§470aaa Definitions

Summary

Defines key words used in the chapter. Casual collecting means taking a reasonable amount of common plant and invertebrate fossils for personal, noncommercial use by surface picking or simple hand tools, causing only tiny disturbance; the Secretary decides what “reasonable,” “common,” and “tiny disturbance” mean. Federal land means land run by the Secretary of the Interior (except Indian land) or National Forest System land run by the Secretary of Agriculture. Indian Land means land of Indian tribes or individuals that the United States holds in trust or has legally restricted from sale. Paleontological resource means fossils (remains, traces, or imprints in or on the earth’s crust) that tell about life’s history, but not materials tied to archaeological resources or cultural items. Secretary means the Secretary of the Interior for Interior lands and the Secretary of Agriculture for National Forest lands. State means the 50 States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and any other territory or possession of the United States.