Public Law 92-237 
92nd Congress, S. 7 
March 1, 1972

An act
86 STAT. 44

To provide for the establishment of the Buffalo National River in the State of 
Arkansas, and for other purposes.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled. That for the purposes 
of conserving and interpreting an area containing unique scenic 
and scientific features, and preserving as a free-flowing stream an 
important segment of the Buffalo River in Arkansas for the benefit 
and enjoyment of present and future generations, the Secretary of the 
Interior (hereinafter referred to as the "Secretary") may establish 
and administer the Buffalo National River. The boundaries of the 
national river shall be as generally depicted on the drawing entitled 
"Proposed Buffalo National River" numbered NR-BUF-7103 and 
dated December 1967, which shall be on file and available for public 
inspection in the offices of the National Park Service, Department of 
the Interior. The Secretary is authorized to make minor revisions of 
the boundaries of the national river when necessary, after advising 
the Committees on Interior and Insular Affairs of the United States 
House of Representatives and the United States Senate in writing, 
but the total acreage within such boundaries shall not exceed 
ninety-five thousand seven hundred and thirty acres.

Sec. 2. (a) Within the boundaries of the Buffalo National River, 
the Secretary may acquire lands and waters or interests therein by 
donation, purchase or exchange, except that lands owned by the State 
of Arkansas or a political subdivision thereof may be acquired only by 
donation: Provided, That the Secretary may, with funds appropriated 
for development of the area, reimburse such State for its share of the 
cost of facilities developed on State park lands if such facilities were 
developed in a manner approved by the Secretary and if the 
development of such facilities commenced subsequent to the enactment of this 
Act: Provided further, That, such reimbursement shall not exceed a 
total of $375,000. When an individual tract of land is only partly 
within the boundaries of the national river, the Secretary may acquire 
all of the tract by any of the above methods in order to avoid the 
payment of severance costs. Land so acquired outside of the boundaries of 
the national river may be exchanged by the Secretary for non-Federal 
lands within the national river boundaries, and any portion of the 
land not utilized for such exchanges may be disposed of in accordance 
with the provisions of the Federal Property and Administrative 
Services Act of 1949 (63 Stat. 377; 40 U.S.Ct 471 et seq.), as amended. 
With the concurrence of the agency having custody thereof, any 
Federal property within the boundaries of the national river may be 
transferred without consideration to the administrative jurisdiction of the 
Secretary for administration as part of the national river.

(b) Except for property which the Secretary determines to be 
necessary for the purposes of administration, development, access or public 
use, an owner or owners (hereafter referred to as "owner") of any 
improved property which is used solely for noncommercial residential 
purposes on the date of its acquisition by the Secretary or any owner 
of lands used solely for agricultural purposes (including, but not limited 
to, grazing) may retain, as a condition of the acquisition of such 
property or lands, a right of use and occupancy of such property for 
such residential or agricultural purposes. The term of the right 
retained shall expire upon the death of the owner or the death of his 
spouse, whichever occurs later, or in lieu thereof, after a definite term 
which shall not exceed twenty-five years after the date of acquisition. 
The owner shall elect, at the time of conveyance, the term of the right



Buffalo National River, Ark, Establishment,
Lands and waters, acquisition.
Retention rights.