Comments on: Where to collect plant & animal specimens?

Question: Where to collect plant & animal specimens?

unmake — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 15:23:13 -0800

Where can I - legally - collect plant and insect specimens, in the southwest?

One of my classes in Tucson this semester involves creating a plant-press notebook and a pinned-insect collection; every park website, be it state or national, says removal of anything other than garbage and buffelgrass is illegal.

Is there a category of terrain that's not privately owned where I could look for specimens? Or is this the sort of activity where participants generally just ignore the rules and regulations? (This isn't killing hundred year old cacti).

By: Edubya

Edubya — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 15:30:26 -0800

It has been years since I did any collecting, but as an entomology major in college, we learned that we could collect at will in "National Forests", not to be confused with "National Parks".

By: mudpuppie

mudpuppie — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 15:37:51 -0800

You want to contact the BLM. Arizona seems more restricted than Nevada, according to a cursory googling.

By: bolognius maximus

bolognius maximus — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 15:46:33 -0800

State recreation areas (as opposed to parks) are good places to collect (as in it is 'allowed', at least in my current state of IN).

BUT...I usually ignore the rules, and collect in the parks. I admit it! I am sorry for having sinned against the gods of the National Park System. (get a collapsible net, for quick stashing in the backpack).

You could call the individual parks to request permission. I have done that before, sometimes it works, and sometimes it doesn't.

AND... you have to be careful that you are not on tribal land, because the tribal police won't take to kindly to that sort of thing.

By: rtha

rtha — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 15:48:32 -0800

Yes, BLM land is probably your best bet. But even there, you may need a scientific collector's permit if any of the flora/fauna you want to collect is endangered or otherwise listed. Talk to your prof about this.

By: crapmatic

crapmatic — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 16:15:22 -0800

Highway right-of-way? Not sure of the rules there, but that's one possibility.

By: fshgrl

fshgrl — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 20:27:25 -0800

You can probably find a lot of stuff in people's yards and vacant lots.

By: Eothele

Eothele — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 19:41:31 -0800

Possession of an insect net in a national park is a $300 citation. I know alot of guys that it's happened to. The USDA, which administers the national forests, doesn't care if you collect insects (not sure about plants), but in California the State Fish and Wildlife people want you to have a fishing license. I don't know anyone who's been busted on this, and I've never been challenged, but I've met F&W people who claimed to have issued such citations.

The sky islands and Chiracauas (I'm sure I've spelled that wrong) are supposed to be fan-freaking-tastic, the other Tucson-area-specific tip that I've heard is that you want to drop everything and go the day after a monsoon.