An Act to provide for the withdrawal of certain public lands 40 miles east of Fairbanks, Alaska, for use by the Department of the Army as a Nike range
PL 87-320 (H.R.2280), enacted 09/26/1961

682 
PUBLIC LAW 87-320-SEPT. 26, 1961 
[75 ST A T . 
September 26,1961 
[H. R. 2280] 
F a i r b a n k s , 
Alaska. 
Reservation of 
lands. 
Use for military 
purposes. 
Disposition. 
Public Law 87-320 
AM ACT 
To provide for the withdrawal of certain public lands forty miles east of Fair-
banks, Alaska, for use by the Department of the Army as a Nike range. 
Be it enacted hy the Senate and House of Representatives 
of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled^ That (a) subject to 
valid existing rights the public lands aggregating approximately six 
hundred and seven thousand eight hundred acres described in applica-
tion for withdrawal, serial number Fairbanks 022929 published in the 
Federal Register of May 26, 1959, page 4218 (Federal Register Docu-
ment 59-4405; filed, May 25, 1959; 8:49 antemeridian), are hereby 
withdrawn from all forms of use and appropriation under the public 
land laws including the mining and mineral leasing laws and disposals 
of materials under the Act of July 31,1947, as amended (61 Stat. 681; 
30 U.S.C. 601-604), except as provided in subsection (b) of this section 
and reserved for the use of the Department of the Army as a Nike 
range for a period of ten years or, if extended by the Secretary of the 
Interior, for a period of .fifteen years, or for any shorter period as may 
be determined by the Secretary of the Army upon notice to the Secre-
tary of the Interior. 
(b) The lands and resources withdrawn and reserved by subsection 
(a) of this section shall be subject to use, appropriation, and disposi-
tion in a manner that w411 not interfere with the use of the withdrawn 
area by the Department of the Army during the period December 15 to 
March 15 annually in accordance with schedules adopted by the 
Department of the Army. 
(c) All occupancy and use under homestead entries, mining loca-
tions, mineral leases or other appropriation or use conformable with 
the Public Land Laws of the United States as aforesaid which may 
be effectuated within the area withdrawn and reserved under subsec-
tion (b) of this Act shall be subject to the paramount and exclusive 
ri^ht of the Army to utilize the lands for Nike range and incidental 
military purposes during the period December 15 to March 15 annually 
until termination of the withdrawal and reservation effected by this 
Act, and all documents authorizing use or occupancy or effecting dispo-
sition of such lands shall expressly preserve to the United States the 
paramount and exclusive right above specified. 
(d) Upon request of the Secretary of the Interior at the time of 
final termination of the reservation effected by this Act, the Depart-
ment of the Army shall make safe for nonmilitary uses the land with-
drawn and reserved, or such portions thereof as may be specified b^y 
the Secretary of the Interior, by neutralizing unexploded ammuni-
tion, bombs, artillery projectiles, or other explosive objects and chem-
ical agents. Thereafter the Secretary of the Interior pursuant to law 
shall provide for the appropriate use or disposition of all or any part 
of the land withdrawn and reserved under provisions of this Act. 
Nothing in this subsection, however, shall be construed to prevent the 
Secretary of the Army at that time from making application for fur-
ther witfidrawal and reservation of all or part of said lands under laws 
and regulations then existing. 
Approved September 26, 1961.