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- t <br />Wild and Scenic Rivers Act <br />Page 47 of 50 <br />(g) The Secretary of the Interior or the Secretary of Agriculture, as the case may be, may grant <br />easements and rights -of -way upon, over, under, across, or through any component of the national wild <br />and scenic rivers system in accordance with the laws applicable to the national park system and the <br />national forest system, respectively: Provided, That any conditions precedent to granting such easements <br />and rights -of -way shall be related to the policy and purpose of this Act. <br />Land donations. <br />SECTION 14. The claim and allowance of the value of an easement as a charitable contribution <br />under section 170 of title 26, United States Code, or as a gift under section 2522 of said title shall <br />constitute an agreement by the donor on behalf of himself, his heirs, and assigns that, if the terms of the <br />instrument creating the easement are violated, the donee or the United States may acquire the servient <br />estate at its fair market value as of the time the easement was donated minus the value of the easement <br />claimed and allowed as a charitable contribution or gift. <br />Lease of Federal lands. <br />SECTION 14A. (a) Where appropriate in the discretion of the Secretary, he may lease federally <br />owned land (or any interest therein) which is within the boundaries of any component of the national <br />wild and scenic rivers system and which has been acquired by the Secretary under this Act. Such lease <br />shall be subject to such restrictive covenants as may be necessary to carry out the purposes of this Act. <br />(b) Any land to be leased by the Secretary under this section shall be offered first for such lease to <br />the person who owned such land immediately before its acquisition by the United States. <br />Exceptions for Alaska. <br />SECTION 15. Notwithstanding any other provision to the contrary in sections 3 and 9 of this Act, <br />with respect to components of the national wild and scenic rivers system in Alaska designated by <br />paragraphs (38) through (50) of section 3(a) of this Act -- (1) the boundary of each such river shall <br />include an average of not more than six hundred and forty acres per mile on both sides of the river. Such <br />boundary shall not include any lands owned by the State or a political subdivision of the State nor shall <br />such boundary extend around any private lands adjoining the river in such manner as to surround or <br />effectively surround such private lands; and (2) the withdrawal made by paragraph (iii) of section 9(a) <br />shall apply to the minerals in Federal lands which constitute the bed or bank or are situated within one- <br />half mile of the bank of any river designated a wild river by the Alaska National Interest Lands <br />Conservation Act. <br />Definitions. <br />SECTION 16. As used in this Act, the term -- <br />(a) "River" means a flowing body of water or estuary or a section, portion, or tributary thereof, <br />including rivers, streams, creeks, runs, kills, rills, and small lakes. <br />(b) "Free- flowing ", as applied to any river or section of a river, means existing or flowing in <br />natural condition without impoundment, diversion, straightening, rip- rapping, or other modification of <br />the waterway. The existence, however, of low dams, diversion works, and other minor structures at the <br />time any river is proposed for inclusion in the national wild and scenic rivers system shall not <br />automatically bar its consideration for such inclusion: Provided, That this shall not be construed to <br />authorize, intend, or encourage future construction of such structures within components of the national <br />wild and scenic rivers system. <br />(c) "Scenic easement" means the right to control the use of land (including the air space above <br />http:// www. biologicaldiversity .org /swcbdIPrograms /watersheds /wild /wsract.html 8/29/2007 <br />