[meteorite-list] Permit Needed to Hunt Meteorites on Parks in Canada

From: Ron Baalke <baalke_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Fri Jan 6 13:53:13 2006
Message-ID: <200601061851.k06IpLU10461_at_zagami.jpl.nasa.gov>

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/subscriber/local/story/3247510p-3760550c.html

Permit needed to hunt meteorites on Crown land
Winnipeg Free Press (Canada)
January 6, 2006

THE province says meteorite hunters will need a permit if they want to
go searching for space rocks in provincial parks or on Crown lands.

Scientists believe there may be hundreds of thousands of meteorites
waiting to be found in southeastern Manitoba.

Metis rock hunter Derek Erstelle has found three since 1998 in the
Whiteshell area -- in a provincial park, a provincial forest and a
provincial heritage park.

Don Cook, an assistant deputy minister with Manitoba Conservation, said
the collection of meteorites would fall under the Provincial Parks Act.

Cook said regulations would require an authorization permit to look for
and remove meteorites. There is no charge for the permits.

Cook said essentially the only restriction would be the removal of a
rock that in some way compromises the integrity of the park.

For example, you likely wouldn't be able to remove a rock that you
couldn't carry out.

There could also potentially be restrictions if the meteorite was found
in a heritage site.

Manitoba's Heritage Resources Act says that the province owns any "works
of nature" with heritage value found in the province -- whether on Crown
or private land -- but the province has generally not taken an interest
in meteorites.

University of Calgary planet scientist Alan Hildebrand said meteorites
found on the ice or below the high water mark on a lake or stream are
usually considered to belong to whoever finds them.

Meteorites found on land typically belong to the landowner.

Hildebrand said he is not aware of any province that asserts its right
to ownership of meteorites found on Crown land.

The researcher said that would be counterproductive, since it would
dissuade people from searching for the space rocks, which provide
valuable scientific information about asteroids. Meteorites can be worth
from $1 to $10 a gram.

Cook said the province isn't interested in owning any meteorites.

He said those who find them are free to do whatever they like with the
rocks.

Erstelle gave one to a friend who sold it to the Royal Ontario Museum
and he has provided pieces of the others to scientists. He said he plans
to make rings for himself and the friend from part of his latest find.

Austin Mardon of Edmonton found a moon rock when he was part of the
Antarctic meteorite recovery program known as the "poor man's space
program." He said Erstelle's finds confirm his prediction in 1988 that
there could be similar concentrations of meteorites found in North
America and Russia at the edge of former ice sheets.
Received on Fri 06 Jan 2006 01:51:21 PM PST