Members of the Board shall be appointed on a staggered term basis by the Secretary for a term not to exceed 4 years and shall serve at the pleasure of the Secretary.

The Board shall be composed of no more than 12 persons, appointed from among citizens of the United States having a demonstrated commitment to the mission of the Service. Board members shall be selected to represent various geographic regions, including each of the administrative regions of the Service. At least 6 of the members shall have outstanding expertise in one or more of the following fields: history, archeology, anthropology, historical or landscape architecture, biology, ecology, geology, marine science, or social science. At least 4 of the members shall have outstanding expertise and prior experience in the management of national or State parks or protected areas, or natural or cultural resources management. The remaining members shall have outstanding expertise in one or more of the areas described above or in another professional or scientific discipline, such as financial management, recreation use management, land use planning, or business management, important to the mission of the Service. At least one individual shall be a locally elected official from an area adjacent to a park.

The Board shall hold its 1st meeting no later than 60 days after the date on which all members of the Board who are to be appointed have been appointed.

Any vacancy in the Board shall not affect its powers, but shall be filled in the same manner in which the original appointment was made.

All members of the Board shall be reimbursed for travel and per diem in lieu of subsistence expenses during the performance of duties of the Board while away from home or their regular place of business, in accordance with subchapter I of chapter 57 of title 5. With the exception of travel and per diem, a member of the Board who otherwise is an officer or employee of the United States Government shall serve on the Board without additional compensation.

The Board may adopt such rules as may be necessary to establish its procedures and to govern the manner of its operations, organization, and personnel.

The Board shall advise the Secretary on matters relating to the System, to other related areas, and to the administration of chapter 3201 of this title, including matters submitted to it for consideration by the Secretary, but it shall not be required to provide recommendations as to the suitability or desirability of surplus real and related personal property for use as a historic monument. The Board shall also provide recommendations on the designation of national historic landmarks and national natural landmarks. The Board is strongly encouraged to consult with the major scholarly and professional organizations in the appropriate disciplines in making the recommendations.

Any member of the Board may administer oaths or affirmations to witnesses appearing before the Board.

The Board may establish committees or subcommittees. The subcommittees or committees shall be chaired by a voting member of the Board.

The Board may use the United States mails in the same manner and under the same conditions as other departments and agencies in the United States.

The Board may secure directly from any office, department, agency, establishment, or instrumentality of the Federal Government such information as the Board may require for the purpose of this section, and each office, department, agency, establishment, or instrumentality shall furnish, to the extent permitted by law, the information, suggestions, estimates, and statistics directly to the Board, on request made by a member of the Board.

On request of the Board, the head of any Federal department, agency, or instrumentality may make any of the facilities and services of the department, agency, or instrumentality available to the Board, on a nonreimbursable basis, to assist the Board in carrying out its duties under this section.