42-2039. RESTORATION OF LANDS AUTHORIZED. The legislature hereby recognizes and acknowledges the need to assure replacement of the grazing and wildlife land uses displaced by Carey Act developments. In order to facilitate such replacements, any settlers having contracts with the state for reclamation of lands segregated under the Carey Act shall include grazing and wildlife restoration work in total or in part to the maximum expenditure of five dollars ($5.00) per acre for grazing restoration and one dollar ($1.00) per acre for wildlife restoration as a legitimate and necessary cost of the reclamation effort. The settlers are hereby authorized to subcontract with the bureau of land management, or any party designated by the bureau, for the purpose of accomplishing this restoration work. Payment by the Carey Act settlers for the restoration work shall be at the time the settler is granted patent to the lands developed. The director of the department of water resources is hereby authorized and directed to accept restoration expenditures as bona fide land development costs of the company up to an amount not to exceed five dollars ($5.00) per acre for grazing restoration and one dollar ($1.00) per acre for wildlife restoration.
In the event that no suitable lands are available for restoration as grazing lands as provided herein, the director is authorized to so certify, and the payment in lieu of restoration shall be made directly to the person with previous grazing rights to the land under Carey Act development.
In those instances where a Carey Act project application is filed for land on which any livestock watering improvements, established trail rights, or recent successful reseedings of less than five (5) years usage are in place and functional at the time of the filing, then these watering improvements, trail rights or reseedings shall be replaced in kind notwithstanding costs in excess of the limitation of five dollars ($5.00) imposed herein. The director of the department of water resources shall be responsible for the negotiation and determination of the values in excess of five dollars ($5.00) per acre which are involved in qualifying water improvements, trail rights or recent reseedings and to whom the payments for excess values shall be made.
History:
[42-2039, as added by 1975, ch. 61, sec. 1, p. 127; am. 1976, ch. 109, sec. 2, p. 434.]