§ 698u. Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve: findings and purposes

• (a) Congress finds that—
  • (1) of the 400,000 square miles of tallgrass prairie that once covered the North American Continent, less than 1 percent remains, primarily in the Flint Hills of Kansas;
  • (2) in 1991, the National Park Service conducted a special resource study of the Spring Hill Ranch, located in the Flint Hills of Kansas;
  • (3) the study concludes that the Spring Hill Ranch—
    • (A) is a nationally significant example of the once vast tallgrass ecosystem, and includes buildings listed on the National Register of Historic Places pursuant to section 101 of the National Historic Preservation Act ( 16 U.S.C. 470a ) 1 1 See References in Text note below. that represent outstanding examples of Second Empire and other 19th Century architectural styles; and
    • (B) is suitable and feasible as a potential addition to the National Park System; and
  • (4) the National Park Trust, which owns the Spring Hill Ranch, has agreed to permit the National Park Service—
    • (A) to acquire a portion of the ranch, as specified in sections 698u to 698u–7 of this title; and
    • (B) to manage the ranch in order to—
      • (i) conserve the scenery, natural and historic objects, and wildlife of the ranch; and
      • (ii) provide for the enjoyment of the ranch in such a manner and by such means as will leave the scenery, natural and historic objects, and wildlife unimpaired for the enjoyment of future generations.
• (b) The purposes of sections 698u to 698u–7 of this title are—
  • (1) to preserve, protect, and interpret for the public an example of a tallgrass prairie ecosystem on the Spring Hill Ranch, located in the Flint Hills of Kansas; and
  • (2) to preserve and interpret for the public the historic and cultural values represented on the Spring Hill Ranch.