My New Blog

Rock Hounding On National Forest And Land

You don't necessarily have to go to a commercial gem mine to find precious and semiprecious stones-that is,if you know what to look for.A wide array of land,both public and private,contains igneous,sedimentary and metamorphic rock types,along with the individual mineraals associated with such rock.On private land,of course,you will have to get permission of owners for any roch-hounding activities,but on National Forest lands (though not in national parks or wilderness areas)there is no objection,as a rule,to taking a handful of rock,mineral or petrified wood speciments from the surface of the ground. 

There is no fee,special permission or permit required as long as such collecting doesn't conflict with existing mineral permits,leases,clams or sales-and even here,you can seek the permission of the minerals owner to do some collecting.These areas can be identified from maps in the ranger district offices.Any collected specimens must also be for personal and noncmmercial use,and cannot be of archeological value (artifacts,including projectile points,chips and flakes may not be collected).

Certain areas are designated as archeological sites or geologic interest areas,and ground disturbance of any sort is prohibited in these and any unrecorded archeological sites. You must also be sure that your rock hounding doesn't cause any signifiant surface disturbance to the land,air,or water. Therefore,it goes without saying that no explosives or mechanical equipment can be used.

The Forest Service district ranger offices are the best sources for current rules,maps and information on local access and road condition within the forest. However,they do not normally keep information concering minerals or collecting localities,thoug they may have some knowledge about these subjects.For this infomation,it is best to contact the state's geological survery office,university geology departments and libaries,mineralogical societies and rock-hounding and lapidary clubs.