As used in this part, the term:

(a) Authorized officer means any employee of the Bureau of Land Management to whom has been delegated the authority to perform the duties described in this part.

(b) Easement means an authorization for a non-possessory, non-exclusive interest in lands which specifies the rights of the holder and the obligation of the Bureau of Land Management to use and manage the lands in a manner consistent with the terms of the easement.

(c) Lease means an authorization to possess and use public lands for a fixed period of time.

(d) Permit means a short-term revocable authorization to use public lands for specified purposes.

(e) Land use proposal means an informal statement, in writing, from any person to the authorized officer requesting consideration of a specified use of the public lands.

(f) Land use plan means resource management plans or management framework plans prepared by the Bureau of Land Management pursuant to its land use planning system.

(g) Public lands means lands or interests in lands administered by the Bureau of Land Management, except lands located on the Outer Continental Shelf and lands held for the benefit of Indians, Aleuts and Eskimos.

(h) Person means any person or entity legally capable of conveying and holding lands or interests therein, under the laws of the State within which the lands or interests therein are located, who is a citizen of the United States, or in the case of a corporation, is subject to the laws of any State or of the United States.

(i) Proponent means any person who submits a land use proposal, either on his/her own initiative or in response to a notice for submission of such proposals.

(j) Applicant means any person who submits an application for a land use authorization under this part.

(k) Casual use means any short term non-commercial activity which does not cause appreciable damage or disturbance to the public lands, their resources or improvements, and which is not prohibited by closure of the lands to such activities.

(l) Land use authorization means any authorization to use the public lands issued under this part.

(m) Knowing and willful means that a violation is knowingly and willfully committed if it constitutes the voluntary or conscious performance of an act which is prohibited or the voluntary or conscious failure to perform an act or duty that is required. The terms does not include performances or failures to perform which are honest mistakes or which are merely inadvertent. The term includes, but does not require, performances or failures to perform which result from a criminal or evil intent or from a specific intent to violate the law. The knowing or willful nature of conduct may be established by plain indifference to or reckless disregard of the requirements of law, regulations, orders, or terms of a lease. A consistent pattern of performance or failure to perform also may be sufficient to establish the knowing or willful nature of the conduct, where such consistent pattern is neither the result of honest mistake or mere inadvertency. Conduct which is otherwise regarded as being knowing or willful is rendered neither accidental nor mitigated in character by the belief that the conduct is reasonable or legal.

[46 FR 5777, Jan. 19, 1981, as amended at 52 FR 49115, Dec. 29, 1987]