"Federal Permits"

[Paul Opler]

         Dear Leps-Lers, Most of you are probably aware that these
         National Park Service rules have been in effect for many
         years--they just haven't been broadly dispersed in our
         community. In fact, revised regulations are in the process
         and some requirements are being softened. For example, the
         requirement that all specimens remain park service property
         and that all specimens be catalgued. The attitude of NPS
         resource biologists and superintendants has also changed and
         most NPS units are anxious and receptive to proposals for
         inventory and/or monitoring of their parks. Such studies are
         usually more than a one-day "hit" and require a great deal of
         effort to be done correctly. When I first started doing
         butterfly counts in Rocky Mountain National Park we were
         required to have a permit for just net and release. Thus, you
         may expect a Park Ranger [basically well-trained police] to
         check out your credentials even if you net and release. The
         poaching cases of recent years where some of our own were
         illegally collecting and commercializing material taken from
         parks has made the park rangers ever-vigilant for potential
         violators.  Paul Opler