(a) As used in this Code section, the term:

(1) "Lake Lanier Islands" means such islands and adjacent land located in Lake Lanier, Hall County, Georgia, which are at present or in the future may be licensed to the State of Georgia by the United States through its agency, the United States Army Corps of Engineers, or which are otherwise acquired for use by the department.

(2) "Project" means the acquiring, constructing, equipping, maintaining, operating, managing, and promoting of recreation and accommodation and tourist facilities and services, including, but not limited to, camping sites, recreation centers, playgrounds, parks, swimming and wading pools, lakes, airports, golf courses, tennis courts, athletic fields and courts, club houses, gymnasiums, museums, concession buildings, convention halls, pageants, auditoriums, stables, marinas, piers, docks, restaurants, hotels, motels, hunting and fishing preserves, and any other facilities or services that the department may desire to undertake, including the related buildings and the usual and convenient facilities appertaining to any such facilities or services and the acquisition of necessary property therefor, all as may be related to the development of recreational and tourist accommodations and facilities on the islands as the department may deem necessary, convenient, or desirable.

(b) The department shall have power:

(1) To acquire by purchase, lease, or otherwise and to hold, lease, use, and operate real and personal property of every kind and character necessary or incidental to the project or the purposes of the department under this Code section;

(2) To enter into and execute contracts, deeds, leases, subleases, concession agreements, easements, and any and all instruments necessary or convenient to the project or the purposes of the department under this Code section, including contracts for construction of projects and leases of projects or contracts with respect to the use of projects which the department causes to be erected or acquired and to sell, lease, sublease, transfer, or dispose of any property, real or personal, tangible or intangible, or any interest therein in furtherance of the project;

(3) To accept grants of money or materials or property of any kind from the United States of America or any agency or instrumentality thereof upon such terms and conditions as the United States of America or such agency or instrumentality thereof may impose;

(4) To act as agent for the United States of America, or any agency, department, corporation, or instrumentality thereof, in any manner within the purposes or powers of the department under this Code section;

(5) To receive gifts, donations, or contributions from any person, firm, or corporation in furtherance of the purposes of the department under this Code section;

(6) To hold, use, administer, and expend such sum or sums as may hereafter be received as income, as gifts, or appropriated by authority of the General Assembly for any of the purposes of the department under this Code section;

(7) To accept and receive land adjacent to or rights of way to the Lake Lanier Islands from the State of Georgia or from any county or municipality therein, or from the United States of America, or from any agency, department, corporation, or instrumentality thereof;

(8) To prescribe, fix, revise, and collect rates, fees, tolls, and charges for the services, facilities, or commodities furnished, including leases, concessions, or subleases of the department's lands or facilities;

(9) To do any other things necessary or proper to beautify, improve, and render self-supporting the development of Lake Lanier Islands as provided for in this Code section, to make the facilities available to people of average income, and to advertise the attractions to the world;

(10) To do all things necessary, convenient, or incidental to carry out the intent, purpose, and powers expressed and given in this Code section;

(11) To grant, on an exclusive or nonexclusive basis, the right to use and occupy streets, roads, sidewalks, and other public places for the purpose of rendering utility services, upon such conditions and for such time as the department may deem wise.

(c) The Board of Natural Resources shall have power to promulgate all rules and regulations reasonably designed to accomplish the purposes of this Code section or to carry out the provisions of this Code section.