Arkansas Administrative Code › Agency 012 - Department of Arkansas Heritage › Division 04 - Natural Heritage Commission › Rule 012.04.11-001 - General Rules

Current through Register Vol. 49, No. 6, June, 2024
RULES AND REGULATIONS OF THE ARKANSAS NATURAL HERITAGE
				COMMISSION (2011)
ARTICLE I
Name
The name of this commission shall be the Arkansas Natural
				Heritage Commission (Arkansas Code Annotated §
									15-20-304
				), hereinafter referred to as the Commission.
ARTICLE II
Duties
Section
			 1.
Authority
The Commission shall have the following rights, powers, and
				duties (A.C.A. §§
										15-20-308,
				15-20-309,
				15-20-312,
				15-20-317,
				and
				15-23-308):
(a) Choose lands, waters, and interests
			 therein to be acquired for inclusion in the System of Natural Areas
(b) Acquire fee or other interests in real
			 property for inclusion in the System of Natural Areas
(c) Consider the characteristics of the
			 natural area, the type and extent of management required to maintain that area,
			 the types and extent of activity permissible, and other factors, and retain fee
			 title or convey that title to another agency or department of the
			 state
(d) Acquire and hold any
			 interest in real property less than fee, including environmental or scenic
			 easements
(e) Establish and amend
			 policies, rules, and regulations for the selection, acquisition, management,
			 protection, and use of the System of Natural Areas
(f) Cooperate and contract with government
			 agencies, private organizations, and individuals
(g) Maintain a registry or inventory of lands
			 and waters in the state that retain their primeval character to a substantial
			 degree or that have features of significant scientific, educational, or
			 recreational interest
(h) Maintain
			 an inventory of habitats of rare, vanishing, or endangered species, subspecies,
			 or populations of plants and animals, and other appropriate records
(i) Conduct research and investigation and
			 publish and disseminate information and recommendations
(j) Supervise the protection, management, and
			 use of the System of Natural Areas and administer and enforce its policies,
			 rules, and regulations
(k)
			 Investigate, promote, advise, and assist in the preservation, protection, and
			 management of natural areas
(l)
			 Advise agencies of the federal government concerning areas or streams eligible
			 for treatment under federal criteria as wildlife refuges; wilderness areas; or
			 wild, scenic, or recreational rivers
(m) Submit to the Governor and General
			 Assembly, and publish, on or before December 1 of each year, a report which
			 describes and accounts for the status and condition of each portion of the
			 System of Natural Areas and of each natural area listed in the Registry of
			 Natural Areas
(n) Receive gifts,
			 grants, donations, fee conveyances, or transfers of money and property and sell
			 or dispose of such property
(o)
			 With the advice and consent of the Arkansas Legislative Council and the
			 Governor, acquire real property for the purpose of trade or exchange, and
			 exchange such property for lands to be included in the System of Natural
			 Areas
(p) Cause articles of
			 dedication to be recorded in each county wherein any portion of the property
			 affected by the articles shall lie
(q) Establish by rule and operate a system of
			 fees to defray the expense of providing research services to users of the
			 heritage data system
(r) Survey,
			 evaluate, and assess rivers to be considered for designation as components of
			 the Arkansas Natural and Scenic Rivers System
(s) Recommend to the General Assembly rivers
			 to be considered for entry into the Natural and Scenic Rivers System
(t) Contract for professional services with
			 any agency or private individual or organization for the proper performance of
			 its functions with respect to natural and scenic rivers
(u) Organize, establish, and serve on an
			 advisory committee for each river considered for recommendation
(v) Review water-related projects for their
			 potential impacts on the Arkansas Natural and Scenic Rivers
			 System