to the Board of Land Appeals in accordance with 43 CFR part 4, subpart E.
§ 2653.9   Regional selections.
(a) Applications by a regional corporation for selection of land within its boundaries under section 14(h)(8) of the Act shall be filed with the proper office of the Bureau of Land Management in accordance with § 2650.2(a). Selections made under section 14(h)(1), (2), (3), and (5) of the Act will take priority over selections made pursuant to section 14(h)(8). Lands available for section 14(h)(8) selections are those lands originally withdrawn under section 11(a)(1), (3), or 16(a) of the Act and not conveyed pursuant to selections made under sections 12(a), (b), or (c), 16(b) or 19 of the Act.
(b) A regional corporation may select a total area in excess of its entitlement to ensure that it will obtain its entitlement in the event of any conflicts. Any acreage in excess of its entitlement shall be identified as alternate selections and shall be numerically ordered on a section by section basis to indicate selection preference.
(c) Selections need not be contiguous but must be made along section lines in reasonably compact tracts of at least 5,760 acres, not including any unavailable land contained therein. The exterior boundaries of such tracts shall be in linear segments of not less than two miles in length, except where adjoining unavailable lands or where shorter segments are necessary to follow section lines where township lines are offset along standard parallels caused by the convergence of the meridians. However, selected tracts may contain less than 5,760 acres where there is good cause shown for such selection, taking into consideration good land management planning and principles for the potentially remaining public lands, and which would not leave unduly fragmented tracts of such public lands. Each tract selected shall not be considered to be reasonably compact if (1) it excludes other lands for selection within its exterior boundaries, or (2) an isolated tract of public land of less than 1,280 acres remains after selection of the total entitlement. Regional corporations shall not be precluded from selecting less than 5,760 acres where the entire tract available for selection constitutes less than 5,760 acres. Selection shall conform as nearly as practicable to the United States land survey system.
(d) Notice of the filing of such selections, including the date by which any protest of the selection should be filed, shall be published once in the Federal Register and one or more newspapers of general circulation in Alaska once a week for three consecutive weeks by the Bureau of Land Management. Any protest to the application should be filed in the Bureau of Land Management office in which such selections were filed within the time specified in the notice.
(e) Appeals from decisions made by the Bureau of Land Management with respect to such selections shall be made to the Board of Land Appeals in accordance with 43 CFR part 4, subpart E.
§ 2653.10   Excess selections.
Where land selections by a regional corporation, Native group, any of the four named cities, or a Native pursuant to section 14(h) (1), (2), (3), or (5) exceed the land entitlement, the Bureau of Land Management may request such corporation to indicate its preference among lands selected.
§ 2653.11   Conveyance reservations.
(a) Conveyances issued pursuant to this subpart are subject to the conveyance reservations described in § 2650.4 of this chapter.
(b) In addition to the reservations provided in paragraph (a) of this section, conveyance for cemetery sites or historical places will contain a covenant running with the land providing that (1) the regional corporation shall not authorize mining or mineral activity of any type; nor shall it authorize any use which is incompatible with or is in derogation of the values of the area as a cemetery site or historical place (standards for determining uses which are incompatible with or in derogation of the values of the area are found in relevant portions of 36 CFR 800.9 (1974); and (2) that the United States reserves the right to seek enforcement of the covenant in an action in equity. The covenant placed in this subsection may be released by the Secretary, in his discretion, upon application of the regional corporation grantee showing that extraordinary to circumstances of a nature to warrant the release have arisen subsequent to the conveyance.
(c) Conveyances for cemetery sites and historical places shall also contain the covenant required by § 2650.4-6 of this chapter.
§ 2654.0-3   Authority.
Section 19(b) of the Act authorizes any village corporation(s) located within a reserve defined in the act to acquire title to the surface and subsurface estates in any reserve set aside for the use and benefit of its stockholders or members prior to December 18, 1971. Such acquisition precludes any other benefits under the Act.
§ 2654.0-5   Definitions.
Reserve lands means any lands reserved prior to the date of enactment of the act which are subject to being taken in lieu of other benefits under the act pursuant to section 19(b) of the Act.
§ 2654.1   Exercise of option.
(a) Any village corporation which has not, by December 18, 1973, elected to acquire title to the reserve lands will be deemed to have elected to receive for itself and its members the other benefits under the Act.
(b) The election of a village to acquire title to the reserve lands shall be exercised in the manner provided by its articles of incorporation. However when two or more villages are located on the same reserve there must be a special election to acquire title to the reserve lands. A majority vote of all the stockholders or members of all corporations located on the reserve is required to acquire title to the reserve lands. For the purpose of this paragraph the stockholders or members shall be determined on the basis of the roll of village residents proposed to be promulgated under 25 CFR 43h.7. 1 The regional corporation or village corporations or any member or stockholder of the village corporations involved may request that the election be observed by the Bureau of Indian Affairs.
1 At 47 FR 13327, Mar. 30, 1982, § 43h.7 of Title 25 was redesignated as § 69.7.
(c) The results of any election by a village corporation or corporations to acquire title to the reserve lands shall be certified by such village corporation or corporations as being in conformity with the articles of incorporation and by-laws of the village corporation or corporations.
§ 2654.2   Application procedures.
(a) If the corporation or corporations elect to take title to the reserve lands, submission to the Secretary of the certificate of election will constitute an application to acquire title to those lands.
(b) If the village corporation or corporations do not elect to take the reserve lands, they shall apply for their land selections pursuant to subpart 2651 of this chapter.
§ 2654.3   Conveyances.
(a) Conveyances under this subpart are subject to the provisions of section 14(g) of the Act, as provided by § 2650.4 of this chapter.
(b) Conveyances under this subpart to two or more village corporations will be made to them as tenants-in-common, having undivided interests proportionate to the number of their respective members or stockholders determined on the basis of the final roll promulgated by the Secretary pursuant to section 5 of the Act.
§ 2655.0-3   Authority.
Section 3(e)(1) of the Act provides that the Secretary shall determine the smallest practicable tract enclosing land actually used in connection with the administration of Federal installations in Alaska.
§ 2655.0-5   Definitions.
As used in this subpart, the term:
(a) Holding agency means any Federal agency claiming use of a tract of land subject to these regulations.
(b) Appropriate selection period means the statutory or regulatory period within which the lands were available for Native selection under the act.
(c) State Director means the Director, Alaska State Office, Bureau of Land Management.
§ 2655.1   Lands subject to determination.
(a) Holding agency lands located within areas withdrawn by sections 11(a)(1), 16(a), or 16(d) of the Act and subsequently selected by a village or regional corporation under sections 12 or 16, or selected by the regional corporation under sections 12 or 16, or selected by the regional corporation for southeast Alaska in accordance with section 14(h)(8)(B) are subject to a determination made under this subpart.
(b) Lands in the National Park System, lands withdrawn or reserved for national defense purposes and those former Indian reserves elected under section 19 of the Act are not subject to a determination under section 3(e)(1) of the Act or this subpart. Lands withdrawn under section 11(a)(3) or 14(h), except 14(h)(8)(B), of the Act do not include lands withdrawn or otherwise appropriated by a Federal agency and, therefore, are not subject to a determination under section 3(e)(1) of the Act or this subpart.
§ 2655.2   Criteria for determinations.
Land subject to determination under section 3(e)(1) of the Act will be subject to conveyance to Native corporations if they are determined to be public lands under this subpart. If the lands are determined not to be public lands, they will be retained by the holding agency. The Bureau of Land Management shall determine:
(a) Nature and time of use.
(1) If the holding agency used the lands for a purpose directly and necessarily connected with the Federal agency as of December 18, 1971; and
(2) If use was continuous, taking into account the type of use, throughout the appropriate selection period; and
(3) If the function of the holding agency is similiar to that of the Federal agency using the lands as of December 18, 1971.
(b) Specifications for area to be retained by Federal agency.
(1) Area shall be no larger than reasonably necessary to support the agency's use.
(2) Tracts shall be described by U.S. Survey (or portion thereof), smallest aliquot part, metes and bounds or protraction diagram, as appropriate.
(3) Tracts may include:
(i) Improved lands;
(ii) Buffer zone surrounding improved lands as is reasonably necessary for purposes such as safety measures, maintenance, security, erosion control, noise protection and drainage;
(iii) Unimproved lands used for storage;
(iv) Lands containing gravel or other materials used in direct connection with the agency's purpose and not used simply as a source of revenue or services. The extent of the areas reserved as a source of materials will be the area disturbed but not depleted as of the date of the end of the appropriate selection period; and
(v) Lands used by a non-governmental entity or private person for a use that has a direct, necessary and substantial connection to the purpose of the holding agency but shall not include lands from which proceeds of the lease, permit, contract, or other means are used primarily to derive revenue.
(c) Interest to be retained by Federal agency.
(1) Generally, full fee title to the tract shall be retained; however, where the tract is used primarily for access, electronic, light or visibility clear zones or right-of-way, an easement may be reserved in lieu of full fee title where the State Director determines that an easement affords sufficient protection, that an easement is customary for the particular use and that it would further the objectives of the act.
(2) Easements reserved in lieu of full fee title shall be reserved under the provisions of section 17(b) of the Act and § 2650.4-7 of this title.
§ 2655.3   Determination procedures.
(a) The State Director shall make the determination pursuant to the provisions in this subpart. Where sufficient information has not already been provided, the State Director shall issue written notice to any Federal agency which the Bureau of Land Management has reason to believe might be a holding agency. The written notice shall provide that the information requested be furnished in triplicate to the State Director within 90 days from the receipt of the notice. Upon receipt of information the State Director will promptly provide affected Native corporations with copies of the documents. Upon adequate and justifiable showing as to the need for an extension by the holding agency, the State Director may grant a time extension up to 60 days to provide the information requested in this subpart.
(b) The information to be provided by the holding agency shall include the following for each tract which is subject to determination:
(1) The function and scope of the installation;
(2) A plottable legal description of the lands used;
(3) A list of structures or other alterations to the character of lands and their function, their location on the tract, and date of construction;
(4) A description of the use and function of any unaltered lands;
(5) A list of any rights, interests or permitted uses the agency has granted to others, including other Federal agencies, along with dates of issuance and expiration and copies of any relevant documents;
(6) If available, site plans, drawings and annotated aerial photographs delineating the boundaries of the installation and locations of the areas used; and
(7) A narrative explanation stating when Federal use of each area began; what use was being made of the lands as of December 18, 1971; whether any action has taken place between December 18, 1971, and the end of the appropriate selection period that would reduce the area needed, and the date this action occurred.
(c) The State Director shall request comments from the selecting Native corporation relating to the identification of lands requiring a determination. The period for comment by the Native corporation shall be as provided for the agency in paragraph (a) of this section, but shall commence from the date of receipt of the latest copy of the holding agency's submission.
(d) The holding agency has the burden of proof in proceedings before the State Director under this subpart. A determination of the lands to be retained by the holding agency under section 3(e) of the Act and this subpart shall be made based on the information available in the case file. If the holding agency fails to present adequate information on which to base a determination, all lands selected shall be approved for conveyance to the selecting Native corporation.
(e) The results of the determination shall be incorporated into appropriate decision documents.
§ 2655.4   Adverse decisions.
(a) Any decision adverse to the holding agency or Native corporation shall become final unless appealed to the Board of Land Appeals in accordance with 43 CFR part 4, subpart E. If a decision is appealed, the Secretary may take personal jurisdiction over the matter in accordance with 43 CFR 4.5. In the case of appeals from affected Federal agencies, the Secretary may take jurisdiction upon written request from the appropriate cabinet level official. The requesting official, the State Director and any affected Native corporation shall be notified in writing of the Secretary's decision regarding the request for Secretarial jurisdiction and the reasons for the decision shall be communicated in writing to the requesting agency and any other parties to the appeal.
(b) When an appeal to a decision to issue a conveyance is made by a holding agency or a Native corporation on the basis that the Bureau of Land Management neglected to make a determination pursuant to section 3(e)(1) of the Act, the matter shall be remanded by the Board of Land Appeals to the Bureau of Land Management for a determination pursuant to section 3(e)(1) of the Act and these regulations: Provided, That the holding agency or Native corporation has reasonably satisfied the Board that its claim is not frivolous.
The information collection requirements contained in parts 2720 and 2740 of Group 2700 have been approved by the Office of Management and Budget under 44 U.S.C. 3507 and assigned clearance numbers 1004-0153 and 1004-0012, respectively. The information is being collected to permit the authorized officer to determine if disposition of Federally-owned mineral interests should be made and to determine if disposition of public lands should be made for recreation and public purposes. This information will be used to make these determinations. A response is required to obtain a benefit.