S. 4439 

One Hundred Seventeenth Congress 

of the 

United States of America 

AT THE SECOND SESSION 

Begun and held at the City of Washington on Monday, 

the third day of January, two thousand and twenty two 

An Act 

To take certain Federal land located in Siskiyou County, California, and Humboldt 

County, California, into trust for the benefit of the Karuk Tribe, and for other 

purposes. 

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 

the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Katimiıˆn and Ameekya ́araam 

Sacred Lands Act’’. 

SEC. 2. LAND HELD IN TRUST FOR THE KARUK TRIBE. 

(a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds that— 

(1) the Katimiıˆn and Ameekya ́araam land is located in 

the ancestral territory of the Karuk Tribe; and 

(2) the Karuk Tribe has historically used, and has an 

ongoing relationship with, the Katimiıˆn and Ameekya ́araam 

land. 

(b) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

(1) KATIMIIˆN AND AMEEKYA ́ ARAAM LAND.—The term 

‘‘Katimiıˆn and Ameekya ́araam land’’ means the approximately 

1,031 acres of Federal land, including improvements and appurtenances to the Federal land, located in Siskiyou County, California, and Humboldt County, California, and generally 

depicted as ‘‘Proposed Area’’ on the map of the Forest Service 

entitled ‘‘Katimiıˆn Area Boundary Proposal’’ and dated August 

9, 2021. 

(2) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means the Secretary 

of the Interior. 

(c) ADMINISTRATIVE TRANSFER.—Administrative jurisdiction of 

the Katimiıˆn and Ameekya ́araam land is hereby transferred from 

the Secretary of Agriculture to the Secretary, subject to the condition that the Chief of the Forest Service shall continue to manage 

the component of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System 

that flows through the Katimiıˆn and Ameekya ́araam land. 

(d) LAND HELD IN TRUST.—The Katimiıˆn and Ameekya ́araam 

land is hereby taken into trust by the Secretary for the benefit 

of the Karuk Tribe, subject to— 

(1) valid existing rights, contracts, and management agreements relating to easements and rights-of-way; and 

(2) continued access by the Chief of the Forest Service 

for the purpose of managing the component of the National 

Wild and Scenic Rivers System that flows through the Katimiıˆn 

and Ameekya ́araam land. 
S. 4439—2 

(e) SURVEY.—Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Agriculture shall provide to 

the Secretary a complete survey of the land taken into trust under 

subsection (d). 

(f) USE OF LAND.— 

(1) IN GENERAL.—Land taken into trust under subsection 

(d) may be used for traditional and customary uses for the 

benefit of the Karuk Tribe. 

(2) GAMING.—Class II and class III gaming under the 

Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (25 U.S.C. 2701 et seq.) shall 

not be allowed on the land taken into trust under subsection 

(d). 

(g) WILD AND SCENIC RIVERS MANAGEMENT.— 

(1) IN GENERAL.—Nothing in this section affects the status 

or administration of any component of the National Wild and 

Scenic Rivers System, including any component that flows 

through the land taken into trust under subsection (d). 

(2) MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING.—The Secretary of 

Agriculture shall enter into a memorandum of understanding 

with the Karuk Tribe, consistent with the obligations of the 

Secretary of Agriculture under subsection (c), to establish 

mutual goals for the protection and enhancement of the river 

values of any component of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers 

System that flows through the land taken into trust under 

subsection (d). 

Speaker of the House of Representatives. 

Vice President of the United States and

President of the Senate.