I live in Southern New Mexico. I ran about 100 sections, part of a larger ranch for a little over 5 years( 1999 to 2004) The part I ran was almost all classified as Wilderness Study Area (WSA). Look up the rules for WSA. The only time there was anyone in the area that was not there to visit me was hunting season. The hunters drove all over off road , left their camps a mess when they left, generally trashed the place. I begged the BLM to come bust somebody so I could spread the word and maybe get everyone to follow the rules. Never once did a BLM person show up during the 5 years, except some old volutiers and all they did was drive around and sometimes pick up some trash. In 2004 there was one BLM Agent ( The ones who carry guns) to cover all of southern New Mexico. Border Patrol was a different matter. There were more Border Patrol on the ranch daily than illegals passed through yearly. They mostly were hunting arrowheads, shooting rabbits, or picnicking. I collect arrowheads. I have all the laws concerning artifacts in the binder made up for my files. ARPA laws state in is not againt the law to pick up arrowheads on the surface. ( ARPA was passed in 1979, Jimmy Crater was the president and he was an arrowhead collector). He refused to sign ARPA stating that he did not some Boy Scout arrested for picking an arrowhead up. So it was changed to exclude arrowhead hunting, only arrowheads nothing else, and that is stated a couple places in the law. I had a friend in another BLM area got harassed by a BLM person, so I decide to check in person. There was not one person in the Las Cruces BLM office who could tell me anything except that you could not do it. It took me weeks to find the Agent, and he told me a lot of different things. The one that like was it was not against the law to pick up an arrowhead if you were working, hiking or whatever else on BLM land and found one. Where you were breaking the law was if you went to the BLM land with the intent of looking for arrowheads. I had the law with me so I pulled out a copy of ARPA and ask him to show me where that was stated as I had read it numerous times and never seen any thing written like that. He did not read anything just stated that I was not a lawyer and probably to stupid to understand legal writing. I studied Animal Science, Business, and Civil Engineering, so I am maybe not as smart as a Federal employee, but I know how to read. Someone needs to have a lawyer friend really read the new meteorite law, including all the fine print, because the BLM people read the title and go from there, or they are trying to run you off an area so they can go back and hunt themselves. Another story about arrowheads and ARPA. I found a copy of the Forest Service laws on artifacts. It stated that it was against the the to pick up chipped stone projectiles ( arrowheads ). I contacted the Forest Service and questioned it. They told me that ARPA was only a guideline for federal agencies to use to make their own regulations. I said so the Congress, Senate, and the President had studied, debated, and finally passed the law so some GS2 employee of the Forest Service could change to to what ever he wanted to. I have not seen the new laws but will track one down soon and have a judge friend of mine write an opionon and sent it to the list. Saludos Doug ______________________________________________
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