[Rockhounds] FW: FOSSIL HUNTING HOBBY IN DANGERFw: PublicLandUsage Bills

[Rick Trapp]

A District Manager can restrict any portion of their District from any 
type of use. Including hunting. Including rockhounding. Including simple 
entry. Yes, there are ways to overturn those types of decisions, but 
unless you have some heavy connections to your US Representative and 
lots of cash for attorneys and a lot of time to while away in court 
actions, the District Manager can do pretty much whatever he or she 
wants. All she or he has to do is give some reason. It's then up to you 
to prove that it is not a good reason - good luck on that. I was 
speaking to a NF Ranger one time who was horrified (really) that 
rockhounds might dig ANY kind of a hole in the ground in a National 
Forest. I'm not making that up. And it wasn't because this person was 
selfish. This person believed that their job was to protect the 
resources in our public lands.

Education could accomplish a lot. Blind opposition accomplishes nothing.

That's why I am suggesting that rather than waste your time worrying 
about a bill that really isn't aimed at the amateur rockhounding 
community, perhaps we would be better off spending our efforts to gain 
recognition for our HOBBY.

Don't get sucked into supporting commercial dealers who are trying to 
take your (collectively) stuff for free so they can sell it back to you. 
That would be a hoax.



Dora Smith wrote:
> OK, so one can be on public land, but one may not hunt fossils?   LOL! 
> Just don't let the forest ranger see you hunting!
>
> Yours,
> Dora Smith
> Austin, TX
> tiggernut24 at yahoo.com
> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Rick Trapp" <rick.trapp at azgs.az.gov>
> To: "Rockhounds at drizzle.com: A mailing list for rock and gem 
> collectors" <rockhounds at lists.drizzle.com>
> Sent: Friday, November 21, 2008 3:30 PM
> Subject: Re: [Rockhounds] FW: FOSSIL HUNTING HOBBY IN DANGERFw: 
> PublicLandUsage Bills
>
>
>> It doesn't matter anyway. Every National Forest District Manager, and 
>> some NF's have several districts, has the authority to prohibit ANY 
>> activity they don't want to happen in their district. That includes 
>> rockhounding and fossil collecting.
>>
>> In general, not pointing at any particular person, instead of wasting 
>> our time protesting perennial bills that never are going to pass, 
>> wouldn't it be a better use of our time to try to pass legislation 
>> that ensures our right to recreate on public lands in a particular 
>> fashion? I think we might have an decent chance of protecting 
>> recreational activities if we support strong regulation of for-profit 
>> activities.
>>
>> This bill is intended to regulate for-profit activities. And every 
>> year, invariably, a bunch of recreational mineral and fossil 
>> enthusiasts get conned into preventing this bill from being 
>> considered. In general, these kinds of protests of these kinds of 
>> bills are encouraged and publicized by individuals who want to 
>> protect their "right" to extract minerals and fossils from OUR public 
>> lands FOR PROFIT without paying for the privilege of removing large 
>> quantities of minerals and fossils that belong to EVERYONE 
>> COLLECTIVELY. There are procedures in place that regulate how 
>> minerals and invertebrate fossils may be extracted for profit, but 
>> these individuals do not want to pay the fees. It's that simple.
>>
>> Just sayin'.....
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> Gene Hartstein - Fossilnut.com wrote:
>>> Note it says "may", not 'should" or 'must".
>>>
>>> Gene Hartstein
>>> Newark, DE
>>>
>>> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Gary Brown" 
>>> <gbrown at catspaw-minerals.com>
>>> To: "'Rockhounds at drizzle.com: A mailing list for rock and gem 
>>> collectors'" <rockhounds at lists.drizzle.com>
>>> Sent: Friday, November 21, 2008 2:27 PM
>>> Subject: RE: [Rockhounds] FW: FOSSIL HUNTING HOBBY IN DANGER Fw: 
>>> PublicLandUsage Bills
>>>
>>>
>>>> Read the whole bill here:
>>>> http://www.govtrack.us/congress/billtext.xpd?bill=s110-3213
>>>>
>>>> Here's clause 644:
>>>> (2) CASUAL COLLECTING EXCEPTION- The Secretary may allow casual 
>>>> collecting
>>>> without a permit on Federal land controlled or administered by the 
>>>> Bureau of
>>>> Land Management, the Bureau of Reclamation, and the Forest Service, 
>>>> where
>>>> such collection is consistent with the laws governing the 
>>>> management of
>>>> those Federal land and this subtitle.
>>>>
>>>> It's not a total prohibition.
>>>>
>>>> BTW, it is BAD FORM to copy an email loaded with the email 
>>>> addresses of
>>>> other folks.
>>>>
>>>> GcB
>>>>
>>>>> -----Original Message-----
>>>>> From: rockhounds-bounces at lists.drizzle.com
>>>>> [mailto:rockhounds-bounces at lists.drizzle.com] On Behalf Of
>>>>> Lawrence Bull
>>>>> Sent: Friday, November 21, 2008 1:18 PM
>>>>> To: Andre Bourque; Rockhounds; Ron Hammeron
>>>>> Subject: [Rockhounds] FW: FOSSIL HUNTING HOBBY IN DANGER Fw:
>>>>> Public LandUsage Bills
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> ....
>>>>
>>>> -- 
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>>>>
>>>
>>
>> -- 
>> Rick Trapp
>> Geologist/IT Manager, Arizona Geological Survey
>> rick.trapp at azgs.az.gov
>>
>>
>> -- 
>> _______________________________________________
>> Rockhounds at drizzle Mailing List
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>> List Home Page, with a link to the List Usage Policy:
>> http://www.eclecticlapidary.com/Rockhounds/index.html 
>

-- 
Rick Trapp
Geologist/IT Manager, Arizona Geological Survey
rick.trapp at azgs.az.gov