<div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div>A group of staff from the Natural History Museum of LA County met with a senior USFWS inspector in the LAX office last week to help get us in compliance with their current procedures and interpretations. This was very informative! Key points below, with the caveat that the guidance we received may be specific to this office or, in some cases, even to this inspector. I think, though, that what we heard reinforces what others are saying, that our USFWS colleagues are under a lot of scrutiny and that what's been OK in the past may no longer be acceptable. </div><div><br></div><div>Here's what we were told:</div><div><ul><li>Do not use the US Postal Service. USPS does not have secure inspection locations and a secure chain of custody. </li><li>Do not try to use the "180 days" regulation to delay filing an eDec. File all eDecs in advance.</li><li>Do not try to use "taxonomic or systematic research" as a reason not to file an eDec, or not to file in a timely manner. The Service interpretation of specimens being used for taxonomic research is that they have not yet been identified. If that is the case, you should file an eDec anyway, it just changes how you enter the information. </li><li>Do not use the generic "NONCITES WHATEVER" codes in the species lines on the eDec if you have at least a genus name for the specimen. List every species and every country of origin accurately. If the species or genus is not in their database, type it in and let the eDecs system fill in "****" for the species code. Use the generic codes only if the specimen really has not yet been identified. We were told that this is supposed to be a Service-wide change that has not yet been implemented everywhere.</li><li>For exports (this is partly specific to our workflow and port but perhaps still informative), file the 3-177 once the shipping label is created and you have a tracking number. Once FedEx picks up the package, call the office (if there's no answer, email) and they will clear it. They will not clear the eDec while the package is still in the museum's custody. This is a change from previous guidance. </li><li>For exports with CITES, ESA, MBTA, MMPA, etc, make an inspection appointment. (If you know you need an outgoing package inspected in LA and need the link to their inspection appointment system, email the office. They won't necessarily send it to you just because you've filed an eDec.) Do this in advance as inspectors are not always available. Exactly how, when, and where the inspection happens may depend on the details and the individual inspector. </li><li>For imports (this may be LAX-specific), file at the latest before the package gets to Customs. If they know a package needs clearance it will get held up at the border. If they don't know and it gets through, and you file the eDec after you receive it, if it came in through LAX they will be very unhappy with you (most imports don't come through LAX... but some do). </li><li>If you do receive a surprise package that has not been cleared (again, at LAX; this guidance may differ for other ports), do not open it. Call the office (don't email) and tell the duty inspector what happened and that you're filing your eDec after the fact. The duty inspector should be available from 8-12 and 1-4:30. They will tell you if any other action is needed. From their perspective, we, as the importer, are responsible for the eDec.</li><li>If hand-carrying specimens is necessary, contact the port of entry well in advance and ask for guidance. You may need to adjust your schedule to theirs, wait for an inspection, and/or pay overtime fees. If you are hand-carrying make very, very sure that all of your personal and specimen documentation is in order. </li><li>We were told that we need to provide the Customs Entry Number (or Customs Document Number) on the eDec. We have never before had to provide this information on our eDecs and are still figuring out how and when we would be able to get this number. Are other ports requiring this? Be aware that if you are importing through LA you may be asked for this and may have to get the number from your carrier. </li><li>We were told not to guess at the likely port of clearance for imports based on the carrier -- that is, don't just put Memphis for all FedEx packages. Find out from the carrier what the correct port is. I haven't figured out yet whether this is possible or when/how we would get this information. </li></ul><div><br></div><div>It was also recommended to us that we start having the carriers, who are already acting as our customs broker, file the eDec on our behalf. I am looking into whether this would work for us and am curious whether any of the rest of you have taken this approach. Given the amount of grief it's causing us to file ourselves, the fees might be worthwhile.</div><div><br></div><div>Our USFWS colleagues are very invested in wildlife conservation and at least in L.A. they clearly do understand that museums and scientists are a positive force. By asking us to keep to the same procedures they've established for commercial traffic, they're not trying to make things more difficult for us -- merely trying to keep us from making things more difficult for them. </div></div><div><br></div><div>Non-U.S. colleagues on this list, you can help us all a lot by spreading the word in your own institutions that no one should send surprise specimen packages to the U.S. (really, a good rule even without the need for an eDec). </div><div><br></div><div>--Trina</div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_signature"><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><br></div><div dir="ltr">--</div><div dir="ltr">Trina E. Roberts, Ph.D.<div>Associate VP, Collections</div><div>Natural History Museums of Los Angeles County</div><div>213-763-3330<br></div><div><a href="mailto:troberts@nhm.org" target="_blank">troberts@nhm.org</a></div><div>she, her, hers</div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><br><input name="virtru-metadata" type="hidden" value="{"email-policy":{"disableCopyPaste":false,"disablePrint":false,"disableForwarding":false,"enableNoauth":false,"expandedWatermarking":false,"expires":false,"sms":false,"expirationNum":1,"expirationUnit":"days","expirationDate":"2025-06-26T19:17:28.787Z","isManaged":false,"persistentProtection":false},"attachments":{},"compose-id":"6","compose-window":{"secure":false}}"></div><br><div class="gmail_quote" style=""><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_attr">On Wed, Jun 25, 2025 at 10:45 AM Chris Grinter <<a href="mailto:cgrinter@calacademy.org" target="_blank">cgrinter@calacademy.org</a>> wrote:<br></div><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left:1px solid rgb(204,204,204);padding-left:1ex"><div>
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Thanks all, I think our future for international loans of wildlife is not long for this world. LAX office is also rejecting all USPS imports through their office as well. Agents are very frustrated that we use USPS, and even though it's</div>
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<div dir="ltr"><div>Thanks all, I think our future for international loans of wildlife is not long for this world. LAX office is also rejecting all USPS imports through their office as well. Agents are very frustrated that we use USPS, and even though it's not illegal they have the ability to reject anything they want.</div><div><br></div><div>I think it's correct that plants <b>do not</b> require USFWS clearance and a 3-177. </div><div><br></div><div>Chris</div><div><br></div><div><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_signature"><div dir="ltr"><div style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:"Palatino Linotype";font-size:12px;font-style:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;text-align:start;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;word-spacing:0px;text-decoration:none;line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial;color:rgb(0,120,122);font-weight:700;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Christopher C. Grinter</span></div><div style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:"Palatino Linotype";font-size:12px;font-style:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;text-align:start;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;word-spacing:0px;text-decoration:none;line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:8.5pt;font-family:Arial;color:rgb(0,120,122);vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Senior Collection Manager of Entomology</span></div><div style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:"Palatino Linotype";font-size:12px;font-style:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;text-align:start;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;word-spacing:0px;text-decoration:none;line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:8.5pt;font-family:Arial;color:rgb(0,120,122);vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Secretary, The Lepidopterists’ Society</span></div><div style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:"Palatino 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dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:"Palatino Linotype";font-size:12px;font-style:normal;font-weight:normal;letter-spacing:normal;text-align:start;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;word-spacing:0px;text-decoration:none"><a href="https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.instagram.com/calacademy/__;!!Ljrh0eb5atLX!pMkkB7U0o9TiyMiKlGLboMwSGbeAdr6sY_G-3UWHYObVwo_n2RYDf8kcmd7Ez8S-aSjDtx9L-kBO3J9K99w$" style="text-decoration:none" target="_blank"><span style="font-size:9.5pt;font-family:Arial;color:rgb(153,153,153);vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap"></span></a><span style="font-size:9.5pt;font-family:Arial;color:rgb(22,101,114);vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap"></span></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><br></div><br><div class="gmail_quote"><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_attr">On Wed, Jun 25, 2025 at 8:31 AM Eli Wyman <<a href="mailto:eliswyman@gmail.com" target="_blank">eliswyman@gmail.com</a>> wrote:<br></div><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left:1px solid rgb(204,204,204);padding-left:1ex"><div dir="ltr">Chris,<div><br></div><div> Thanks so much for the update. It is a bit chilling that you can't even get a response from USFWS after this much time. I don't see how they could reasonably bring charges against you for a package sent to you from another person that you never received. Anyone can send packages of specimens without prior notice to you, it happened to me all the time when I was at the AMNH. </div><div><br></div><div> I did recently have a phone conversation with a USFWS inspector in NJ and he told me they are under a lot of scrutiny from DOGE right now and for that reason are crossing a lot of Ts. He also emphasized that early notification and sending emails in addition to filing the 3-177 was critical, that they want us to successfully do our work, but they are under a lot of pressure.</div><div><br></div><div>@Tim; I would assume so. A 3-177 should be filed ANY time ANY plant or animal materials cross into or out of the US. It definitely used to be the case that we could file the 3-177 after the import for returns since it was understood that we frequently weren't given advanced notice of a shipment and that foreign institutions often don't know our laws etc. Seems that may no longer be the case.<br></div><div><br></div><div>Eli</div><div><br></div></div><br><div class="gmail_quote"><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_attr">On Wed, Jun 25, 2025 at 11:01 AM Timothy Whitfeld <<a href="mailto:whitf015@umn.edu" target="_blank">whitf015@umn.edu</a>> wrote:<br></div><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left:1px solid rgb(204,204,204);padding-left:1ex"><div dir="ltr"><div>Hi Chris,</div><div>Thank you for the information and the update. Let's hope you're able to resolve this issue. Do you happen to know if a 3-177 is also required for returning loans of herbarium specimens (plants,fungi, lichen) coming back to the US from other countries?</div><div>Thanks,</div><div>Tim</div><div><br></div><br><div class="gmail_quote"><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_attr">On Tue, Jun 24, 2025 at 6:22 PM Chris Grinter <<a href="mailto:cgrinter@calacademy.org" target="_blank">cgrinter@calacademy.org</a>> wrote:<br></div><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left:1px solid rgb(204,204,204);padding-left:1ex"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div>Hi everyone,</div><div>As an update to our issue with USFWS, there is no news nor return of specimens. Our loan has been seized and a formal petition to the USFWS for return of property has been met with silence. The package was declared, but written in Mandarin and was not translated by CBP. The box did lack a 3-177, which is why they are citing us in violation of the CFR, Lacey Act, and Endangered Species Act. We haven't gotten criminal or civil charges from this import, but it's not out of scope for the current administration to enforce. On top of packages being seized, please note that students or immigrant visa holders entering the US should avoid carrying specimens at all times. Failure to declare or failure to "properly declare" has now been used by customs and border to detain at least one student, who is facing federal criminal charges for smuggling frog embryo slides before her eventual deportation.</div><div><br></div><div>This is just a reminder in the current climate that all paperwork must be accurate and submitted well in advance for all wildlife transactions into and out of the US. As Dirk mentioned in a followup, it is much preferred to <b>send parcels into the US via private carrier</b> and not through national postal mail. Offices in NY are particularly intense right now and are screening packages entering via USPS from Europe and China. And for anyone entering with hand-carried specimens into LAX airport, they also require an in-person 3-hour scheduled meeting with USFWS officers to clear your hand-carry. If you schedule ahead there is a good chance officers will waive your inspection, but failure to schedule will result in seizures and possible detention. If your flight arrives after hours you are required to pay overtime fees for this inspection, or schedule your meeting during business hours.</div><div><br></div><div>Hope this helps,</div><div>Chris</div><div><br></div><div><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_signature"><div dir="ltr"><div style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:"Palatino Linotype";font-size:12px;font-style:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;text-align:start;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;word-spacing:0px;text-decoration:none;line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial;color:rgb(0,120,122);font-weight:700;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Christopher C. Grinter</span></div><div style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:"Palatino Linotype";font-size:12px;font-style:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;text-align:start;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;word-spacing:0px;text-decoration:none;line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:8.5pt;font-family:Arial;color:rgb(0,120,122);vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Senior Collection Manager of Entomology</span></div><div style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:"Palatino Linotype";font-size:12px;font-style:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;text-align:start;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;word-spacing:0px;text-decoration:none;line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:8.5pt;font-family:Arial;color:rgb(0,120,122);vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Secretary, The Lepidopterists’ Society</span></div><div style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:"Palatino 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title="Protected by Avanan: https://www.instagram.com/calacademy/" style="text-decoration:none" target="_blank"><span style="font-size:9.5pt;font-family:Arial;color:rgb(153,153,153);vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap"></span></a><span style="font-size:9.5pt;font-family:Arial;color:rgb(22,101,114);vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap"></span></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><br></div><br><div class="gmail_quote"><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_attr">On Mon, Apr 21, 2025 at 1:54 PM Chris Grinter <<a href="mailto:cgrinter@calacademy.org" target="_blank">cgrinter@calacademy.org</a>> wrote:<br></div><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left:1px solid rgb(204,204,204);padding-left:1ex"><div dir="ltr"><div>Hi all,</div><div>I want to give everyone a warning that the NY USFWS office has been seizing packages that do not contain pre-cleared 3-177 documents. I've just received an official notice of seizure for a loan that came back from China (via NY for some reason). The package was clearly labeled with a declaration of specimens, loan for systematic research, etc—however the agents at JFK seized the material as a violation of the Lacey Act, failure to mark appropriately (lacking 3-177 is how I interpret this), and failure to obtain clearance. The package was intercepted in September 2024 and I got notice today. No one at the NY office will pick up the phone or return my messages.</div><div><br></div><div>If you're receiving material from anywhere abroad it's critical to get a pre-cleared 3-177 and keep a close eye on the tracking number. Unfortunately if a package is seized by USFWS there is no update posted to USPS, it just shows as "in transit". </div><div><br></div><div>Chris</div><div><br></div><div><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_signature"><div dir="ltr"><div style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:"Palatino Linotype";font-size:12px;font-style:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;text-align:start;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;word-spacing:0px;text-decoration:none;line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial;color:rgb(0,120,122);font-weight:700;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Christopher C. Grinter</span></div><div style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:"Palatino Linotype";font-size:12px;font-style:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;text-align:start;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;word-spacing:0px;text-decoration:none;line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:8.5pt;font-family:Arial;color:rgb(0,120,122);vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Senior Collection Manager of Entomology</span></div><div style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:"Palatino Linotype";font-size:12px;font-style:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;text-align:start;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;word-spacing:0px;text-decoration:none;line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:8.5pt;font-family:Arial;color:rgb(0,120,122);vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Secretary, The Lepidopterists’ Society</span></div><div style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:"Palatino 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</blockquote></div><div><br clear="all"></div><div><br></div><span class="gmail_signature_prefix">-- </span><br><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_signature"><div dir="ltr"><font face="monospace">Timothy J. S. Whitfeld, PhD</font><div><font face="monospace">Collections Manager</font></div><div><font face="monospace">Bell Museum Herbarium (MIN)</font></div><div><font face="monospace">University of Minnesota</font></div><div><font face="monospace">1445 Gortner Avenue</font></div><div><font face="monospace">St. Paul, Minnesota 55108-1095</font></div><div><font face="monospace">USA</font></div><div><font face="monospace">(612) 625-0215</font></div><div><p style="margin:0px;font-stretch:normal;font-size:13px;line-height:normal;color:rgb(0,0,233)"><a href="https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://url.avanan.click/v2/r01/___https:/*www.bellmuseum.umn.edu/plants/___.YXAzOmNhbGFjYWRlbXk6YTpnOmEyZWE3OTU2MmY0YzMyYzhjNWNjYWFjZTQ1NWZiMjU2Ojc6ZDhiMjozNDUwMjdkODA3ODg0NDEzMzQ0MTMyZjNmMDZiMGUxMDM5MDM1Y2VhMTMwMWUwNDYyYTZhYmVjODlhNTIzMTk2Omg6VDpO__;Lw!!Ljrh0eb5atLX!pMkkB7U0o9TiyMiKlGLboMwSGbeAdr6sY_G-3UWHYObVwo_n2RYDf8kcmd7Ez8S-aSjDtx9L-kBOtW7oI1E$" title="Protected by Avanan: https://www.bellmuseum.umn.edu/plants/" target="_blank"><font face="monospace">https://www.bellmuseum.umn.edu/plants/</font><font face="Courier"><span></span></font></a></p></div></div></div></div>
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