Xiphactinus (cast) collected from Cretaceous chalk beds of Kansas
Most rockhounds are interested in collecting fossils
on Federal lands managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), part of the
Department of Interior, and the U.S. Forest Service (USFS), a member of the
Department of Agriculture. In past years I have often offered comments on the
proposed rules and regulations concerning such and had hoped that the two
agencies would come up with common, and
understandable, regulations. That “sort of happened” although there are differences
in the rules, and some appear to an ole plugger like me as not very
understandable. However, both agencies strongly point out that collecting
vertebrate fossils, “uncommon” invertebrate fossils and fossil plants on
Federal lands is prohibited without a collecting permit---don’t even think
about it and don’t disturb the area if you happen to find a locality—contact
the land managers for advice.
As best that I can understand, the USFS
has a very prescriptive set of regulations concerning the collection of common
invertebrate fossils: invertebrate fossils are the
fossilized remains of animals lacking a backbone. A few examples include:
ammonites, trilobites, snails, clams, and insects. Invertebrate and plant
fossils (including invertebrate and plant trace fossils) may be collected
without a permit, from the surface without digging and for personal, hobby,
educational, and noncommercial use only. A permit is required for
research/scientific purposes… Trading, bartering, or selling any fossil
material (plants, invertebrates, vertebrates, or any trace fossils) removed
from National Forest System lands is prohibited.. In the meantime, for your reading pleasure
see: Federal Register/Vol. 80, No. 74/Friday, April 17, 2015/Rules and
Regulations and make certain to read the fine print.as there are some
surprising “subrules”.
The BLM rules “resemble” those of the
USFS and were published on 8/2/2022 when the BLM stated: The U.S. Department
of the Interior (DOI or Department) is promulgating
this regulation under the Paleontological Resources Preservation Act. This
regulation provides for the management, preservation, and protection of
paleontological resources on lands administered by the Bureau of Land
Management../.,Published Document: 2022-16405 (87 FR 47296).
Reading the Federal Resister is not a
very enjoyable evening activity. However, in my humble opinion the BLM regs are
less prescriptive than those of the USFS:
You may collect
reasonable quantities of common invertebrate fossils such as mollusks and
trilobites, but this must be for personal use, and the fossils may not be
bartered or sold.
My advice to the fossils hunters is to visit with the local land
managers and ask for their advice and perhaps ask about a location for
collecting. I have found these employees to be quite helpful and nice, but
perhaps a little cautious after receiving episodes of screaming and yelling
from miscreants out in the field. Be respectful to these hard-working ladies
and gentlemen as they have a wealth of useful information.
Please note that I have only scratched the surface on these
collecting rules, and they may have different interpretations in different
localities. For example, the amount (pounds) of fossils available as “causal
collecting”. So, TALK TO THE LAND
MANAGERS. If I can perhaps clear up some rule or reg for you shoot me an email
at csrockboy@yahoo.com. Mike
As for the educational part of this
article, I refer you to promulgating this regulation from the BLM. Who
uses promulgating in everyday discussions? I guess the Federal bureaucracy
since promulgate, in the
context of administrative law, is a term used to describe the process of
enacting an administrative final rule as an administrative regulation. A
regulation is promulgated when a final rule is published in the Federal
Register at the conclusion of the rulemaking process.. Now,
your assignment is to use the verb or noun in a sentence within the next week.
Increase your vocabulary. I did!
No comments:
Post a Comment