---
kind: "section"
citation: "16 U.S.C. § 160a"
title: "16"
title_heading: "Conservation"
number: "160a"
heading: "Establishment; notice in Federal Register; donation of lands; acquisition by purchase of other lands"
release: "119-102"
date: "2026-07-12"
url: "https://uscodex.org/usc/16/160a"
units:
  - "Chapter 1 — National Parks, Military Parks, Monuments, and Seashores"
  - "Subchapter XIX — Voyageurs National Park"
---

# §160a. Establishment; notice in Federal Register; donation of lands; acquisition by purchase of other lands


In furtherance of the purpose of this subchapter, the [Secretary](/usc/16/410r–5.md?p=c-1) of the Interior (hereinafter referred to as the “[Secretary](/usc/16/410r–5.md?p=c-1)”) is authorized to establish the Voyageurs National [Park](/usc/16/410r–5.md?p=c-3) (hereinafter referred to as the “[park](/usc/16/410r–5.md?p=c-3)”) in the [State](/usc/16/590q.md?p=a) of Minnesota, by publication of notice to that effect in the Federal Register at such time as the [Secretary](/usc/16/410r–5.md?p=c-1) deems sufficient interests in lands or waters have been acquired for administration in accordance with the purposes of this subchapter: Provided, That the [Secretary](/usc/16/410r–5.md?p=c-1) shall not establish the [park](/usc/16/410r–5.md?p=c-3) until the lands owned by the [State](/usc/16/590q.md?p=a) of Minnesota and any of its political [subdivisions](/usc/16/539m–1.md?p=15) within the boundaries shall have been donated to the [Secretary](/usc/16/410r–5.md?p=c-1) for the purposes of the [park](/usc/16/410r–5.md?p=c-3): Provided further, That the [Secretary](/usc/16/410r–5.md?p=c-1) shall not [acquire](/usc/16/620e.md?p=1) other lands by purchase for the [park](/usc/16/410r–5.md?p=c-3) prior to such donation unless he finds that [acquisition](/usc/16/620e.md?p=1) is necessary to prevent irreparable changes in their uses or character of such a nature as to make them unsuitable for [park](/usc/16/410r–5.md?p=c-3) purposes and notifies the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources of the Senate and the Committee on Natural Resources of the House of Representatives of such findings at least thirty days prior to such [acquisition](/usc/16/620e.md?p=1).


## Source credit

(Pub. L. 91–661, § 101, Jan. 8, 1971, 84 Stat. 1970; Pub. L. 103–437, § 6(f), Nov. 2, 1994, 108 Stat. 4585.)

## Notes

### Editorial Notes

### Codification

Section formerly consisted of sections 101 and 102 of Pub. L. 91–661. Section 102 of Pub. L. 91–661 was substantially amended and expanded by Pub. L. 97–405, § 1(1), (2), Jan. 3, 1983, 96 Stat. 2028, and as thus amended is set out as section 160a–1 of this title.

### Amendments

1994—Pub. L. 103–437 substituted “Committee on Energy and Natural Resources of the Senate and the Committee on Natural Resources of the House of Representatives” for “Committees on Interior and Insular Affairs of both the Senate and the House of Representatives”.