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A final rule has been published for managing paleontological resources on Bureau of Land Management, National Park Service, Fish and Wildlife Service and Bureau of Reclamation lands. Casual collecting of fossils is generally allowed on BLM lands and not allowed on National Park Service and Fish and Wildlife Service lands. Bureau of Reclamation allows casual collecting of fossils only in specifically set aside areas. https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2022/08/02/2022-16405/paleontological-resources-preservation Start with reading about “casual collecting”, but read the whole thing: “§ 49.810 What is casual collecting? (a) Casual collecting means the collecting without a permit of a reasonable amount of common invertebrate or plant paleontological resources for non-commercial personal use, either by surface collection or the use of non-powered hand tools, resulting in only negligible disturbance to the Earth's surface or paleontological or other resources. (1) Common non-vertebrate paleontological resources means common invertebrate or plant paleontological resources. (2) Reasonable amount means a maximum of 25 pounds of common non-vertebrate paleontological resources per day per person. Where the common non-vertebrate paleontological resources are embedded in rock, the collector, using non-motorized hand tools, may remove a slab or cobble of rock that exceeds 25 pounds in order to preserve the integrity of the embedded specimen. (3) Negligible disturbance means little or no change to the surface of the land and minimal or no effect to natural and other resources. (4) Non-commercial personal use means a use other than for purchase, sale, financial gain, or research. (5) Non-powered hand tools means tools that do not use or are not operated by a motor, engine, or other mechanized power source, and that can be hand-carried by one person. § 49.805 Where is casual collecting allowed? (a) Casual collecting of common invertebrate or plant paleontological resources is allowed on lands administered by BLM, except on BLM-administered land that is closed to casual collecting in accordance with this part, other statutes, executive orders, regulations, proclamations, or land use plans. (b) Casual collecting of common invertebrate or plant paleontological resources is allowed on lands administered by Reclamation only in locations where the bureau has established a special use area for casual collecting using processes defined in 43 CFR part 423, Public Conduct on Bureau of Reclamation Facilities, Lands, and Waterbodies. Casual collecting is prohibited on Reclamation project land that is administered by NPS or FWS.” Here is a government press release: https://www.doi.gov/pressreleases/interior-department-releases-coordinated-approach-better-protect-fossils-federal-lands Keep a copy of the rules when collecting on Federal lands such as BLM, US Forest Service and Bureau of Reclamation lands. Always contact the local agency offices to find specific information and restrictions for fossil collecting on their land. Here are the rules previously published for US Forest Service (USFS) lands: https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-36/chapter-II/part-291#291.5 I noticed a few differences between collecting on BLM versus USFS lands. The BLM allows tools such as picks and shovels with long handles while the USFS only allows tools with short handles. “Non-powered hand tools mean small tools that do not use or are not operated by a motor, engine, or other power source. These tools are limited to small tools that can be easily carried by hand such as geologic hammers, trowels, or sieves, but not large tools such as full-sized shovels or pick axes.” USFS rules from: Title 36, Chapter II, Part 291, § 291.5. The BLM allows collecting more than the maximum of 25 pounds of fossils in a day if a slab is larger than 25 pounds to “protect the integrity of the embedded specimen.” The USFS limits fossils to 25 pounds a day with no exceptions. In other words, you don’t have to field prep BLM fossils found in a large slab to reduce the weight to 25 pounds thus reducing possibly damage to the fossils. “Reasonable amount means a maximum per calendar year of one-hundred pounds by weight, not to exceed twenty-five pounds per day.” USFS rules from: Title 36, Chapter II, Part 291, § 291.5. Another comment: fossil collecting on Bureau of Reclamation lands such as Lake Texoma may be restricted unless specifically designation areas are created. Again: read the rules and keep a copy with you while collecting fossils. Always contact the local office for further information.

Discovery I made on blm land

I found this on BLM Land near Guadalupe Mountains National Park. No idea what it is. At one point I was hopeful it was a mammoth tusk. Help?

Any ideas what this could be? I found it by a dried up river bed outside of St.George Utah. There was a lot small pieces of petrified wood close by.

Here are a couple of good websites that show the public and private lands to help you collect fossils legally. Please add any of your suggestions. https://caltopo.com/map.html# https://blm-egis.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=6f0da4c7931440a8a80bfe20eddd7550 Here is one that does not show ownership; it shows the satellite plus the elevation contours. https://www.mountainproject.com/map/106959022/oak-flats

Does anyone know if there is any overlap of BLM land on parts of the Hell Creek Formation in either South Dakota or Montana? Or are there other Mesozoic formations that have BLM overlap in South Dakota, Montana, or Wyoming for that matter? Judith River? Two Medicine? Morrison? Have an upcoming trip through all those states, might be nice to have the ability to collect some non vertebrate fossils along the way.

I hope this does not open a can of worms? But I think an open discussion regarding legal vs. illegal collecting practices is worth the time. I have observed, via a number of threads in posts, some collectors DO NOT appear respectful of current collecting rules and regulations (i.e. collecting vertebrate fossils on public land or unauthorized collecting on private land). I can already guess, many members are going to ask for specific examples. I really don't want to point fingers. I'm sure, members who have participated in this forum for a long time, recognize this is a on-going issue. People who post may NOT overtly say they are collecting illegally, but the content within the post depicts a picture of illegal collecting (i.e. found whale bones in a drainage ditch with map coordinates that indicate it is a public road easement). I think what typically gets lost in discussion like this are 2 main points: (1) illegal collecting fuels the drive to change BLM collecting rules and regs (which we have seen), and (2) illegal collecting can "cheat" the legitimate scientific community from extracting valuable data (i.e. geologic in-situ information, micro fossils, specific coordinates, etc.). I recently had a in-depth discussion with the head of a paleontology department who said, "most of the surface material (fossils) are of little interest to the museum (unless rare)" as the "scientific data" has been lost. I know what most of us are thinking, which is then why not let us collect surface vertebrate material that is exposed or removed from it's matrix? Well there are some legitimate reason why the current laws are restrictive: (1) some collectors have NO formal training and don't know how to properly identify, classify fossils (don't know the difference between a femur or tibia) (2) some collectors have NO training on how to property excavate fossils (pot hole diggers). I think, in fairness to the online community, it would be beneficial to discuss the "challenges" to legal collecting and the importance of "legitimate" "legal" collecting to protect future collecting opportunities. I personally, would like to see more posted comments instructing members to abide by current laws when it appears members "may be" violating them.

The BLM stopped by our museum today with a little surprise! I figured some people may be interested to see what exactly happens when the police and the state come to confiscate your fossils! Say you have just been reported for collecting fossils on BLM land without a permit. The BLM comes to your house and basically runs an audit on you. They want documentation and paperwork for every fossil you have. If you don't have a reasonable explanation for them, they start questioning everything! Once the BLM makes their decision you are given a court date and a judge decides what should happen next. The fossils, if it is decided they were illegally collected, become property of the state and are sent to a repository. Along with the fossils we received: photos of each piece of bone with a court number A piece of paper telling us what was there a box of bone (weighing about 14 pounds!) I did not photograph the photographs as I don't have the skills or ability to edit the logos and court numbers out. The first photo is our letter we received (if this shows too much can you please edit it further @Fossildude19) This photo is the bones that we were given. You can see some have been sliced and marked up, obviously this person was going to slab and cab these pieces most likely to sell. While these may just be chunkosaurus the most important thing to remember is that they were collected illegally. Regardless of what they are the individual did not have permits or permission to collect them. I was told by the officer that this was a multiple offense case. Each piece of bone brings a separate charge as well as a larger charge on a whole. We didn't discuss much beyond broad terms, but the investigation was closed and the state decided that we could use these bones for educational purposes! The good news for us, we get some cool chunkosaurus to show off! The down side is that people don't follow the rules and it puts legal collecting at risk for all of us!

For those of us who live in or plan on visiting the "wild west" (USA), the interactive map on www.geocommunicator.gov may be a useful tool in your explorations. The site allows for the overlaying of BLM use (yellow squares of wilderness bliss ) boundaries onto road, topo and aerial maps! How cool is that? Upon opening the site, select "interactive maps". The map's upper tool bar lends the opportunity to zoom in and out, pan, label and identify areas by Lat./Long or UTM. You can even convert your map to a PDF and print! (though I will admit 'tis not as detailed as I would like) To the right of the screen, you will see folders that can be selected (checked). Under "base maps" you can choose your map of choice...road, topo or aerial. (these can also be selected by choosing the appropriate toggle at the bottom of the screen) Selecting the folder "Surface Management Agency" will overlay the BLM use for the map. (the opacity of the yellow can be adjusted at the bottom of the screen) Selecting the folder "BLM Administrative Areas" will identify the BLM field office that oversees the land. I am positive there is still much to fiddle with on this site, but nonetheless, it has been a great tool for prospecting. I hope you find useful as well. Happy hunting, -P.