Comments on: Meteorite Hunting In The USA http://www.meteoritesusa.com/meteorite-news/meteorite-hunting-in-the-usa/ Mon, 22 Aug 2011 10:02:23 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1.1 By: Karen http://www.meteoritesusa.com/meteorite-news/meteorite-hunting-in-the-usa/comment-page-1/#comment-2903 Karen Thu, 17 Jun 2010 13:36:25 +0000 http://www.meteoritesusa.com/?p=1378#comment-2903 This would appear to be an overly-broad interpretation of the Antiquities Act, which specifically regulates the removal from federal lands of "historic or prehistoric ruin or monument, or any object of antiquity". Its quite clear that this phrase refers to objects created by humans, not rocks falling from the sky. Its especially hard to imagine a where a fresh fall of a meteorite could be considered an "object of antiquity". If it wasn't here yesterday, its not an object of antiquity! Even the Washington/Oregon BLM web page is rather fuzzy in its terminology, stating that "government officials consider it [meteorites] to belong to the government and, under an interpretation [of the Antiquities Act]..." Now, I'm no lawyer, but government officials "considering" things and "interpreting" laws doesn't sound quite as cut and dry as the BLM want us to think. If it was a clear violation of federal law, I would expect that they would say so, and cite precedents, as well. I checked with the Arizona BLM page, and there was no such language. Just the standard 25 pounds per day, no commercial sale of rocks, no machinery, etc. Has anyone seen similar language to the Washington/Oregon site elsewhere, or heard anything more official in this regard? It would be nice to get this clarified one way of the other, before federal law enforcement types start hassling collectors on BLM land... This would appear to be an overly-broad interpretation of the Antiquities Act, which specifically regulates the removal from federal lands of “historic or prehistoric ruin or monument, or any object of antiquity”. Its quite clear that this phrase refers to objects created by humans, not rocks falling from the sky. Its especially hard to imagine a where a fresh fall of a meteorite could be considered an “object of antiquity”. If it wasn’t here yesterday, its not an object of antiquity!

Even the Washington/Oregon BLM web page is rather fuzzy in its terminology, stating that “government officials consider it [meteorites] to belong to the government and, under an interpretation [of the Antiquities Act]…”

Now, I’m no lawyer, but government officials “considering” things and “interpreting” laws doesn’t sound quite as cut and dry as the BLM want us to think. If it was a clear violation of federal law, I would expect that they would say so, and cite precedents, as well.

I checked with the Arizona BLM page, and there was no such language. Just the standard 25 pounds per day, no commercial sale of rocks, no machinery, etc.

Has anyone seen similar language to the Washington/Oregon site elsewhere, or heard anything more official in this regard? It would be nice to get this clarified one way of the other, before federal law enforcement types start hassling collectors on BLM land…

]]> By: Thomas http://www.meteoritesusa.com/meteorite-news/meteorite-hunting-in-the-usa/comment-page-1/#comment-151 Thomas Mon, 15 Mar 2010 02:09:52 +0000 http://www.meteoritesusa.com/?p=1378#comment-151 This would appear to be an overly-broad interpretation of the Antiquities Act, which specifically regulates the removal from federal lands of "historic or prehistoric ruin or monument, or any object of antiquity". Its quite clear that this phrase refers to objects created by humans, not rocks falling from the sky. Its especially hard to imagine a where a fresh fall of a meteorite could be considered an "object of antiquity". If it wasn't here yesterday, its not an object of antiquity! Even the Washington/Oregon BLM web page is rather fuzzy in its terminology, stating that "government officials consider it [meteorites] to belong to the government and, under an interpretation [of the Antiquities Act]..." Now, I'm no lawyer, but government officials "considering" things and "interpreting" laws doesn't sound quite as cut and dry as the BLM want us to think. If it was a clear violation of federal law, I would expect that they would say so, and cite precedents, as well. I checked with the Arizona BLM page, and there was no such language. Just the standard 25 pounds per day, no commercial sale of rocks, no machinery, etc. Has anyone seen similar language to the Washington/Oregon site elsewhere, or heard anything more official in this regard? It would be nice to get this clarified one way of the other, before federal law enforcement types start hassling collectors on BLM land... This would appear to be an overly-broad interpretation of the Antiquities Act, which specifically regulates the removal from federal lands of “historic or prehistoric ruin or monument, or any object of antiquity”. Its quite clear that this phrase refers to objects created by humans, not rocks falling from the sky. Its especially hard to imagine a where a fresh fall of a meteorite could be considered an “object of antiquity”. If it wasn’t here yesterday, its not an object of antiquity!

Even the Washington/Oregon BLM web page is rather fuzzy in its terminology, stating that “government officials consider it [meteorites] to belong to the government and, under an interpretation [of the Antiquities Act]…”

Now, I’m no lawyer, but government officials “considering” things and “interpreting” laws doesn’t sound quite as cut and dry as the BLM want us to think. If it was a clear violation of federal law, I would expect that they would say so, and cite precedents, as well.

I checked with the Arizona BLM page, and there was no such language. Just the standard 25 pounds per day, no commercial sale of rocks, no machinery, etc.

Has anyone seen similar language to the Washington/Oregon site elsewhere, or heard anything more official in this regard? It would be nice to get this clarified one way of the other, before federal law enforcement types start hassling collectors on BLM land…

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