§ 410r-7. — Administration.
[Laws in effect as of January 24, 2002]
[Document not affected by Public Laws enacted between
January 24, 2002 and December 19, 2002]
[CITE: 16USC410r-7]
TITLE 16--CONSERVATION
CHAPTER 1--NATIONAL PARKS, MILITARY PARKS, MONUMENTS, AND SEASHORES
SUBCHAPTER LIV--EVERGLADES NATIONAL PARK
Sec. 410r-7. Administration
(a) In general
The Secretary shall administer the areas within the addition in
accordance with sections 410r-5 to 410r-8 of this title and other
provisions of law applicable to the Everglades National Park, and with
the provisions of law generally applicable to units of the national park
system, including sections 1, 2, 3, and 4 of this title. In order to
further preserve and protect Everglades National Park, the Secretary
shall utilize such other statutory authority as may be available to him
for the preservation of wildlife and natural resources as he deems
necessary to carry out the purposes of sections 410r-5 to 410r-8 of this
title.
(b) Protection of ecosystem
The Secretary shall manage the park in order to maintain the natural
abundance, diversity, and ecological integrity of native plants and
animals, as well as the behavior of native animals, as a part of their
ecosystem.
(c) Protection of flora and fauna
The park shall be closed to the operation of airboats--
(1) except as provided in subsection (d) of this section; and
(2) except that within a limited capacity and on designated
routes within the addition, owners of record of registered airboats
in use within the addition as of January 1, 1989, shall be issued
nontransferable, nonrenewable permits, for their individual
lifetimes, to operate personally-owned airboats for noncommercial
use in accordance with rules prescribed by the Secretary to
determine ownership and registration, establish uses, permit
conditions, and penalties, and to protect the biological resources
of the area.
(d) Concession contracts
The Secretary is authorized to negotiate and enter into concession
contracts with the owners of commercial airboat and tour facilities in
existence on or before January 1, 1989, located within the addition for
the provision of such services at their current locations under such
rules and conditions as he may deem necessary for the accommodation of
visitors and protection of biological resources of the area.
(e) Marjory Stoneman Douglas Visitor Center
The Secretary is authorized and directed to expedite the
construction of the visitor center facility at Everglades City, Florida,
as described in the Development Concept Plan, Gulf Coast, dated February
1989, and upon construction shall designate the visitor center facility
as ``The Marjory Stoneman Douglas Center'' in commemoration of the
vision and leadership shown by Mrs. Douglas in the protection of the
Everglades and Everglades National Park.
(f) Ernest F. Coe Visitor Center
On completion of construction of the main visitor center facility at
the headquarters of Everglades National Park, the Secretary shall
designate the visitor center facility as the ``Ernest F. Coe Visitor
Center'', to commemorate the vision and leadership shown by Mr. Coe in
the establishment and protection of Everglades National Park.
(Pub. L. 101-229, title I, Sec. 103, Dec. 13, 1989, 103 Stat. 1948; Pub.
L. 105-82, Secs. 4, 5, Nov. 13, 1997, 111 Stat. 1541, 1542.)
Amendments
1997--Subsec. (c)(2). Pub. L. 105-82, Sec. 5(1), substituted
``personally-owned'' for ``personnally-owned''.
Subsec. (e). Pub. L. 105-82, Sec. 5(2), substituted ``Marjory
Stoneman Douglas Visitor Center'' for ``Visitor Center'' in heading.
Subsec. (f). Pub. L. 105-82, Sec. 4, added subsec. (f).
Findings and Purpose of 1997 Amendment
Section 2 of Pub. L. 105-82 provided that:
``(a) Findings.--Congress finds that--
``(1)(A) Marjory Stoneman Douglas, through her book, `The
Everglades: River of Grass' (published in 1947), defined the
Everglades for the people of the United States and the world;
``(B) Mrs. Douglas's book was the first to stimulate widespread
understanding of the Everglades ecosystem and ultimately served to
awaken the desire of the people of the United States to restore the
ecosystem's health;
``(C) in her 107th year, Mrs. Douglas is the sole surviving
member of the original group of people who devoted decades of
selfless effort to establish the Everglades National Park;
``(D) when the water supply and ecology of the Everglades, both
within and outside the park, became threatened by drainage and
development, Mrs. Douglas dedicated the balance of her life to the
defense of the Everglades through extraordinary personal effort and
by inspiring countless other people to take action;
``(E) for these and many other accomplishments, the President
awarded Mrs. Douglas the Medal of Freedom on Earth Day, 1994; and
``(2)(A) Ernest F. Coe (1886-1951) was a leader in the creation
of Everglades National Park;
``(B) Mr. Coe organized the Tropic Everglades National Park
Association in 1928 and was widely regarded as the father of
Everglades National Park;
``(C) as a landscape architect, Mr. Coe's vision for the park
recognized the need to protect south Florida's diverse wildlife and
habitats for future generations;
``(D) Mr. Coe's original park proposal included lands and waters
subsequently protected within the Everglades National Park, the Big
Cypress National Preserve, and the Florida Keys National Marine
Sanctuary; and
``(E)(i) Mr. Coe's leadership, selfless devotion, and commitment
to achieving his vision culminated in the authorization of the
Everglades National Park by Congress in 1934;
``(ii) after authorization of the park, Mr. Coe fought
tirelessly and lobbied strenuously for establishment of the park,
finally realizing his dream in 1947; and
``(iii) Mr. Coe accomplished much of the work described in this
paragraph at his own expense, which dramatically demonstrated his
commitment to establishment of Everglades National Park.
``(b) Purpose.--It is the purpose of this Act [see Short Title of
1997 Amendment note set out under section 410r-5 of this title] to
commemorate the vision, leadership, and enduring contributions of
Marjory Stoneman Douglas and Ernest F. Coe to the protection of the
Everglades and the establishment of Everglades National Park.''
Section Referred to in Other Sections
This section is referred to in sections 410r-5, 410r-6, 410r-8 of
this title.
