[Nhcoll-l] USFWS seizure of imports

Wed Jun 25 13:58:04 EDT 2025

Hi, all!  It is my understanding that any plant that is covered by the
Lacey Act is under the purview of USFWS law enforcement.  I am not 100%
certain whether that means 3-177s for all, but I think in the current
political environment that it would be best to check with the port before
sending.

Cody W. Thompson, PhD
Mammal Collections Manager
& Associate Research Scientist
University of Michigan
Museum of Zoology
3600 Varsity Drive
Ann Arbor, Michigan 48108
Office: (734) 615-2810
Fax: (734) 763-4080
Email: cwthomp at umich.edu
Website: codythompson.org

*Please click here to support the UMMZ Mammal Division, its collections,
and research mission!!!*
<https://lsa.umich.edu/ummz/mammals/donate-to-the-mammal-division.html>

On Wed, Jun 25, 2025 at 1:52 PM Chris Grinter <cgrinter at calacademy.org>
wrote:

> 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.
>
> I think it's correct that plants *do not* require USFWS clearance and a
> 3-177.
>
> 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 Wed, Jun 25, 2025 at 8:31 AM Eli Wyman <eliswyman at gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> 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
>>>> <https://url.avanan.click/v2/r01/___http://www.calacademy.org/___.YXAzOmNhbGFjYWRlbXk6YTpnOmEyZWE3OTU2MmY0YzMyYzhjNWNjYWFjZTQ1NWZiMjU2Ojc6NWIzNDo2NmFmYmE0MWEzMTQwZTg0NmM3M2FiZjYwNmFkMDUyNWQ0NzYyYTkyNjZkOWQ1MTkxMWIyOTEwOTBmOTliMmIyOmg6VDpO>
>>>>
>>>> <https://url.avanan.click/v2/r01/___https://www.instagram.com/calacademy/___.YXAzOmNhbGFjYWRlbXk6YTpnOmEyZWE3OTU2MmY0YzMyYzhjNWNjYWFjZTQ1NWZiMjU2Ojc6MGM5YjozNTMyMjhhYWQyOTM0MDkyZjdlMmIwOTBhN2M5YWVkYjE5NzJiYWY4MzY5ZTc2YjY3ODdlYjczYjRiMzM0NDZkOmg6VDpO>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> 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
>>>>> <https://url.avanan.click/v2/r01/___http://www.calacademy.org/___.YXAzOmNhbGFjYWRlbXk6YTpnOmEyZWE3OTU2MmY0YzMyYzhjNWNjYWFjZTQ1NWZiMjU2Ojc6OTc1ZjpiNzY0NzA1NjQ0NmI4YzBlNjc4MTBjMDMzNWM2ZTA5YTNmOTU0MThjODBmMTJlOTFmOTU5ZGVlODk4YjQ3MTUxOmg6VDpO>
>>>>>
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>>>>>
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>>>
>>>
>>> --
>>> Timothy J. S. Whitfeld, PhD
>>> Collections Manager
>>> Bell Museum Herbarium (MIN)
>>> University of Minnesota
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>>> 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
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> society. See http://www.spnhc.org for membership information.
> Advertising on NH-COLL-L is inappropriate.
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