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

From: Galactic Stone & Ironworks <meteoritemike_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Fri, 3 Apr 2009 09:09:18 -0500
Message-ID: <e51421550904030709l477d196bgfa43558788d2832f_at_mail.gmail.com>

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
..........................................................

Received on Fri 03 Apr 2009 10:09:18 AM PDT