The Secretary shall administer the park in accordance with the provisions of this subchapter and the provisions of law generally applicable to the administration of units of the National Park System, including the Act of August 25, 1916 (39 Stat. 535; 16 U.S.C. 1, 2–4),[1] and the Act of August 21, 1935 (49 Stat. 666; 16 U.S.C. 461–7).

The Secretary shall protect, preserve, maintain, and administer the Chaco Culture Archeological Protection Sites, in a manner that will preserve the Chaco cultural resource and provide for its interpretation and research. Such sites shall be managed by the Secretary in accordance with the provisions of this subchapter and the provisions of law generally applicable to public lands as defined in section 1702(e) of title 43: Provided, however, That lands held in trust by the Secretary for an Indian tribe or any individual member thereof, or held in restricted fee status shall continue to be so managed or held by the Secretary.

No activities shall be permitted upon the upper surface of the archeological protection sites which shall endanger their cultural values. For the purposes of this subchapter, upper surface shall be considered to extend to a depth of twenty meters below ground level. Nothing in this subchapter shall be deemed to prevent exploration and development of subsurface oil and gas, mineral, and coal resources from without the sites which does not infringe upon the upper surface of the sites.

Nothing in this subchapter shall be deemed to prevent the continuation of livestock grazing on properties which are the subject of cooperative agreements.

Within three complete fiscal years from December 19, 1980, the Secretary shall transmit to the Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs of the United States House of Representatives and the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources of the United States Senate, a general management plan for the identification, research, and protection of the park, pursuant to the provisions of section 100502 of title 54, to be developed by the Director, National Park Service, in consultation with the Directors, Bureau of Land Management and Bureau of Indian Affairs and the Governor, State of New Mexico, and a joint management plan for the identification, research, and protection of the archeological protection sites, to be developed by the Director, National Park Service, in consultation and concurrence with the Directors, Bureau of Land Management and Bureau of Indian Affairs, and the Governor, State of New Mexico.

The Secretary, acting through the Director of the National Park Service, shall assist the Navajo Nation in the protection and management of those Chaco Culture Archeological Protection Sites located on land under the jurisdiction of the Navajo Nation through a grant, contract, or cooperative agreement entered into pursuant to the Indian Self-Determination and Education Act (Public Law 93–638), as amended [25 U.S.C. 5301 et seq.], to assist the Navajo Nation in site planning, resource protection, interpretation, resource management actions, and such other purposes as may be identified in such grant, contract, or cooperative agreement. This cooperative assistance shall include assistance with the development of a Navajo facility to serve those who seek to appreciate the Chacoan Outlier Sites.

(Pub. L. 96–550, title V, § 506, Dec. 19, 1980, 94 Stat. 3229; Pub. L. 104–11, § 5, May 18, 1995, 109 Stat. 159.)