[meteorite-list] Livingston/Mifflin/Mineral Point/Iowa County/Grant County/Wisconsin Meteorite

From: Brian Cox <searchingforfun_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Fri, 23 Apr 2010 22:27:02 -0500
Message-ID: <9DB2A91D978844BAA68A549BE3C8E181_at_BrianPC>

hi folks,

While contemplating a trip to the great pastures of Southwestern Wisconsin
and what this new meteorite will eventually be called "
Livingston/Mifflin/Mineral Point/Iowa County/Grant County/Iowa-Grant County
Schools/Wisconsin Meteorite" I was listening to WLS-FM Oldies on 94.7 here
in Chicago. Grace Slick of Jefferson Airplane was singing "White Rabbit" and
NO, I was Not high. ;-) Just in case any of you were thinking that my hippie
childhood in the 60s at 9 years old hearing this song made you think such
thoughts. ;-) Shame on you! lol ;-)

A couple of things dawned on me.

1) Farmers have been plowing for over a week and are ready to plant

2) Landowners have been charging $50 per day, per person to hunt on their
land. Regardless of whether you find meteorites or Not, you Don't get your
money back if you don't find any.

3) You must pay the landowner 50 % of your findings before you leave or said
landowner may take out a shotgun and give you a taste of some buckshot...
Honestly, you do have to pay 50% of what you find. Just ask the guys that
have been there. Example: if you find a 20 gram meteorite, landowner weighs
it and at, say $5 per gram, you have a $100 meteorite and landowner gets $50
from you before you can leave the area. As you have read in earlier posts
Mike Farmer noted some guy ( we don't know him, hopefully a local) found a
meteorite and everyone saw it and he took off before paying the landowner
and the landowner got angry and chased everyone off his land.

4) No one has any idea if there is a "Main Mass" if it has been found or if
the largest 200 gram stone is the main mass or if it's much bigger or where
it is.

5) Now, the jist of this post.....Once farmers have planted and plants are
up and growing or in the fields, they... DO NOT ...want a bunch of
Collectors--------Expert or Novice stomping around the fields and crushing
their plants.!!!!!! I know this from personal experience because I used to
go up to Iowa County for a 15 year period and always walked around the
fields when going to and fro. If farmers even, and I Stress the word "EVEN"
let anyone onto their land they are most likely going to charge higher
prices, i.e. $100 per day plus a cut, perhaps 50 % or more.

6) This area in Iowa/Grant counties and throughout Wisconsin, Illinois and
Indiana, Iowa, etc. as many of you know that live in the area was heavily
planted during WWI with "HEMP" let me say that again, "H-E-M-P" that was
used as Hemp rope during World War 1. Think Willie Nelson or Woody
Harrelson.

Every year farmers are supposed to pull out or cut down the hemp and burn it
or the county will come and do it and charge or fine the landowners. You
guys in Northern Indiana and Illinois know we hear of the yearly Hemp
Burning of hundreds of acres in Northern Indiana that always makes the news.

I Stress this since if you plan on going up this Summer, you had better make
sure you don't try to skirt around contacting the landowners and let them
know you want to hunt meteorites. Not, that I would in any way shape or form
think or suggest you would do this, But, I stress this since if you are out
walking around the side of the road or along a pasture or fence line and
someone, neighbor, passer-by County Mountie or landowner and they see you,
they may report you to the law as someone looking to "Harvest Hemp" and you
may get a ticket and be going to jail. Just to put that out there as "food
for thought." Just to make it safer for everyone.

Hope this is helpful before you plan a trip there.

Brian
Received on Fri 23 Apr 2010 11:27:02 PM PDT