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Show CO! Park eVe Service to m acquire land The National Park Service (NPS) has completed a plan for acquiring non-federal lands within Capitol Reef National Park, it was announced an-nounced tod ay. Park Superintendent DCerek O. Hambly said that the plan was prepared after NPS study of responses by the public and government officials to draft a plan made available for public review last August. Hambly noted that the plan was approved recently by Acting Regional Director James B. Thompson of the NPS Rocky Mountain Regional Office in Denver. Hambly explained that the plan for the rugged canyon country park is "fairly simple and brief" because virtually all privately owned lands within the park boundary have been acquired. He added that the only other non-federal lands within the boundary are the so-called State School lands administered by the Utah Divison of State Lands, Department of Natural Resources. "More than 19,000 acres of these State School lands are scattered throughout the park," Hambly continued, "and they are subject to uses that are inmcompatible with NPS management policies." Hambly affirmed that the NPS must secure fee simple ownership of these lands to carry out the intent of Public Law 92p207, which established the 378 square mile park in 1971. The Utah Division of State Lands has expressed their agreement with the NPS plan to eventually acquire , the old school sections. They have proposed an exchange of the school sections for other lands owned by the United States and administered ad-ministered by the Bureau of Land Management, explained ex-plained Hambly. Copies of the plan are available for review at park headquarters near Utah Highway 24, or by writing or phoning the Superintendent, Capitol Reef National Park, Torrey, Utah 84775, (801) 425-3871. |