(a) The term of leases under the Recreation and Public Purposes Act, hereafter referred to as the Act, shall be fixed by the authorized officer but shall not exceed 20 years for nonprofit associations and nonprofit corporations, and 25 years for Federal, State, and local governmental entities. A lease may contain, at the discretion of the authorized officer, a provision giving the lessee the privilege of renewing the lease for a like period.

(b) Leases shall be issued on a form approved by the Director, Bureau of Land Management and shall contain terms and conditions required by law, and public policy, and which the authorized officer considers necessary for the proper development of the land, for the protection of Federal property, and for the protection of the public interest.

(c) Leases shall be terminable by the authorized officer upon failure of the lessee to comply with the terms of the lease, upon a finding, after notice and opportunity for hearing, that all or part of the land is being devoted to a use other than the use authorized by the lease, or upon a finding that the land has not been used by the lessee for the purpose specified in the lease for any consecutive period specified by the authorized officer. The specified period of non-use or unauthorized use shall not be less than 2 years nor more than 5 years.

(d) Reasonable annual rentals shall be established by the Secretary of the Interior and shall be payable in advance. Upon notification of the amount of the yearly rental, a lease applicant shall be required to pay at least the first year's rental before the lease shall be issued. Upon the voluntary relinquishment of a lease before the expiration of its term, any rental paid for the unexpired portion of the term shall be returned to the lessee upon a proper application for repayment to the extent that the amount paid covers a full lease year or years of the remainder of the term of the original lease. Leases for recreational or historic-monument purposes to a State, county or other State or Federal instrumentality or political subdivision shall be issued without monetary consideration.

(e) Leases are not transferable except with the consent of the authorized officer. Transferees shall have all the qualifications of applicants under the Act and shall be subject to all the terms and conditions of the regulations in this part.

(f) A lessee shall not be permitted to cut timber from the leased lands without prior permission from the authorized officer.

(g) All leases shall reserve to the United States all minerals together with the right to mine and remove the same under applicable laws and regulations to be established by the Secretary of the Interior.


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