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British Columbia Paleontological Alliance (BCPA)
Fossil Collecting
Fossil Collecting in Parks and Protected Areas
The British Columbia Paleontological Alliance (BCPA) Standards and Ethics for Scientific Collecting states that members should ensure that appropriate permission and/or permits have been obtained from landowners or governmental authorities before venturing to a fossil site. Members who fail to adhere to these standards may have their membership in the Alliance revoked.
While "venturing" to a fossil site in a park to have a look is OK, collecting is not. This can create a dilemma at times. Suppose you are hiking in a park and come across a fossil which is an excellent specimen, may be unusual, and possibly of scientific importance. What to do? Do you A) collect it for "science" because the next person who comes along may not be as scrupulous as you and would secretly hoard it or (gasp!) sell it?; or B) record information in a non-intrusive manner about the fossil (type, location, GPS, photograph, is it fragile and at risk of being eroded away, etc.) and notify the park authorities?
As hard as it may be to walk away, the correct answer is B. You should offer the assistance of your society and/or the BCPA in arranging for a qualified researcher to study and/or collect the fossil and placement in a museum.
The provincial, federal and local governments (regional districts and municipalities) all require permits to collect within parks or other protected areas. All levels of government have legislation or regulations which state that collecting in parks and other protected areas without a valid permit is an offence and subject to fines and/or imprisonment, depending on the nature of the offence.
Park authorities may consider issuing permits for scientific research collecting. However, this is unlikely to be the case for general or individual collecting. Research permits are normally given only to qualified researchers, and applicants will be asked for their academic and other credentials.
It can sometimes be difficult when out in the field to determine where the park boundaries are located. The boundaries of parks which are adjacent to marine or freshwater bodies may or may not extend past the high-water mark into the foreshore or below the water surface. When in doubt, take the precautionary approach and consider it within the park and check with the park authorities to ascertain the boundaries. Legal descriptions are often included in the legislation or regulations establishing the park.