(b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents of
this Act is as follows:
Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents.
Sec. 2. Findings.
Sec. 3. Mississippi Valley National Historical Park, Blytheville, Arkansas.
Sec. 4. Transfer of jurisdiction, Eaker Air Force Base, for historical park.
Sec. 5. Acquisition of Chickasawba Mound for inclusion in historical park.
Sec. 6. Administration of historical park.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress finds the following:
(1) The central and lower Mississippi Valley re-
gion contained the highest population levels and the
most complex Native American societies north of
Mexico before the arrival of European peoples in the
16th century.
(2) In addition, the Mississippi Valley has also
hosted Spanish, French, English, and ultimately
American societies at different times in the last 450
years.
(3) Blytheville, Arkansas, is centrally located in
the Mississippi Valley region.
(4) Former Eaker Air Force Base, which is lo-
cated outside of Blytheville, Arkansas, in the central
Mississippi Valley region, is the site of 14 archae-
ological sites associated with Native Americans.
(5) Because of its value in illustrating and in-
terpreting the heritage of the United States, the
largest of these archaeological sites, was recognized
by the National Park Service as a National Historic
Landmark in 1996.
(6) Another archaeological site outside of
Blytheville, Arkansas, the Chickasawba Mound, was
placed on the National Register of Historic Places in
1984 because of its historic and archaeological re-
sources.
(7) These previous actions by the Department
of the Interior recognize that these archaeological
sites are likely to benefit, educate, and inspire
present and future generations of Americans, but no
unified heritage park for the central Mississippi Val-
ley region exists within the National Park Service.
(8) Blytheville, Arkansas, also possesses many
other regionally and nationally significant natural,
seismic, cultural, and recreational resources associ-
ated with the heritage of the central Mississippi Val-
ley region.
(9) The sites and resources associated with the
heritage of the central Mississippi Valley region re-
quire recognition through the establishment of a na-
tional historical park for the central Mississippi Val-
ley region as a unit of the National Park System.
(10) As a result of the closing of Eaker Air
Force Base in Blytheville, Arkansas, pursuant to the
Defense Base Closure and Realignment Act of 1990,
Federal land and facilities are readily available for
the establishment of a national historical park for
the central Mississippi Valley region to protect the
archaeological sites located on the former military
installation, as well as to preserve, maintain, and in-
terpret the natural, seismic, cultural, and rec-
reational heritage of the central Mississippi Valley
region for the benefit, education, and inspiration of
present and future generations of Americans.
SEC. 3. MISSISSIPPI VALLEY NATIONAL HISTORICAL PARK,
BLYTHEVILLE, ARKANSAS.
(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—In order to preserve for the
benefit and inspiration of the people of the United States
as a national historical park certain properties in Blythe-
ville, Arkansas, and its vicinity associated with the archae-
ological, natural, seismic, cultural, and recreational herit-
age of the Mississippi Valley region, there is established
as a unit of the National Park System the Mississippi Val-
ley National Historical Park in the State of Arkansas.
(b) BOUNDARIES.—The historical park shall consist
of approximately 570 acres, including the real property
transferred to the National Park Service at former Eaker
Air Force Base under section 4 and the parcel of real
property containing the archaeological site known as the
Chickasawba Mound and authorized for acquisition under
section 5. The boundaries of the historical park shall also
include all property authorized to be acquired for inclusion
in the park by any law enacted after the date of the enact-
ment of this Act.
SEC. 4. TRANSFER OF JURISDICTION, EAKER AIR FORCE
BASE, FOR HISTORICAL PARK.
(a) TRANSFER OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITES.—The
Secretary of Defense shall transfer, without reimburse-
ment, to the administrative jurisdiction of the Secretary
of the Interior the parcels of real property (including im-
provements thereon) located at former Eaker Air Force
Base, Blytheville, Arkansas, consisting of the archae-
ological sites depicted on the map entitled ‘‘Arkansas
Aeroplex Archaeological Sites’’.
(b) VISITOR AND ADMINISTRATIVE SITES.—
(1) TRANSFER
REQUIRED.—To preserve the
historical character and landscape of the main fea-
tures of the historical park, the Secretary of Defense
also shall transfer, without reimbursement, to the
administrative jurisdiction of the Secretary of the
Interior an additional parcel of real property at
former Eaker Air Force Base for the development of
visitor, administrative, museum, curatorial, and
maintenance facilities for the historical park.
(2) ACREAGE LIMITATION.—The parcel trans-
ferred under this subsection may not exceed 15
acres.
(3) SELECTION.—The parcel to be transferred
under this subsection shall be jointly selected by the
Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of the Inte-
rior.
(c) USE OF LAND.—The Secretary of the Interior
shall use the real property transferred under this section
as part of the historical park.
(d) LEGAL DESCRIPTION.—The exact acreage and
legal description of the real property to be transferred
under this section shall be determined by a survey satis-
factory to the Secretary of Defense. The cost of the survey
shall be borne by the Secretary of the Interior.
SEC. 5. ACQUISITION OF CHICKASAWBA MOUND FOR IN-
CLUSION IN HISTORICAL PARK.
The Secretary of the Interior may acquire for inclu-
sion in the historical park, by donation or exchange, the
archaeological site known as the Chickasawba Mound,
which was placed on the National Register of Historic
Places in 1984.
SEC. 6. ADMINISTRATION OF HISTORICAL PARK.
(a) APPLICABLE LAWS.—The Secretary of the Inte-
rior shall administer the historical park in accordance with
this Act and the laws generally applicable to units of the
National Park System, including the Act of August 25,
1916 (commonly known as the National Park Service Or-
ganic Act; 16 U.S.C. 1 et seq.), and the Act of August
21, 1935 (commonly known as the Historic Sites, Build-
ings, and Antiquities Act; 16 U.S.C. 461 et seq.).
(b) COOPERATIVE AGREEMENTS.—
(1) AUTHORIZED.—The Secretary of the Inte-
rior may consult and enter into cooperative agree-
ments with interested entities and individuals to pro-
vide for the preservation, development, interpreta-
tion, and use of the historical park.
(2) CONDITIONS.—Any payment made by the
Secretary pursuant to such a cooperative agreement
shall be subject to an agreement that conversion,
use, or disposal of the project assisted under the co-
operative agreement for purposes contrary to the
purposes of the historical park, as determined by the
Secretary, shall result in a right of the United
States to reimbursement of all funds made available
to such project or the proportion of the increased
value of the project attributable to such finds as de-
termined at the time of such conversion, use, or dis-
posal, whichever is greater.
(c) ACQUISITION OF REAL PROPERTY.—Subject to
sections 4 and 5, the Secretary of the Interior may ac-
quire, within the boundaries of the historical park, real
property with appropriated or donated funds, by donation,
or by exchange for inclusion in the historical park.
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