Notwithstanding any other provision of law, and except where inconsistent with the provisions of this chapter, the various reserves set aside by legislation or by Executive or Secretarial Order for Native use or for administration of Native affairs, including those created under the Act of May 31, 1938 (52 Stat. 593), are hereby revoked subject to any valid existing rights of non-Natives. This section shall not apply to the Annette Island Reserve established by the Act of March 3, 1891 (26 Stat. 1101) and no person enrolled in the Metlakatla Indian community of the Annette Island Reserve shall be eligible for benefits under this chapter.
Notwithstanding any other provision of law or of this chapter, any Village Corporation or Corporations may elect within two years to acquire title to the surface and subsurface estates in any reserve set aside for the use or benefit of its stockholders or members prior to December 18, 1971. If two or more villages are located on such reserve, the election must be made by all of the members or stockholders of the Village Corporations concerned. In such event, the Secretary shall convey the land to the Village Corporation or Corporations, subject to valid existing rights as provided in section 1613(g) of this title, and the Village Corporation shall not be eligible for any other land selections under this chapter or to any distribution of Regional Corporations funds pursuant to section 1606 of this title, and the enrolled residents of the Village Corporation shall not be eligible to receive Regional Corporation stock.
The Congress finds that-
The lands depicted and designated "Withdrawal Area" on the map dated October 19, 1999, along with their legal descriptions, on file with the Bureau of Land Management, and entitled "Land Withdrawal Elim Native Corporation", are hereby withdrawn, subject to valid existing rights, from all forms of appropriation or disposition under the public land laws, including the mining and mineral leasing laws, for a period of 2 years from May 2, 2000, for selection by the Elim Native Corporation (hereinafter referred to as "Elim").
Elim is authorized to select in accordance with the rules set out in this paragraph, 50,000 acres of land (hereinafter referred to as "Conveyance Lands") within the boundary of the Withdrawal Area described in paragraph (2). The Secretary is authorized and directed to convey to Elim in fee the surface and subsurface estates to 50,000 acres of valid selections in the Withdrawal Area, subject to the covenants, reservations, terms and conditions and other provisions of this subsection.
The covenants, reservations, terms and conditions set forth in this paragraph and in paragraphs (5) and (6) with respect to the Conveyance Lands shall run with the land and shall be incorporated into the interim conveyance, if any, and patent conveying the lands to Elim.
With respect to conveyances authorized in paragraph (3), the following rights are retained by the United States:
The Secretary and Elim shall, acting in good faith, enter into a Memorandum of Understanding (hereinafter referred to as the "MOU") to implement the provisions of this subsection. The MOU shall include among its provisions reasonable measures to protect plants and animals in the hot springs on the Conveyance Lands and on the land within 1/4 mile of the hot springs. The parties shall agree to meet periodically to review the matters contained in the MOU and to exercise their right to amend, replace, or extend the MOU. Such reviews shall include the authority to relocate any of the easements set forth in subparagraph (D) if the parties deem it advisable.
Elim shall incorporate the covenants, reservations, terms and conditions, in this subsection in any deed or other legal instrument by which it divests itself of any interest in all or a portion of the Conveyance Lands, including without limitation, a leasehold interest.
The Bureau of Land Management, in consultation with Elim, shall reserve in the conveyance to Elim easements to the United States pursuant to subsection 1 1616(b) of this title that are not in conflict with other easements specified in this paragraph.
The Bureau of Land Management, in consultation with Elim, shall reserve easements which shall include the right of the public to enter upon and travel along the Tubutulik River and Clear Creek within the Conveyance Lands. Such easements shall also include easements for trails confined to foot travel along, and which may be established along each bank of, the Tubutulik River and Clear Creek. Such trails shall be 25 feet wide and upland of the ordinary high waterline of the water courses. The trails may deviate from the banks as necessary to go around man-made or natural obstructions or to portage around hazardous stretches of water. The easements shall also include one-acre sites along the water courses at reasonable intervals, selected in consultation with Elim, which may be used to launch or take out water craft from the water courses and to camp in non-permanent structures for a period not to exceed 24 hours without the consent of Elim.
The owners of lands held within the exterior boundaries of lands conveyed to Elim shall have all rights of ingress and egress to be vested in the inholder and the inholder's agents, employees, co-venturers, licensees, subsequent grantees, or invitees, and such easements shall be reserved in the conveyance to Elim. The inholder may not exercise the right of ingress and egress in a manner that may result in substantial damage to the surface of the lands or make any permanent improvements on Conveyance Lands without the prior consent of Elim.
The Bureau of Land Management may reserve an easement for the Iditarod National Historic Trail in the conveyance to Elim.
There are authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be necessary to implement this subsection.
1 So in original. Probably should be "section".
43 U.S.C. § 1618
EDITORIAL NOTES
REFERENCES IN TEXTAct of May 31, 1938 (52 Stat. 593), referred to in subsec. (a), is act May 31, 1938, ch. 304, 52 Stat. 593, which was classified to section 497 of Title 25, Indians, prior to repeal by Pub. L. 94-579, title VII, §704(a), Oct. 21, 1976, 90 Stat. 2792.The Annette Island Reserve established by the Act of March 3, 1891 (26 Stat. 1101), referred to in subsec. (a), probably means act Mar. 3, 1891, ch. 561, §15, 26 Stat. 1101, which was classified to section 495 of Title 25, Indians, prior to omission from the Code as being of special and not general application.The time of passage of this chapter, referred to in subsec. (c)(1)(E), probably means the date of enactment of Pub. L. 92-203 which was approved Dec. 18, 1971.
AMENDMENTS2000-Subsec. (c). Pub. L. 106-194 added subsec. (c).
GRANTS TO NATIVE GROUP CORPORATIONS FOR PLANNING, DEVELOPMENT, AND OTHER PURPOSESPub. L. 96-487, title XIV, §1413, Dec. 2, 1980, 94 Stat. 2498, provided that: "The Secretary shall pay by grant to each of the Native Group Corporations established pursuant to section 14(h)(2) of the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act [section 1613(h)(2) of this title] and finally certified as a Native Group, an amount not more than $100,000 or less than $50,000 adjusted according to population of each Group. Funds authorized under this section may be used only for planning, development, and other purposes for which the Native Group Corporations are organized under the Settlement Act [this chapter]."
STATUTORY NOTES AND RELATED SUBSIDIARIES
GRANTS TO VILLAGE CORPORATIONS FOR PLANNING, DEVELOPMENT AND OTHER PURPOSESPub. L. 94-204, §14, Jan. 2, 1976, 89 Stat. 1154, provided that:"(a) The Secretary shall pay, by grant, $250,000 to each of the corporations established pursuant to section 14(h)(3) of the Settlement Act [section 1613(h)(3) of this title]."(b) The Secretary shall pay, by grant, $100,000 to each of the following Village Corporations:"(1) Arctic Village;"(2) Elim;"(3) Gambell; "(4) Savoonga;"(5) Tetlin; and "(6) Venetie."(c) Funds authorized under this section may be used only for planning, development, and other purposes for which the corporations set forth in subsections (a) and (b) are organized under the Settlement Act [this chapter]."(d) There is authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary for the purpose of this section a sum of $1,600,000 in fiscal year 1976."