[Nhcoll-l] USFWS seizure of imports

Wed Jun 25 11:31:00 EDT 2025

Chris,

   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.

  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.

@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.

Eli

On Wed, Jun 25, 2025 at 11:01 AM Timothy Whitfeld <whitf015 at umn.edu> wrote:

> Hi Chris,
> 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?
> Thanks,
> Tim
>
>
> On Tue, Jun 24, 2025 at 6:22 PM Chris Grinter <cgrinter at calacademy.org>
> wrote:
>
>> Hi everyone,
>> 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.
>>
>> 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 *send
>> parcels into the US via private carrier* 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.
>>
>> Hope this helps,
>> Chris
>>
>> Christopher C. Grinter
>> Senior Collection Manager of Entomology
>> Secretary, The Lepidopterists’ Society
>> Subject Editor: Lepidoptera, The Pacific Coast Entomological Society
>> California Academy of Sciences
>> 55 Music Concourse Dr
>> San Francisco, CA 94118
>> T 415.379.5320
>> We regenerate the natural world through science, learning, and
>> collaboration.
>> Learn more at calacademy.org <http://www.calacademy.org/>
>> <https://www.instagram.com/calacademy/>
>>
>>
>> On Mon, Apr 21, 2025 at 1:54 PM Chris Grinter <cgrinter at calacademy.org>
>> wrote:
>>
>>> Hi all,
>>> 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.
>>>
>>> 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".
>>>
>>> Chris
>>>
>>> Christopher C. Grinter
>>> Senior Collection Manager of Entomology
>>> Secretary, The Lepidopterists’ Society
>>> Subject Editor: Lepidoptera, The Pacific Coast Entomological Society
>>> California Academy of Sciences
>>> 55 Music Concourse Dr
>>> San Francisco, CA 94118
>>> T 415.379.5320
>>> We regenerate the natural world through science, learning, and
>>> collaboration.
>>> Learn more at calacademy.org <http://www.calacademy.org/>
>>> <https://www.instagram.com/calacademy/>
>>>
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>
> --
> Timothy J. S. Whitfeld, PhD
> Collections Manager
> Bell Museum Herbarium (MIN)
> University of Minnesota
> 1445 Gortner Avenue
> St. Paul, Minnesota 55108-1095
> USA
> (612) 625-0215
>
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> NHCOLL-L is brought to you by the Society for the Preservation of
> Natural History Collections (SPNHC), an international society whose
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> natural history collections to ensure their continuing value to
> society. See http://www.spnhc.org for membership information.
> Advertising on NH-COLL-L is inappropriate.
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