[meteorite-list] New BLM Rules - Proposition 120

[Paul H.]

I wrote and was quoted as saying:

"Also, you may find state officials no different, or even 
worse, than federal officials with which to deal. Be 
careful for what you wish." 

In “New BLM Rules - Proposition 120” at,
http://six.pairlist.net/pipermail/meteorite-list/2012-September/087391.html
Mark replied;

“It is easier to deal with locally elected officials who 
are at most 2 or 3 hours away from your home. I 
have had success having face time with state officials, 
but the Feds... hopeless. They are often inaccessible, 
unaccountable and won't give you the time of day. “

What I have found, is this is not true of the people, who
live out of state. I have had the same “won't give you the 
time of day” experience with state officials also. Often
my experience has often been that if a person is not a 
resident and cannot vote in a state, as far as some state 
officials are concern, a person can just go jump in a very
deep sinkhole. Dealing with state officials might be fine
if a person lives in the same state as the state official. 
Otherwise, it can be just as frustrating as dealing with
federal officials. If a person is nonresident, I have found
that state officials are just as inaccessible as some, but 
definitely not all, federal officials can be. The only 
exception to this are people at state geological surveys, 
who I have found to be without exception universally 
accessible.

As much as there needs to be changes to BLM policies 
towards collecting rocks, minerals, fossils, and meteorites, 
they appear still to be far better than those practiced by 
Arizona in respect to its general state lands, which are 
not officially part of their parks according to what I have
found online. For example,

1. I found one comment about mineral collecting on state 
land in Arizona on their “Mineral Management Program” 
web page at
http://www.land.state.az.us/programs/natural/mineral_leasing.htm#commonVariety

It states,

“**Note: Recreational mining or mineral collecting on 
State Trust land is prohibited.”

2. The “Mining Activities on State Trust Land” web page at
http://mines.az.gov/Info/aztrustlands.html , states:

“Recreational mining or mineral collecting on State Trust 
land is prohibited.”

3. “RECREATIONAL ACTIVITIES NOT ALLOWED ON STATE 
LANDS UNDER ANY PERMIT” at:
http://www.tucsonhunting.com/State_Land.php

“Collecting or removing natural products (rocks, stone, 
soil, fossils, mineral specimens, cacti, saguaro or cholla 
skeletons, plants (live or dead), or firewood for home 
use”

4. The “Arizona rockhounding” web page at
http://mines.az.gov/Rec_Ed/rockhound.html guides people 
to BLM land for rock and mineral collecting.

5. The “Gold Panning” web at 
http://mines.az.gov/Rec_Ed/goldpanning.html states:

“In general, gold panning is allowed on Bureau of Land 
Management and Forest Service Land where there are 
no existing claims.”

No mention is made of where it is allowed on Arizona
state lands. The impression that I get is that they want 
rock collectors to come to visit Arizona and spend money
However, they want them to stay off state land and do
all of their rock hounding on BLM land. I would suspect
that they have the same feeling for meteorite collectors.

6. Also, there is “Date Creek Crystal location” at:
http://www.nuggetshooter.ipbhost.com/index.php?showtopic=16892

“I have received a warning ( not at this spot) and advised that 
my name will be on file and that another violation will be BAD!

Don't blame me if YOU get caught!"

7. Finally, there is “Hunting on Arizona State Land?“ at:
http://www.nuggetshooter.ipbhost.com/index.php?showtopic=15598

“State land is not open for prospecting. Getting caught there 
is an instant trip to jail,and a big fine.”

"Recreational mining or metal detecting on state trust land is 
prohibited. State trust land is not public land period. Simply 
being on the land without the proper permit is trespassing,and 
no permit allows for metal detecting."

Judging from what I have found, the discussion on the above 
pages likely also applies to meteorites. It appears from these
web pages that changing from the BLM to the state of Arizona 
is not going to help anything for meteorite collectors.

Best wishes,

Paul H.