16 U.S.C. § 459e–1

section 459e of this titleThe Secretary is authorized to acquire, and it is the intent of Congress that he shall acquire as appropriated funds become available for the purpose or as such acquisition can be accomplished by donation or with donated funds or by transfer, exchange, or otherwise, the lands, waters, and other property, and improvements thereon and any interest therein, within the boundaries of the seashore as established under . Any property or interest therein owned by the State of New York, by Suffolk County, or by any other political subdivision of said State may be acquired only with the concurrence of such owner. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, any Federal property located within such area may, with the concurrence of the agency having custody thereof, be transferred without consideration to the administrative jurisdiction of the Secretary for use by him in carrying out the provisions of sections 459e to 459e–9 of this title. In exercising his authority to acquire property in accordance with the provisions of this subsection, the Secretary may enter into contracts requiring the expenditure, when appropriated, of funds authorized by sections 459e to 459e–9 of this title, but the liability of the United States under any such contract shall be contingent on the appropriation of funds sufficient to fulfill the obligations thereby incurred.

When the Secretary determines that lands and waters or interests therein have been acquired by the United States in sufficient quantity to provide an administrative unit, he shall declare the establishment of the Fire Island National Seashore by publication of notice in the Federal Register.

The Secretary shall pay not more than the fair market value, as determined by him, for any land or interest therein acquired by purchase.

When acquiring land by exchange the Secretary may accept title to any nonfederally owned land located within the boundaries of the national seashore and convey to the grantor any federally owned land under the jurisdiction of the Secretary. The lands so exchanged shall be approximately equal in fair market value, but the Secretary may accept cash from or pay cash to the grantor in order to equalize the values of the lands exchanged.

July 1, 1963ProvidedThe term “improved property” as used in sections 459e to 459e–9 of this title shall mean any building, the construction of which was begun before , and such amount of land, not in excess of two acres in the case of a residence or ten acres in the case of a commercial or industrial use, on which the building is situated as the Secretary considers reasonably necessary to the use of the building: , That the Secretary may exclude from improved properties any beach or waters, together with so much of the land adjoining such beach or waters as he deems necessary for public access thereto.

The authority of the Secretary to condemn undeveloped tracts within the Dune District as depicted on map entitled “Fire Island National Seashore” numbered OGP–0004 dated May, 1978, is suspended so long as the owner or owners of the undeveloped property therein maintain the property in its natural state. Undeveloped property within the Dune District that is acquired by the Secretary shall remain in its natural state.