An Act to establish the Chickasaw National Recreation Area in the State of Oklahoma, and for other purposes.
PL 94-235 (H.R.4979), enacted 03/17/1976

PUBLIC LAW 94-235—MAR. 17, 1976 
90 STAT. 235 
Public Law 94-235 
94th Congress 
An Act 
To establish the Chickasaw National Recreation Area in the State of Oklahoma, 
and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted hy the Senate and House of Representatives 
of the 
United 
States 
of America 
in Congress assembled, That in order to 
pi-ovide for public outdoor recreation use and enjoyment of Arbuckle 
Keservoir and land adjacent thei-eto, and to provide for more efficient 
administration of other adjacent area containing scenic, scientific, 
natural, and historic values contributing to public enjoyment of the 
area and to designate the area in such manner as will constitute a 
fitting memorialization of the Chickasaw Indian Nation, there is 
hereby established the Chickasaw National Recreation Area (herein-
after referred to as the '"recreation area"') consisting of lands and 
interests in lands within the area as generally depicted on the drawing 
entitled "Boundary Map, Chickasaw National Recreation Area," num-
bered l()T-2()()04-A and dated February 1974, which shall be on file 
and available for inspection in the offices of the National Park Service, 
Department of the Interior, The Secretary of the Interior (herein-
after r-ei'erred to as the "Secretary") may from time to time revise 
the boundaries of the recreation area by publication of a map or other 
boundary descripLion in the Federal Register, but the total acreage of 
the recreation area may not exceed ten thousand acres. 
Sicc. 2. (a) The Secr-etary may acquire land or interests in lands 
within the boundaries of the recreation area by donation, purchase 
with donated or- appropriated funds, or exchange. When any tract of 
land is only partly within such boitndaries, the Secretary may acquire 
all or any portiorr of the land outside of such boundaries in order 
to mininrize the payment of severance costs. Land so acquired outside 
of the boundaries may be exchanged by the Secretary for non-Federal 
lands within the boundaries, and any land so acquired and not utilized 
for exchange shall be reported to the General Services Administration 
for disposal under the Federal Property and Administrative Services 
Act of 1949 (63 Stat. 377), as amended. Any Federal property located 
within the boundaries of the recreation area uiay be transferred with-
out consideration to the administrative jurisdiction of the Secretary 
for the purposes of the recreation ar-ea. Lands within the boundaries 
of the recreation area owned by the State of Oklahoma, or any polit-
ical subdivision thereof, may be acquired only by donation: 
Provided, 
That the Secretary may also acquire lands by exchange with the city 
of Sulphur, utilizing therefor only such lands as may be excluded 
from the recreation area which were formerly within the Piatt 
National Par-k. 
(b) With respect to impr-oved r-esidential property acquir-ed for 
the purposes of this Act, which is beneficially owned by a natural 
person and vv^hich the Secretary determines can be contiriued in that 
use for- a limited period of time without undue interference with the 
administr-ation, development, or public use of the recreation area, 
the owner thereof may on the date of its acquisition by the Secretary 
retain a right of use and occupancy of the property for noncom-
mercial residential ])urposes for a term, as the owner may elect, end-
ing either (1) at the death of the owner or his spouse, whichever 
Mar. 17, 1976 
[H.R. 4979] 
Chickasaw 
National 
Recreation Area, 
Okla. 
Establishment. 
16 u s e 460hh. 
Publication in 
Federal Register. 
Land acquisition. 
16 u s e 460hh-l. 
40 u s e 471 note. 
Residential 
property. 
90 STAT. 236 
PUBLIC LAW 94-235—MAR. 17, 1976 
"Improved 
residential 
property." 
Hunting and 
fishing. 
16 use 460hh-2. 
Administration. 
16 use 460hh-3. 
Repeal. 
16 use 460hh-4. 
Publication in 
Federal Register. 
16 use 460hh-5. 
occurs later, or (2^ not more than twenty-five j^ears from the date of 
acquisition. Any right so retained may, during its existence, be trans-
ferred or assigned. The Secretary shall pay to the owner the fair 
market value of the property on the date of such acquisition, less the 
fair market value on such date of the right retained by the owner. 
(c) As used in this Act, "improved residential property" means a 
single-family year-round dwellmg, the construction of which began 
before March 1, 1975, and which serves as the owner's permanent 
place of abode at the time of its acquisition by the United States, 
together with not more than three acres of land on which the dwelling 
and appurtenant buildings are located that the Secretary finds is 
reasonably necessary for the owner's continued use and occupancy of 
the dwelling: Provided^ That the Secretary may exclude from 
improved residential property any waters and adjoining land that 
the Secretary deems is necessary for public access to such waters. 
(d) The Secretary may terminate a right to use and occupancy 
retained pursuant to this section upon his determination that such 
use and occupancy is being exercised in a manner not consistent with 
the purposes of the Act, and upon tender to the holder of the right an 
amount equal to the fair market value of that portion of the right 
which remains unexpired on the date of termination. 
SEC. 3. The Secretary shall permit hunting and fishing on lands 
and waters within the recreation area in accordance with applicable 
Federal and State laws: Provided^ That he may designate zones where, 
and establish periods when, no hunting or fishing will be permitted for 
reasons of public safety, administration, fish or wildlife management, 
or public use and enjoyment. Except in emergencies, any regulations 
issued by the Secretary pursuant to this section shall be put into effect 
only after consultation with the appropriate State agency responsible 
for hunting and fishing activities. 
SEC. 4. (a) Except as otherwise provided in this Act, the Secretary 
shall administer the recreation area in accordance with the provisions 
of the Act of August 25, 1916 (39 Stat. 535; 16 U.S.C. 1, 2-4), as 
amended and supplemented. 
(b) Nothing contained in this Act shall affect or interfere with the 
authority of the Secretary by the Act of August 24, 1962 (76 Stat. 
395), to operate the Arbuckle Dam and Reservoir in accordance with 
and for the purposes set forth in that Act. 
SEC. 5. The Act of June 29,1906 (34 Stat. 837), which directed that 
certain lands now included by this Act in the recreation area be desig-
nated as the Piatt National Park, is hereby repealed, and such lands 
shall hereafter be considered and known as an integral part of the 
Chickasaw National Recreation Area: Provided^ That within such 
area the Secretary may cause to be erected suitable markers or plaques 
to honor the memory of Orville Hitchcock Piatt and to commemorate 
the original establishment of Piatt National Park. 
SEC. 6. Notwithstanding the provisions of section 7 of the Act of 
June 16,1906 (34 Stat. 272), which retain exclusive jurisdiction in the 
United States, upon notification in writing to the Secretary by the 
appropriate State officials of the acceptance by the State of Oklahoma 
of concurrent legislative jurisdiction over the lands formerly within 
the Piatt National Park, the Secretary shall publish a notice to that 
effect in the Federal Register and, upon such publication, concurrent 
legislative jurisdiction over such lands is hereby ceded to the State of 
Oklahoma: Provided^ That such cession of jurisdiction shall not occur 
until a written agreement has been reached between the State of 
Oklahoma and the Secretary providing for the exercise of concurrent 
PUBLIC LAW 94^235—MAR. 17, 1976 
90 STAT. 237 
jurisdiction over all other lands and waters within the Chickasaw 
National Recreation Area. 
SEC. 7. There are hereby authorized to be appropriated such sums Appropriation 
as may be necessary to carry out the purposes of this Act, but not to authorization, 
exceed $1,600,000 for the acquisition of lands and interests in lands, 1^ USC 460hh-6. 
and $4,567,000 for development. 
Approved March 17, 1976. 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY: 
HOUSE REPORT No. 94-803 (Coram, on Interior and Insular Affairs). 
SENATE REPORT No. 94-678 (Coram, on Interior and Insular Affairs). 
CONGRESSIONAL RECORD, Vol. 122 (1976): 
Feb. 2, considered and passed House. 
Mar. 5, considered and passed Senate.