---
type: "LegalText"
title: "16 U.S.C. § 544a"
description: "Purposes"
jurisdiction: "us"
corpus: "united_states_code"
kind: "code_section"
title_number: 16
title_name: "CONSERVATION"
chapter_number: "2"
chapter_name: "NATIONAL FORESTS"
section: "544a"
citation: "16 U.S.C. § 544a"
status: "current"
release_point: "119-100"
release_date: "2026-06-26"
source: "official"
source_url: "https://uscode.house.gov/download/releasepoints/us/pl/119/100/xml_usc16@119-100.zip"
source_identifier: "/us/usc/t16/s544a"
source_file: "data/legal/raw/us/code/title-16/usc16.xml"
source_hash: "02d50e1c33cedca22db87a7a631195618b388aa8a4323c1ec3aa22ee80dec524"
raw_snapshot_hash: "7be8950da5a93cac7c98e4576ce00340f2aba5e8e46d29915382c203c421d503"
text_hash: "633f22d71488bd5f7204ff8a61d0b9db1b13ac8ecd808acc676cc3405bfa6705"
retrieved_at: "2026-07-04"
confidence: "official"
tags: ["legal", "us-code"]
---

# 16 U.S.C. § 544a - Purposes

## Text

The purposes of sections 544 to 544p of this title are—

(1) to establish a national scenic area to protect and provide for the enhancement of the scenic, cultural, recreational, and natural resources of the Columbia River Gorge; and

(2) to protect and support the economy of the Columbia River Gorge area by encouraging growth to occur in existing urban areas and by allowing future economic development in a manner that is consistent with paragraph (1).

(Pub. L. 99–663, § 3, Nov. 17, 1986, 100 Stat. 4276.)