[Nhcoll-l] USFWS seizure of imports

Wed Jun 25 17:28:26 EDT 2025

I was always taught that if you violate any more “recent” wildlife laws, you automatically violate the Lacey Act.  It was written in 1900 and amended since then but always in a very broad interpretation.

Sue

On Jun 25, 2025, at 1:59 PM, Cody Thompson <cwthomp at umich.edu> wrote:

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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.

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On Wed, Jun 25, 2025 at 1:52 PM Chris Grinter <cgrinter at calacademy.org<mailto: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
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On Wed, Jun 25, 2025 at 8:31 AM Eli Wyman <eliswyman at gmail.com<mailto: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<mailto: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<mailto: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
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On Mon, Apr 21, 2025 at 1:54 PM Chris Grinter <cgrinter at calacademy.org<mailto: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
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