Maine Revised Statutes

1. Authority to acquire lands.  With the consent of the Governor and the commissioner, the bureau may acquire lands or interests in lands on behalf of the State to be managed as public reserved lands. When acquiring land or interest in land, the bureau shall examine options for obtaining public vehicular access rights to the land. If an acquisition is made that does not include guaranteed public vehicular access, the bureau shall describe the acquisition in its annual report submitted pursuant to section 1853 and the justification for that acquisition. The bureau shall deliver to the State Archives within a reasonable period of time after their creation or acquisition the originals of all deeds, planbooks and surveyors' field and chainage notes, and any other materials the preservation of which it considers necessary, relating to the ownership, location and management of public reserved lands described in this subchapter.

2. Public Reserved Lands Acquisition Fund.  To accomplish the purposes of this subchapter, there is established the Public Reserved Lands Acquisition Fund. All income or proceeds received by the bureau from the sale, exchange or relocation of any public reserved lands must be recorded on the books in a separate account and must be deposited with the Treasurer of State to be credited to the Public Reserved Lands Acquisition Fund. Any interest earned on this money must also be credited to the fund.

3. Expenditures of fund.  All money credited to the fund must be used exclusively to purchase and assemble quantities of lands of sizes and locations that the director determines best fulfill the purposes of this subchapter. Lands acquired with this money are considered to be public reserved lands. The State shall hold and manage these lands subject to the same terms and conditions that apply to other public reserved lands. There is appropriated to pay for this property as much of the funds raised from income designated in subsection 2 and paid into the State Treasury as necessary to pay for the purchase of real property to be held and managed as public reserved lands. The director, with the prior approval of the Governor and the commissioner, shall authorize the State Controller to draw the director's warrant for such a purchase at any time. Any remaining balance must continue from year to year as a fund available only for the purposes of this section.