descriptions, and others were foreclosed from being confirmed by earlier adverse rulings. (E) The Federal Government in a great many cases did not provide constitutionally sufficient notice of its confirmation activities, which contributed directly to many land grants-mercedes being erroneously misconfirmed. (F) The Federal Government and various Federal agents and officials involved in the confirmation process helped create a climate in which land speculators were able to undermine the adjudication process to dispossess land grants-mercedes of their common lands. (15) Compared to their original claims, land grants-mercedes suffered enormous loss of land to the Federal Government and others. This loss negatively impacted the economic, environmental, and social well-being of these communities. (16) The following land grant-merced priority rights were protected by the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo: (A) Water rights, including all surface, ground, and runoff water within the former common lands that are now under the management of the Federal Government. (B) Natural resource rights, including gathering of fuelwood, timber, vegetation, vegetation products, rocks, soils, and grazing and watering of livestock that are now under the management of the Federal Government. (C) Mineral rights, including any and all surface and subsurface minerals located within the existing and former common lands as well as rights to compensation for minerals extracted from former common lands now under management of the Federal Government. 3. Definitions In this Act: (1) Adjudication process The term adjudication process — (A) means the processes required by treaty by which the United States recognized land claims between 1854 and 1904 in the territories ceded under— (i) the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo