§ 478. — Egress or ingress of actual settlers; prospecting.
[Laws in effect as of January 24, 2002]
[Document not affected by Public Laws enacted between
January 24, 2002 and December 19, 2002]
[CITE: 16USC478]
TITLE 16--CONSERVATION
CHAPTER 2--NATIONAL FORESTS
SUBCHAPTER I--ESTABLISHMENT AND ADMINISTRATION
Sec. 478. Egress or ingress of actual settlers; prospecting
Nothing in sections 473 to 478, 479 to 482 and 551 of this title
shall be construed as prohibiting the egress or ingress of actual
settlers residing within the boundaries of national forests, or from
crossing the same to and from their property or homes; and such wagon
roads and other improvements may be constructed thereon as may be
necessary to reach their homes and to utilize their property under such
rules and regulations as may be prescribed by the Secretary of
Agriculture. Nor shall anything in such sections prohibit any person
from entering upon such national forests for all proper and lawful
purposes, including that of prospecting, locating, and developing the
mineral resources thereof. Such persons must comply with the rules and
regulations covering such national forests.
(June 4, 1897, ch. 2, Sec. 1, 30 Stat. 36; Feb. 1, 1905, ch. 288,
Sec. 1, 33 Stat. 628.)
Codification
``National forests'' substituted in text for ``reservations'' and
``forest reservations'' on authority of act Mar. 4, 1907, ch. 2907, 34
Stat. 1269, which provided that forest reserves shall hereafter be known
as national forests.
Transfer of Functions
Enforcement functions of Secretary or other official in Department
of Agriculture, insofar as they involve lands and programs under
jurisdiction of that Department, related to compliance with provisions
of sections 473, 474 to 482, and 551 of this title with respect to pre-
construction, construction, and initial operation of transportation
system for Canadian and Alaskan natural gas transferred to Federal
Inspector, Office of Federal Inspector for Alaska Natural Gas
Transportation System, until first anniversary of date of initial
operation of Alaska Natural Gas Transportation System, see Reorg. Plan
No. 1 of 1979, Secs. 102(f), 203(a), 44 F.R. 33663, 33666, 93 Stat.
1373, 1376, effective July 1, 1979, set out in the Appendix to Title 5,
Government Organization and Employees. Office of Federal Inspector for
the Alaska Natural Gas Transportation System abolished and functions and
authority vested in Inspector transferred to Secretary of Energy by
section 3012(b) of Pub. L. 102-486, set out as an Abolition of Office of
Federal Inspector note under section 719e of Title 15, Commerce and
Trade.
Act Feb. 1, 1905, transferred certain functions with regard to
administration of public forests from Secretary of the Interior to
Secretary of Agriculture.
Section Referred to in Other Sections
This section is referred to in sections 482, 551 of this title.
