[meteorite-list] US States & Fed Govt Laws regarding prospecting, hiking, boondocking, stargazing, etc.

[Michael Bross]

Hello MikeG and List

This is a great idea. When looking at Iridium measuring/testing (haha :)) I 
stumbled upon a
French metal detector website which summarized well enough laws and 
regulations
pertaining to "hunting" on private or public land in France: national, 
regional etc...

We know that laws can be "gray" to some extent, but still it is a good 
start.

PS: this should be another thread, but how come a place like the Canyon 
Diablo
Meteor Crater site is a private enterprise ?!
I know we talk about USA but still... such a place should be State or 
Federal property, no ?!
or did I not understand properly your post Mike ?

Good evening everyone

Michael B, France


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Galactic Stone & Ironworks" <meteoritemike at gmail.com>
To: <meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com>
Sent: Friday, April 03, 2009 4:09 PM
Subject: [meteorite-list] US States & Fed Govt Laws regarding 
prospecting,hiking, boondocking, stargazing, etc.



> Hi Listees!

>

> I was reading with great interest the recent list posts about state

> laws in Arizona and Colorado regarding hunting for meteorites, bird

> watching, etc.  I don't want some humorless officer with a crewcut and

> a sharp hat threatening me with jail for stargazing or boondocking, so

> I'd like to suggest a discussion thread dedicated solely to the laws,

> and not the ethics, of hunting meteorites on state and federally-owned

> land.

>

> I have a couple of observations and questions I'd like to share with

> the group and someone please correct me if I am wrong about anything

> here -

>

> I read that one must have a special state license or pass to use

> certain state lands in Arizona and Colorado - I am assuming this does

> not apply to pay-for-access areas like State Parks where tourists pay

> an entry fee and they are allowed to birdwatch and hike within the

> boundaries of the park.  Also, what about the federal land passes that

> are available?  If I am in a National Park in Arizona (federal land)

> and I have a valid federal land pass, does this mean an Arizona state

> officer can't hassle me on that federal land?  I realize having such a

> pass does not entitle me to access or use state-owned lands, but am I

> correct in my assumption that the federal pass takes precedence over

> the state pass on federally-administered lands?

>

> Also, I am assuming that the possession of a state or a federal

> land-use permit does not grant any privileges in regards to gathering,

> harvesting, prospecting, or removing natural materials - including

> fossils, minerals, gold, meteorites, etc.   I have researched the

> federal land use permits online and it

> 's pretty clear that they only grant *access* to certain areas and use

> of certain specific facilities instead of paying a gate fee or entry

> fee.  It clearly states that no other rights or privileges are granted

> other than the few specifically mentioned in the terms of the

> pass/permit.

>

> In Florida, where I lived for many years, one can acquire a "fossil

> permit" from the State which grants certain prospecting and removal

> rights on certain State-owned lands in Florida.  It only covers

> fossils, but it's better than a kick in the teeth.  Are there any

> other states that have similar permits available, and are these

> permits available to non-residents?

>

> I'd like to know, briefly, what risks are involved with prospecting

> meteorites in the following well-known strewnfields :

>

> Gold Basin, Franconia, Holbrook, Glorieta, the Mojave area?

>

> It is well-known that the area around Meteor Crater (Canyon Diablo) is

> off-limits to meteorite prospectors - it is verboten.  But, are there

> ANY areas in the vicinity of the crater where it is possible to

> legally prospect for meteorites, assuming the proper permits are in

> order?  What about smaller private land owners - is any of the land

> owned by someone who will grant permission to prospect, or is every

> square inch of land around the Crater off-limits completely?  I find

> it hard to imagine that an impact event of that size didn't throw some

> meteorites over and beyond the reach of "Meteor Crater Inc, LLC and

> it's Subsidiaries" legal team.  Is there no-way a law-abiding citizen

> can go find a Diablo meteorite, or do I just need to get that out of

> my head and forget about it?

>

> What about Odessa Texas?  Can one legally find meteorites there on

> public or private lands?  Or is it another Canyon Diablo type of

> situation around the Odessa Crater?

>

> Brenham Kansas?  Off-limits?  Will the farmers look at you cross-ways

> and rack back the slide on their 10-gauge scattergun when you drive

> slowly down the road gazing longingly at the rolling fields that

> conceal pallasitic joy?  Does any of the Brenham strewnfield extend

> onto public lands?

>

> Has anyone ever taken a shot in the dark and looked around Peekskill

> for the lost stones?  There out there oxidizing away somewhere in the

> woods or in a lake.

>

> What about the other meteorite-laden areas of Texas?  Using the NASA

> WordlWind plugin for the Met Soc database, it's easy to see that some

> areas of Texas are peppered with old finds.  Do any of these areas

> still produce specimens, and which ones can be legally prospected (if

> any)?  Dawn, Forestburg, Travis, Tulia, etc, etc, etc. ?

>

> I ask this endless stream of questions because very soon I will be

> joining the hunt and I'd like to spend some time combing these old

> strewnfields for finds - but I want to stay on the right side of the

> law.  I don't want a trespassing charge and I don't want to go through

> what Mike and Sonny went through, if I can help it.  When I travel to

> an area, I want to be very cognizant and respectful of not only the

> local laws, but the local traditions and culture.  I don't want to

> inadvertently find myself in a sticky situation with some Wyatt

> Earp-wannabe sheriff or a trigger-happy landowner with dubious

> boundaries.  Is all of this just par for the course in meteorite

> prospecting?

>

> Finally, one last question for the group, I have been to TreasureNet

> and some other places online looking for information regarding the

> legality of using metal detectors on public land in the various US

> states.  I couldn't find a simple complete list of the applicable laws

> in the various states and there seems to be a wide variation between

> the states.  Does anyone have a weblink they can share that shows a

> complete list or nationwide summary of the laws?

>

> Are these the kinds of questions that wily veteran hunters hate to

> hear newbies ask because it means increased competition for finds in

> the long run? ;)

>

> Best regards, clear skies, and happy huntings,

>

> MikeG

>

>

> -- 

> .........................................................

> Michael Gilmer (Louisiana, USA)

> Member of the Meteoritical Society.

> Member of the Bayou Region Stargazers Network.

> Websites - http://www.galactic-stone.com and http://www.glassthrower.com

> ..........................................................

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