Fossils on America's Public Lands

Recreation / Recreation Site Map / Field Office Contacts / Collecting Fossils

Tyrannosaurus Rex. Allosaurus. Triceratops. The mere words send the imagination soaring. Children and adults alike are fascinated by the deep past and fossils of all kinds. We hope that this guide will help you understand more about the importance of fossils, and also appreciate the public lands that preserve these remnants of past ages.

Where Are Fossils Found?

Americans share an extraordinary natural legacy. The BLM manages 264 million acres of public land in the Western United States. The steep, arid and deeply eroded terrain in the West is where fossils are best preserved and most often found. Allosaurus, Stegosaurus, Deinonychus, and Pentaceratops once roamed what is now public land.

Other fossils, less vivid in imagination than dinosaur skeletons, but no less wonderful include: perfect leaves and flowers; dinosaur tracks on a 165 million-year-old beach; schools of fish perfectly filleted by scavengers; forests of ancient redwoods; and the oldest known parrots. All are preserved on our public lands.

What Are Fossils?

Fossils are the remains or traces of any organism preserved in the earth's crust, and paleontology is the study of these fossils. Through the careful collection and study of our nation's fossils, we can learn the story of origins and endings--life, death, and change--played out over nearly 3.5 billion years of the Earth's 4.5 billion-year history.

Why is Studying Fossils Important?

Scientists get clues from the tiniest bacteria to some of the largest creatures ever to roam the Earth, swim in its seas, or soar in its skies. These clues help us solve the fascinating riddles of how life on Earth evolved. Fossils illustrate how all forms of life are interdependent and affected by their environment. Fossils or fossil fragments make up the bulk of some rock types such as coal, phosphate, and limestone. They also serve as indicators of other commodities, such as oil and gas, which are important in our economy and everyday lives.

But in addition, fossils are simply fun to study because of their natural beauty and the excitement, wonder, and understanding they evoke about life in ancient worlds lost in time, worlds that we can only imagine

Can I Collect Fossils?

You can collect a variety of fossils on public lands, with certain restrictions. Special management designations restrict access and types of activities on some public lands. It is always a good idea to stop by the nearest BLM office to check on local conditions such as land status, fire danger, or road closures. On private lands, fossils may be collected only with permission of the landowner.

Permits are required for collection and removal of ALL vertebrate fossils regardless of size. Vertebrate fossils may only be collected with a permit because of their relative rarity and scientific importance. They include not only bones and teeth, but also footprints, burrows, and other traces of activity.

Vertebrate fossils are fragile and complex; and permit applicants must be able to show a sufficient level of training and experience in order to collect them. In addition, all vertebrate fossils collected under a permit must be held in an approved repository.

BLM has authority to publish additional rules regarding the collection of invertebrate fossils where necessary to safeguard public safety, or to protect important resources including the fossils themselves. At this time, BLM in Utah has not published special rules specifically to govern collection of invertebrates.

This means, that subject to other land management restrictions, you may collect invertebrate fossils and rocks for hobbyist, non-commercial purposes (NOT FOR SALE OR BARTER), so long as your activities are not in conflict with other requirements.

As an example, digging for fossils would not be allowed in many areas without specific written authorization from the Field Office Manager. These areas would include, but may not be limited to, designated Wilderness Areas, Wilderness Study Areas, the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument; on archaeological and historic sites; on lands designated as habitat for endangered species or other special plant and animal species, etcetera. Do not collect ANYTHING within the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument in southern Utah without coordinating with the Monument staff. There could be other restrictions as well.

Your activities would have to conform to other rules and regulations posted on the lands regarding camping, fire protection, use of off-highway vehicles, etcetera. Small holes, like cat-holes excavated with a small trowel are permissable in most areas (other than the special areas discussed above), but excavation of any large holes, and ALL holes excavated with mechanized equipment, would probably need authorization.

When in doubt, either don't do it, or call the local BLM office for guidance/approval. Once you have a tentative itinerary for your trip, contact the appropriate BLM offices by phone to see if they have restrictions or can offer you some advice.

Despite the onerous sound of all of this, much of the BLM land in Utah (approxamately 43% of the State land surface, or about 23,000,000 acres) is available for hobby collecting of invertebrates and rocks, for personal, hobby use (non-commercial).

Petrified Wood

You may collect . . .

• Up to 25 pounds of petrified wood, plus one piece, each day.
• No more than 250 pounds in any calendar year without a permit.
• You may not combine your allowance with another collector's allowance to obtain larger pieces of petrified wood.

Museums and other institutions can get a special "Free Use Permit" to obtain amounts of petrified wood over 250 pounds. As with invertebrate fossils, collections of petrified wood are for your personal use and may not be bartered or sold.

Other Plant Fossils

No permit is required to collect reasonable amounts of plant fossils such as leaves. They are for your personal use and may not be bartered or sold.

What Can I Do?

You can be involved and contribute to today's exciting advances in paleontology. Many museums and colleges offer opportunities for volunteers to study and work along side trained professional paleontologists. Contact them to see how you can help.

You can also help BLM manage and protect these unique resources by simply reporting the location of any vertebrate fossils you find to the nearest BLM office. This way, land managers can alert professional paleontologists to ensure that the bones are properly removed, studied, and preserved for everyone's benefit. Please do not attempt to remove them yourself. Important information may be lost, no matter how careful you might be. There are also serious penalties for unauthorized collection.

Archaeological Artifacts

In rare cases, fossils may be found together with archaeological artifacts. Because of their extraordinary scientific importance, such finds are stringently protected by various laws, and must not be disturbed.

Contact: Laurie Bryant

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