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Allows the Secretary of the Interior to buy, accept, or exchange private land from willing sellers near Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument (no eminent domain) and add those lands to the Monument. Directs the National Park Service to manage acquired lands under park laws, preserve existing recreational uses (including hunting, fishing, and limited hand-gathering of fiddleheads), allow certain noncommercial timber activities under management plans, and acquire up to 10 acres outside the Monument for administration and visitor services with partners.
The bill clarifies and secures Monument boundaries and encourages voluntary, cooperative land conservation and visitor services—boosting tourism and preserving traditional uses—while creating uncertainty and possible economic, tax, environmental, and management costs for local landowners, governments, Tribes, and taxpayers.
Visitors, local and state governments, and nearby communities gain clearer, legally defined Monument boundaries and a specified authorized acquisition area, improving planning, administration, and reducing legal uncertainty about what land the federal government may manage.
Local businesses, residents, and visitors may see increased tourism, improved visitor services (including up to 10 acres for administration/visitor facilities), and economic activity from cooperative visitor centers and federal management of the Monument.
Private landowners (homeowners and rural landowners) retain the ability to sell, donate, or exchange land to the federal government on voluntary terms, enabling cooperative conservation while avoiding forced takings.
Homeowners, rural landowners, and nearby communities face increased uncertainty and constraints on private land uses and future development because of the authorized acquisition area, potential transfers into federal ownership, and higher local regulatory oversight.
Local governments and taxpayers could lose property-tax revenue as parcels become federally owned and removed from local tax rolls, straining municipal budgets for services.
Continued allowances for hunting, fishing, hand-gathering, and authorized noncommercial timber harvests risk increased pressure on wildlife, plant populations (including fiddleheads), and forest habitats unless tightly managed, potentially degrading natural resources.
Introduced January 28, 2025 by Angus Stanley King · Last progress February 2, 2026