Ocmulgee Mounds National Park and Preserve Establishment Act

This bill renames Ocmulgee Mounds National Historical Park in Georgia as Ocmulgee Mounds National Park and creates a new National Preserve nearby. The National Park Service would manage the park and preserve together with one plan focused on protecting cultural sites, including burial grounds, and important landscapes and plants. A plan must be finished within three years. Hunting would be allowed in the preserve and fishing in both areas, following state and federal laws. The Interior Department could set safety closures after talking with the state; private land rules don’t change, and state fish and wildlife authority stays the same. Sacred and cultural sites must be protected, and Tribal members with ancestral ties must have access.

Land for the preserve can only come from willing sellers, donations, or exchanges—no forced buyouts. A seven-member advisory council, including three representatives of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation, will guide management and recommend how to include Tribal interests; Tribal members also get a hiring preference for park jobs. About 126 acres already owned by the Tribe would be placed into federal trust for the Tribe. The bill does not change how Bond Swamp National Wildlife Refuge is run, but encourages Tribal cultural programs there with approval. Military flight training and overflights are not restricted. Funding is authorized as needed.

• Who is affected: Local residents, hunters and anglers, visitors, the Muscogee (Creek) Nation, and the National Park Service.
• What changes: Park is renamed; a new preserve is added; cultural sites are protected with Tribal access; hunting and fishing rules are set; an advisory council is created; 126 acres move into federal trust for the Tribe.
• When: The management plan is due within three years. The preserve becomes official once enough land is acquired and the Interior Department publishes notice.