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US laws regarding fossils


yann87

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Hello everybody, 

 

I'm looking for the official excerpts of laws that stipulate that a fossil found on a private land in USA is the property of the landowner who can legally keep it, sell it or export it. 

Do you know where can I find these documents ? 

If I'm right, the fossils found in US are not considered as cultural heritage. It that right ? 

Thanks for your help, 

BR, Yann

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1 hour ago, yann87 said:

Hello everybody, 

 

I'm looking for the official excerpts of laws that stipulate that a fossil found on a private land in USA is the property of the landowner who can legally keep it, sell it or export it. 

Do you know where can I find these documents ? 

If I'm right, the fossils found in US are not considered as cultural heritage. It that right ? 

Thanks for your help, 

BR, Yann

 

What you are proposing is not very simple and actually fairly complex.

 

It is going to be a state by state decision so you will need to get the specific laws from all 50 states. On top of that, the US federal government owns land in every state and it is illegal to collect vertebrate fossils on federal land without a permit. Some states require a permit and some states / local communities regulate the manner in which fossils can be hunted and/or collected. 

 

Good luck.

Don't know much about history

Don't know much biology

Don't know much about science books.........

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2 hours ago, yann87 said:

Hello everybody, 

 

I'm looking for the official excerpts of laws that stipulate that a fossil found on a private land in USA is the property of the landowner who can legally keep it, sell it or export it. 

Do you know where can I find these documents ? 

If I'm right, the fossils found in US are not considered as cultural heritage. It that right ? 

Thanks for your help, 

BR, Yann

 

The Forum cannot act as a legal advisory on the Fossil laws of any state, nation, or country.

 

It is beyond what can be covered on an internet Forum. It is incumbent on any collector to educate themselves on the laws concerning fossil collection in any given area. 

Please research by using the internet and/or contacting state Departments of Environmental Protection, or consulting a lawyer in the relevant state.

 

No one should take the word of random strangers on the internet when it comes to fossil collecting laws, anywhere.  :unsure:  

 

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Certainly don't go by second-hand information. But...

 

For the most part if the fossil was collected on privately owned land for which the owner has all mineral rights the fossil is the property of the land owner and they can pretty much do whatever they want with it. Archeological items, especially burials, are a whole different thing.

 

There have been occasions where the landowner didn't control mineral rights or other technicalities created problems. For example the T. rex "Sue"....

 

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Here is the official info from the BLM... they own much of the Fedreal Land in the western US.  

 

https://www.blm.gov/basic/rockhounding

 

As for laws concerning fossils on private land, look into the Sue (T rex) case... this (as far as I know) is the legal case that made fossil on private land the property of landowners.  Also look into recent case in Montana about the fighting dinosaurs.  There are fairly recent links to it on TFF somwhere.  I have not seen the laws actually in print or on the web.  

 

Are you planning a trip to the western US? PM me if you want.

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You probably won't find federal or state laws/regulations that explicitly state ownership of fossils found on private land rests with the landowner. Land use laws/regulations tend to talk about what cannot be done on private land versus what can be done. The closest you may get to something explicit on this point is binding case law from a federal court.

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Here is an article from the Smithsonian magazine.

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/find-a-dinosaur-in-your-backyard-its-all-yours-19885792/

I think that this is the "common" lore. If you have clear and unambiguous ownership of private property, any fossil found is yours, within the laws that govern all fossils. Think Ivory, whale, etc.

Just with discussions with professors and paleontologists in Florida, it is clear what they believe the law is and what has occurred in case law.

If you require surety , hire a lawyer. Otherwise , take a look at case law. What have courts decided on available cases.  You do have the Sue T-rex case, which certainly sets a standard. When you look for  examples where the government has confiscated a fossil found on private land from the land owner, the lack of such cases tells you something.

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You might want to look at HB0229 just passed by the Montana state legislature, dealing with fossils on private land with severed mineral rights.

 

Bob

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7 hours ago, yann87 said:

Hello everybody, 

 

I'm looking for the official excerpts of laws that stipulate that a fossil found on a private land in USA is the property of the landowner who can legally keep it, sell it or export it. 

Do you know where can I find these documents ? 

If I'm right, the fossils found in US are not considered as cultural heritage. It that right ? 

Thanks for your help, 

BR, Yann

Just to get to one of your more specific questions...No, fossils are not classified as cultural heritage.  Everything here in the USofA is driven by property rights.

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Shark tooth hill is a prime example of private property ownership of fossils.

Fossils on private land in that area have been dug and sold for decades.(Not just the Ernst quarries.)

 

There are also pay to dig places for dino and other vertebrate fossils.

 

@MarcoSr may have some insight on this - being a fossil bearing property owner.

Darwin said: " Man sprang from monkeys."

Will Rogers said: " Some of them didn't spring far enough."

 

My Fossil collection - My Mineral collection

My favorite thread on TFF.

 

 

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I am collecting links to the rules and regulations re the collection of fossils rocks and minerals collected on public lands in the US. link

 

I find links to the published code more helpful than the summaries created by the BLM and the Forest Service. I am looking for code for the BLM regulations; anyone have a link?

 

Here is the Forest Service code, CFR part 291: link  Look at the definition of “casual collecting”. I often keep a copy with me since not all Forest Service personnel are familiar with the fossil collecting rules.

 

 

 

 

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Lots of good information here on what we as collectors collectively know about fossil laws (where we've interacted with them).

 

I'm interested in knowing if the original poster had a specific question regarding the status of a particular fossil and its legality to to be exported to Switzerland or if this was just a more general inquiry to the general way that the ownership of fossils on public/private land are dealt with here in the US? If it is the former, then we'd need to know details to provide any possible assistance in securing the authoritative legal answer (a proper pointer to the appropriate authority). If the question is more generic, then I think we've provided some clue to that question. In most instances, fossils found on private land are the property of the land owner and those found on public lands have varying treatments. It is possible to collect a measured amount of petrified wood on BLM (Bureau of Land Management) land at a location in Wyoming but any vertebrate fossils (especially dinosaurs) found there would be illegal to excavate and take. Luckily, the site I'm thinking about dates from about 16 mya after the dinosaurs ceased to exist so that problem never arises there for dino fossils.

 

Cheers.

 

-Ken

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10 hours ago, DPS Ammonite said:

Here is the Forest Service code, CFR part 291: link 

Look at the definition of “casual collecting”. I often keep a copy with me since not all Forest Service personnel are familiar with the fossil collecting rules.

 

Thank you for this! I am planning a backpacking trip into a wilderness area this summer and I'll make sure to bring a printed copy of that, too.

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Just now, winnph said:

 

Thank you for this! I am planning a backpacking trip into a wilderness area this summer and I'll make sure to bring a printed copy of that, too.

Designated wilderness areas are off limits for collecting almost everything, including fossils, except for memories.

My goal is to leave no stone or fossil unturned.   

See my Arizona Paleontology Guide    link  The best single resource for Arizona paleontology anywhere.       

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snarge! Well I'll keep that in mind. Most of the formation in question is outside the wilderness area anyhow. 

 

Just now, DPS Ammonite said:

Designated wilderness areas are off limits for collecting almost everything, including fossils, except for memories.

 

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Wow! Thank you everybody for all your answers and for all this information regarding the collect of fossils. It was more a general question regarding fossils. I plan to buy some dino fossils and I wanted to be sure about the legality of this business. 

That's very interesting and a bit more complicated than what I expected initially ;-) 

Cheers

Yann

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17 hours ago, ynot said:

Shark tooth hill is a prime example of private property ownership of fossils.

Fossils on private land in that area have been dug and sold for decades.(Not just the Ernst quarries.)

 

There are also pay to dig places for dino and other vertebrate fossils.

 

@MarcoSr may have some insight on this - being a fossil bearing property owner.

 

Tony

 

That recent ruling by the nine circuit court that fossils belong to the mineral rights owners and not the property owners can have a major impact on fossil ownership in the Bakersfield Area.  Almost every property there has some kind of mineral rights ownership especially by the gas and oil industry.  My family has a twenty year fossil lease on property in STH granted by the property owner and we are not sure if it is valid because of this ruling.  Our property in Nebraska isn't in the ninth circuit so the ruling doesn't directly apply there.  There were natural gas leases on that property many years ago but they all expired.  When we bought the property we made sure there were no active mineral leases of any kind still on the property.

 

As has been said already, you need to understand the specific property laws of the state that the property is located in.

 

Marco Sr.

 

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7 hours ago, DPS Ammonite said:

Designated wilderness areas are off limits for collecting almost everything, including fossils, except for memories.

I know national monuments and parks are no collecting allowed. However, national wilderness is not the same. The collecting of crystals is allowed, just can not use mechanized tools. I would think that the collection of invert fossils would be allowed also.

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Darwin said: " Man sprang from monkeys."

Will Rogers said: " Some of them didn't spring far enough."

 

My Fossil collection - My Mineral collection

My favorite thread on TFF.

 

 

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3 hours ago, ynot said:

I know national monuments and parks are no collecting allowed. However, national wilderness is not the same. The collecting of crystals is allowed, just can not use mechanized tools. I would think that the collection of invert fossils would be allowed also.

 

I spent a few hours last night researching this and the answer is really complicated. It depends on (1) which agency manages the wilderness (NFS or BLM), (2) the restrictions Congress placed in the enacting statute for that particular wilderness, and (3) the management plan for that particular wilderness.

 

If it is Forest Service managed and does not have a particular prohibition on collecting, it would seemingly fall under this default rule:

 

§291.11   Casual collecting on  Forest System lands.
(a) Casual collecting is allowed without a permit on National Forest System lands where such collection is consistent with the laws governing the management of those lands, the land management plans, and where the lands in question are not closed to casual collection.

 

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  • 10 months later...

Hi All, 

 

I wrote this earlier today in response to a specific water-related question. But figured I’d also post it here since it might help someone as background info. Note that obviously this info is United States specific only. (Where, for one, we do not have an automatic “right to cross” unlike many European countries.) And, also, I only touch briefly on public lands—others get into much greater detail. But hopefully my info will provide a starting place for those looking to learn more. 

 

—o—o—o—o—

 

Though new to TFF, at last, here’s a topic that I can actually speak knowledgeably about!

 

I am an environmental planner (not a lawyer so—caveat emperor—free Internet advice is worth what you paid for it!) who’s worked in California and, now, Texas. The “water law of the West” is crazy complicated but the basics are pretty straightforward. Let me lay out some basic land use (urban planning) info. that will hopefully be of interest to TFF members. Just some notes as they occur to me. I suppose I should check other forums and maybe post there if there’s enough member interest in these topics? By the end, I’ll work my way around the the water law part, honest, so bear with me.

 

First of all, though it’s not always obvious, remember that ALL land in the US is “owned” by “someone.” What we think of as “public lands” are really just those owned by a government entity. Such lands may be managed by the same entity that owns them (states’ “School lands” in land grant states, are common in central & western US, for example). For lands “owned” by the federal government, a variety of agencies are tasked with their management. For example, US Bureau of Land Management, BLM, manages probably the bulk of the public lands in the US and thus, such lands are colloquially known as “BLM lands.” National Park Service & National Forest Service manage their self-evident resources (X Y or Z “National Park” or “National Forest,” etc.) The US Fish & Wildlife Service manages most federal Wildlife Refuges and Reserves, etc.) A State fish & game service will manage (& possibly own) a State Game Preserve or State Recreational Area (often along lakes or reservoirs, for example). A city may own a public park within city limits. And so on and on and on.

 

Note, however, it is possible for there to be privately-owned (or leased) parcels within a large public land area—especially on federal lands. Such parcels of land may or may not have a house or other structure on them, or may just be grazing lands (super common on BLM lands) or even mineral or mining leases. In such cases, however, it’s generally up to the landowner (or controller) to POST their property. This is where you should see the “Posted No Trespassing” signs — but! remember! lack of signage doesn’t guarantee anything either. Might just make it harder to enforce a trespassing claim (this is where a lawyer might be able to explain...) But still: a parcel could be private property even with NO signs of ANY development or use on it to distinguish it from the surrounding public lands! (This will be a common recurring theme....)

 

So! If you’re interested in fossil hunting (or any other type of collecting for that matter), your safest bet is to find out (ie, Google!) the NAME of the public land/region and which agency manages it. There will be a publicly available (online!) MANAGEMENT PLAN for it. Generally speaking, ALL public lands should have a plan of this sort with specifics on allowed uses, prohibited activities, and so on.  IF there’s no specific plan, then the rules dictating the land’s management will likely fall under the state (or US) Code of Regulations for that agency. (More tedious to research, but still find-able. Google is a real life-saver!) So: once you find the guiding document, you can look up the rules.

 

Check whether fossil hunting is allowed or not, where it is allowed (if allowed) and any limits or restrictions (very common to see rules like “no mechanized excavation allowed” or limits of “20 lbs per person for non-commercial purposes” for minerals, including fossil materials [or whatever]). Also, even when fossil (paleo) hunting IS allowed, it’s extremely common to see collecting of archeological finds (human cultural artifacts) forbidden (though incredibly hard to enforce, at least the laws are on the books! Which at least gives law enforcement a tool against pot hunters and other destructive trespassers doing genuine harm to the scientific and cultural resources and values that are an important public asset!)

 

So, in terms of WATERS (ie, “drainages” — rivers, creeks, streams, etc., but also lakes, ponds, reservoirs, and so on. Any fresh water. — salt water, ie, marine areas, get trickier so I’m going to skip that here!): To the extent that the water feature is on/in a PUBLIC LAND, everything in the prior paragraphs also apply to it. In that regard, public lands are relatively simple. Though, note: It is the ownership of the water feature, NOT the “jurisdiction” that dictates whether you’re trespassing or not (and whether it’s legal to collect fossils from a drainage feature or not!)

 

Side note:  For waters, the term “jurisdiction” really just means who over sees the LAWS that govern what can & cannot be done IN or TO a water. For example, any feature meeting the definition of a “Water of the US” — which is supposed to be “just” “navigable waters” — meaning a ship of sufficient size for (interstate?) commerce can traverse it — is subject to the rules of the federal Clean Water Act (CWA). But, until very recently, these rules ALSO applied to “tributeries” to navigable waters. They changed (were loosened considerably) under Trump, but given the history of environmental regulations, will likely go back to being more tightly controlled the next time a Democrat is president — it’s getting hard to even keep track of all the changes lately! Also, as a rule of thumb, the more “environmental minded” (aka “liberal”) the state, the more likely it is for waters protections to be more broadly applied & thus tightly regulated. At any rate, the CWA provisions say things like: you can’t fill (put dirt into) or dredge (remove dirt from) a Water of the US without a permit issued by the US Army Corps of Engineers (ACOE). The ACOE also builds and maintains a lot of the country’s major flood control infrastructure (dams, reservoirs, dikes, levees, etc.) So, you’ll often hear about a waterbody being “under Army Corps jurisdiction” for this reason. But! Remember! That’s NOT synonymous with ownership! This seems to be the MAIN POINT OF CONFUSION in the above comments. So, I help this info helps!

 

So, what about PRIVATE LANDS? Yes, a water body or drainage CAN absolutely be private property! For lakes, even when the water body itself is owned by, say, a water district that uses the water to supply a nearby town, the SHORES of that lake may very well be private property of the surrounding land owners! So, while it may be ok to canoe around a public lake, you may be trespassing as soon as you step onto a part of its shore! Again, look for a “no trespassing” sign as a hint — though again, absence of signage doesn’t necessarily make it legal to trespass! (Sound familiar?!)

 

So, as for RIVERS AND CREEKS, (at last - wow, thank you for sticking with me here - I didn’t mean to be so long-winded, but this is what I do professionally & I am kind of passionate about a topic I’ve spent the last 20 years studying!!) Again, they absolutely CAN be private property! EVEN if “navigable” and a “water of the US” — remember, that just dictates what laws apply if you try to alter or build in/on the drainage or water feature! Again, “jurisdiction” does not equal “ownership.” (Think about it like this, if you live in a town, you might be under the “jurisdiction” (ie, legal authority) of the local police. But, that just means it is them, not the State troopers or the FBI, that will come investigate a crime, say, if your house (your PRIVATE PROPERTY) was robbed. Make sense?)

 

So, as a RULE OF THUMB for creeks and rivers:  You’ll often see that drainages run right through a variety of individual properties (and owners!) for OLDER parcels (pre-1980s, say) and for large lots (an acre or larger), particularly in the Midwestern US and in most rural areas. For these, even in a creek, if you’re on private property, it is private property! Get permission first to avoid trespassing! (Old news to the TFF members who also metal detect, I’ll bet!) 

 

For NEWER developments, particularly for what are known as “planned subdivisions” or “planned communities”— common in suburbs and cities (espec. on East & West coasts— California, Florida, Texas, Arizona, etc.) typically with SMALLER lots and all the homes built at one time or by the same developer (as a clue), it is EXTREMELY COMMON to see the drainage feature (natural or even man-made, such as a pond or lake, for example) to be placed on its own individual lot (parcel), with the individual homes or other lots delineated as SEPARATE parcels which are owned by the master developer of the subdivision or (very commonly, espec in California) owned by the Homeowners Association (HOA) that “governs” the subdivision— again, this is STILL private property, even tho owned by a “corporation”of sorts, not an individual property owner.

 

THIS IS LIKELY THE CASE FOR THE EXAMPLE FOR THE DALLAS PHOTO YOU POSTED. (I didn’t research it specifically—I’m just guessing based on professional experience. You can look it up simply for yourself via Google maps, which are often pretty good about showing property lines. But! You’d have to look at the city or county property records —almost always available online these days!—to know for sure, ie, the actual legal property boundaries.)  THUS, BOTTOM LINE IS: Even if it’s not posted as “private property” and/or “no trespassing,” it may very well be private property!

 

SIDE NOTE: The reason this is so common in modern subdivisions is because the drainage often has to be “managed” for proper flood control functionality, water quality protections and other legal reasons (laws that didn’t exist much or were rarely enforced before the environmental movement really kicked off in the early 1970s).  IF the drainage were to pass thru 40 different property owners’ backyards, the necessary maintenance (cutting back vegetation once or twice a year before the rainy season, for example) would be a NIGHTMARE to enforce and ensure. So, the jurisdictional agencies (city, county, ACOE even) like to see it all held as a “COMMON AREA” by one entity. Though called “common” this mostly just means it is held “in common ownership” by the master land-holding entity that built the subdivision—not that any “common” person can go in it! Often, the owner will be the master builder or original landowner and then these parcels (which will often also include any “community amenities” provided within the subdivision, such as swimming pool, gym, rec facilities, parking lots and all landscaped “common” areas, parks and picnic or bbq areas, etc) will have ownership transferred to the governing Homeowners Association (HOA) which get set up and run similar to how a corporation is run, with each property owner within the subdivision having a vote and self-governing their community with an elected board and so on. (Again, a whole ‘nother messy ball of property law that I won’t get into here!)

 

But, still, REMEMBER: a creek or river or any waterbody on a parcel owned by an HOA is STILL PRIVATE PROPERTY! (So, bottom line: that guy who yelled at you to leave was *probably* correct—whether he truly knew it or not!) So, it kinda SUCKS for us eager and generally innocuous fossil hunters, I know, but as they always say, “ignorance of the law does not obviate guilt.” Darn it! So, let’s all be respectful and responsible out there as we hunt, ok?

 

SIDE NOTE: The reason this is so common in modern subdivisions is because the drainage often has to be “managed” for proper flood control functionality, water quality protections and other legal reasons (laws that didn’t exist much or were rarely enforced before the environmental movement really kicked off in the early 1970s).  IF the drainage were to pass thru 40 different property owners’ backyards, the necessary maintenance (cutting back vegetation once or twice a year before the rainy season, for example) would be a NIGHTMARE to enforce and ensure. So, the jurisdictional agencies (city, county, ACOE even) like to see it all held as a “COMMON AREA” by one entity. Though called “common” this mostly just means it is held “in common ownership” by the master land-holding entity that built the subdivision—not that any “common” person can go in it! Often, the owner will be the master builder or original landowner and then these parcels (which will often also include any “community amenities” provided within the subdivision, such as swimming pool, gym, rec facilities, parking lots and all landscaped “common” areas, parks and picnic or bbq areas, etc) will have ownership transferred to the governing Homeowners Association (HOA) which get set up and run similar to how a corporation is run, with each property owner within the subdivision having a vote and self-governing their community with an elected board and so on. (Again, a whole ‘nother messy ball of property law that I won’t get into here!)

 

But, still, REMEMBER: a creek or river or any waterbody on a parcel owned by an HOA is STILL PRIVATE PROPERTY! (So, bottom line: that guy who yelled at you to leave was *probably* correct—whether he truly knew it or not!) So, it kinda SUCKS for us eager and generally innocuous fossil hunters, I know, but as they always say, “ignorance of the law does not obviate guilt.” Darn it! So, let’s all be respectful and responsible out there as we hunt, ok?

 

Good luck and happy hunting! (Beats sitting in front of a computer* any day!!)

 

- CatB  (aka Midwest Mudlark)

 

*Posting to TFF notwithstanding!  =)

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On 4/11/2019 at 8:40 AM, ynot said:

I know national monuments and parks are no collecting allowed. However, national wilderness is not the same. The collecting of crystals is allowed, just can not use mechanized tools. I would think that the collection of invert fossils would be allowed also.

Having written public lands policy in California, it is important to remember that a Designated (Federal) Wilderness Area is NOT the same as a National Park or a National Forest. Rather a Wilderness Area is basically the highest (most restrictive, most protected) general federal land designation that exists outside of, say, a Preserve or some other type of “special” conservation land use. Wilderness Areas (WA) are designated as part of the National Wilderness Preservation System by act of US Congress (pursuant to the Wilderness Act of 1964), can be located on public lands managed by any of 4 federal agencies (US Fish & Wildlife Service, National Forest Service, National Parks Service or BLM) and have very specific (and very restrictive) rules. 

 

These rules include things like: NO roads thru a WA, no use of motorized (or mechanized vehicles, ie bicycles, either!) vehicles in a WA, no development, including infrastructure (power lines, cell towers, etc.) may occur, a “Leave No Trace” policy also applies to protect the pristine setting.

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2 hours ago, CAT B said:

Having written public lands policy in California, it is important to remember that a Designated (Federal) Wilderness Area is NOT the same as a National Park or a National Forest. Rather a Wilderness Area is basically the highest (most restrictive, most protected) general federal land designation that exists outside of, say, a Preserve or some other type of “special” conservation land use. Wilderness Areas (WA) are designated as part of the National Wilderness Preservation System by act of US Congress (pursuant to the Wilderness Act of 1964), can be located on public lands managed by any of 4 federal agencies (US Fish & Wildlife Service, National Forest Service, National Parks Service or BLM) and have very specific (and very restrictive) rules. 

 

These rules include things like: NO roads thru a WA, no use of motorized (or mechanized vehicles, ie bicycles, either!) vehicles in a WA, no development, including infrastructure (power lines, cell towers, etc.) may occur, a “Leave No Trace” policy also applies to protect the pristine setting.

There is no general prohibition in the US wilderness laws that prohibit the collecting of invertebrate fossils.  There are rules that apply to invertebrate fossil collecting. Specific wilderness areas may have rules against collecting; you need to contact the local manager. The above statements were recently confirmed to me by the head paleontologist of the US Forest Service and agree with my knowledge of the laws.

My goal is to leave no stone or fossil unturned.   

See my Arizona Paleontology Guide    link  The best single resource for Arizona paleontology anywhere.       

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On 4/10/2019 at 12:13 PM, ynot said:

Shark tooth hill is a prime example of private property ownership of fossils.

Fossils on private land in that area have been dug and sold for decades.(Not just the Ernst quarries.)

 

There are also pay to dig places for dino and other vertebrate fossils.

 

@MarcoSr may have some insight on this - being a fossil bearing property owner.

 

 

Hi Tony,

 

Sharktooth Hill is an actual place.  It is illegal to collect there.  I know you know that but I just want that to be clear.  When most people say "Sharktooth Hill," they are referring to the STH Bonebed in general or a particular spot/quarry where it is exposed, and as you said, there is private land where you can collect if you own it or if you have permission from the owner.  That is why I always write out "Sharktooth Hill Bonebed" when referring to my collecting or someone else's or just the layer in general.  People older than I am remember when it was legal to collect at the actual Sharktooth hill back in the 60's.

 

Jess

 

   

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On 2/23/2020 at 8:21 PM, DPS Ammonite said:

There is no general prohibition in the US wilderness laws that prohibit the collecting of invertebrate fossils.  There are rules that apply to invertebrate fossil collecting. Specific wilderness areas may have rules against collecting; you need to contact the local manager. The above statements were recently confirmed to me by the head paleontologist of the US Forest Service and agree with my knowledge of the laws.

Sure, I’ll bet you’re right. But, again, remember! You’re speaking specifically of Wilderness Areas at best. I’m thinking a lot of people don’t realize that a Wilderness Area is totally different (legally speaking, at least) from a National Park or from a State Park, etc. (I still get them mixed up sometimes and I’ve been doing land use & environmental policy for over 20 years!) 

 

Oh, also, remember that “US wilderness laws” aren’t the same thing as rules issued by the management agencies tasked with enforcing said laws and managing the various public lands. Each agency (BLM, USFWS, NPS, FS, NMFS, et al.!) has different rules AND different rules may even apply to different parks, areas or subareas. The California Desert Area Conservation  Plan covers an area of like 25 million acres. So .... yeah, always be prepared— do your research first! (Google is your best friend!)

 

Good luck & happy hunting!   - CATB (Midwest Mudlark)

Edited by CAT B
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