BLM buying fees !!

[golden ray]

The BLM ruling on meteorites is that a person is allowed 10 lbs. per year. You can not sell,trade,or
give any away. My stupid hunting partner filed for permission to collect & sell larger amounts this past winter.
He told them he already has 3400 lbs.
I have checked them out, and told him that only 5 or 6 are really meteorites. BUT, of course he disagrees &
sees only dollar signs. This being a new form of income for BLM, they jumped right on it. Several BLM employees
told him that in the fall of 2012 they started a separate 'meteorite catagory' due to all the attention the
field has been getting from the TV shows. Of course, they smelled money!
Last month one day,local police, a BLM geologist, & a BLM ranger showed up at his door,saying he MIGHT be
under arrest,& wanted to see the stones.
For 4 (four) hours their geologist handled & weighted every stone;saying they were ALL good meteorites!
Made out a list of their weight (hundreds of them) & gave him a copy. Told him they were not going to take
him in,since he filed the correct paperwork so far.
Told him they will contact him with the purchase price , BUT till the payment is received he can not sell any,
& that they belong to the government. He is waiting to hear from them as to the price he has to pay,so he
can claim legal possation of the stones & legally sell them for profit.
He refuses to believe me or the Smithsonian Museum (twice) that his stones are just plain Hematite !!!!!
His paperwork is now at the Washington DC BLM office as a 'lead casr' (first one). And they are stalling
him as to the payment amount.
TWO THINGS---
Their geologist doesn't know a thing about meteorites. DID NOT EVEN TAKE ONE, SO THEIR LAB COULD CHECK
IT OUT.!!!!! He is trying to look good for his bosses by confirming (BUT NOT IN WRITTING) the stones. And
making money for the BLM.
And has anyone who is reading this ,had any experience with paying the BLM for anything found
MY PERSONAL POLICY--- 'PICK IT UP & SHUT UP:

 

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[kuger]

same thing goes with petrified wood,but you cant buy,sell,barter or trade it,and with obsidian you cant take more than 250 lbs at a time

 

[Tom_in_CA]

This whole "meteorite" thing is scarcely a decade or two old. Prior to that, it was never on anyone's radar of anything to be "monitored" or "permitted" or have any rules on. Thus what made it something that needed that much growing scrutiny over the years? People going and making themselves a big red "X" in need of scrutiny and sanctions!! For example: I bet if my 8 yr. old daughter picks up a seashell on the beach for her grade school art collection, no one would care less! However, if I went and asked "can my daughter take a seashell from the beach?", that they'd have to have committee meetings, set weight limits, buy/sell/trade limitations, etc... Moral of the story? Don't ask st*pid questions!

But alas, now that meteors too are on the "pressing issues" list of some govt. agency, then those hobbyists too .... just like md'rs .... can make their own web forums and lament and gripe about how they "can't" practice their hobby, have "lost their rights", and so forth. When the reality is, that just like md'rs, it was their very own asking that brought all this about, to begin with. Sheesk, it's as if we can all be our own worst enemies, eh?

 

[Back-of-the-boat]

Well luckily your BUDDY didn't say hey my friend has some also.LOL what was he thinking Government wouldn't want to be deeper in his pocket than they already are?

 

[hvacker]

It's interesting when a gov bureaucrat makes a summary decision and presumes they are within the law. The meteorite issue can only be described as hasty and arbitrary. As in "All of a sudden" the agency sees money. In silence, even a fool seems wise. There is little chance anyone could prove where a meteorite came from w/o a lot of lab work. So just keep things to yourself. Treasure hunters have been doing fine keeping secrets for a very long time.

 

[phishisgroovin]

the usa was founded because englishmen didnt want to pay the taxes yet here we are........tax everything even death.