2019 US Virgin Islands Code
Title 32 - Sports and Parks
Chapter 2A - Territorial Park Trust Fund
§ 33. Acquisition of certain lands, expenditures
(a) From time to time, but at least once each year, the Director of Territorial Parks, the Commissioner of Sports, Parks and Recreation, and the Commissioner of Planning and Natural Resources shall recommend certain lands to be acquired by the Fund. The Director of Territorial Parks, the Commissioner of Sports, Parks and Recreation, and the Commissioner of Planning and Natural Resources shall provide the Board with the following information included in the recommendation:
(1) the value of the land for recreation, forestry, fish, wildlife, habitat and wilderness purposes, and its consistency with the plan developed pursuant to the Territorial Park System and the Territory's comprehensive plan for outdoor recreation, parks, natural areas development, and wildlife management goals and objectives;
(2) any endangered species on or near the land;
(3) the nature of the land, including whether the land is developed or undisturbed;
(4) whether any rivers, tributaries, watersheds, wetlands, significant littoral, estuarine, or aquatic sites, or other important geologic features are in the land;
(5) whether the land represents a specific type of landscape, natural feature, or natural area that is not currently in the State's inventory of parks and natural areas;
(6) other sources of funds that may be available to assist in the land acquisition;
(7) the proposed managing body for the land and the proposed use of the land; and
(8) the historical significance of the structure or land.
(b) The Board may authorize expenditures from the Fund for the following purposes:
(1) to acquire lands that represent the ecological diversity of the Virgin Islands, including natural features such as rivers, coastal, and geologic systems and other natural areas;
(2) to provide for the preservation and conservation of land for recreational, scientific, educational, cultural, and aesthetic purposes; and
(3) to acquire additional lands for parks, trails, aesthetic forests, fish and wildlife management areas, scenic rivers, and natural areas for the use and enjoyment of the public.
(c) The Board may designate managers or managing agencies of the lands acquired pursuant to this chapter to receive grants from the Fund's stewardship account. In authorizing expenditures from the Fund to acquire land pursuant to this chapter, the first priority shall be the protection of land identified by the Virgin Islands Historic Preservation Commission or the Department of Planning and Natural Resources as having natural or cultural heritage values. The Board may designate priorities for expenditure based upon the recommendations from the Director of Parks, the Commissioner of Sports Parks and Recreation, and the Commissioner of Planning and Natural Resources made pursuant to subsection (a).
(d) The Board may authorize expenditure of up to twenty-five percent of the Fund during the preceding fiscal year to acquire land under subsection (b), paragraph (3); however, no additional expenditures may be authorized for such acquisition.
(e) The Board may authorize expenditures from the Fund to pay for the inventory of natural areas by the Department of Planning and Natural Resources.
(f) The Department of Property and Procurement may acquire by gift, purchase or devise all lands selected by the Board for acquisition pursuant to chapter 2A § 33(b). Title to any land acquired under this chapter shall be vested in the Territory.
(g) The Director of Parks shall maintain and annually revise a list of acquisitions made under this chapter. The list shall include the acreage of each tract, the district in which the tract is located, the amount paid from the Fund for the land acquisition, and the division responsible for managing the tract. The Director shall furnish a copy of the list to each Board member, the Governor and the Legislature after each revision.
