Proposed Mallows Bay – Potomac River National Marine Sanctuary

[MarcoSr]

For those of you who fossil collect in Charles County, Maryland, especially near Purse State Park, you might want to comment on this or at least follow it.

http://www.regulations.gov/#!docketDetail;D=NOAA-NOS-2015-0111

Marco Sr.

Edited January 17, 2016 by MarcoSr

[Boneheadz]

What's this all about? I couldn't quite figure it out from the link.

[MarcoSr]

What's this all about? I couldn't quite figure it out from the link.

If the Federal Government designates the Mallows Bay area as a National Marine Sanctuary, the Federal Government will regulate the activities that can occur in that sanctuary area. The size of the area of the sanctuary is still being determined from what I was told. The notice states 14 square miles but I've heard numbers as high as 58 square miles. Vertebrate fossil collecting is not permitted on Federal Land unless you have a permit or there is a Federal exemption. Most people commenting on the regulation to create the sanctuary are asking that the regulation creating the sanctuary allow rock and fossil collecting. If the final regulation doesn't, fossil collecting will no longer be allowed in the sanctuary area. Mallows Bay is just north of Purse State Park and the BLM land where fossil collectors currently collect the beach areas and have been collecting them for many years. If those areas wind up in the sanctuary area fossil collecting could become illegal in that area.

Marco Sr.

Edited January 18, 2016 by MarcoSr

[Auspex]

What's this all about? I couldn't quite figure it out from the link.

LINK

[MarcoSr]

LINK

Chas

Thanks for posting the link. Looks like I posted this too late for the current public comment period which ended January 15, 2016. However, people should be aware of this and sometimes they reopen the comments.

Marco Sr.

[FossilDAWG]

The map in the link Auspex provided definitely shows Purse State Park will be included within the sanctuary. :angry:

Don

Google maps on left, sanctuary map (proposed) on right:

[MarcoSr]

The map in the link Auspex provided definitely shows Purse State Park will be included within the sanctuary. :angry:

Don

Google maps on left, sanctuary map (proposed) on right:

Purse state park vs sanctuary.jpg

Remember this is a marine sanctuary. It is not clear to me whether this would include the beach areas or not. Would the sanctuary go to the mean high tide line, mean low tide line or start so many feet from shore. Remember also that there is a lot of private property in the area and the Federal Government can't run the sanctuary into the private landowners land without some kind of both legal action and compensation. The state of MD owns the Potomac River on the MD side to the mean high tide line. So the regulation could go to the mean high tide line which would put the beaches in the area in the sanctuary. Also there is both state (Purse State Park) and BLM land where they could close the access to the beaches where the collectors now collect. Hopefully the regulators use some common sense and don't prevent fossil collecting in the area if this does become a sanctuary I just posted this so people would be aware of this..

Marco Sr.

[Auspex]

As marine sanctuaries go, this one is more about oysters and eelgrass than marine mammals that need a haul-out beach. Recreational beach-combing should not negatively impact the purpose for this designation.

If we get a second comment period, this observation can be registered.

[jpevahouse]

As the old saying goes "Nothing is really free." There's always a price to be paid. Personally I'm willing to give up something to allow for more nature preserves. Here in NJ they are a wonderful asset and assure that in a place where development of open lands increases every year future residents can enjoy managed natural areas open to public access.

If that were the only place available for fossil collecting I might see the point. There are plenty of places where collectors can look for fossils.

[Boneheadz]

I hunt at Purse State Park quite frequently, so if there's anything I can do to help, please keep us notified.