Permits & rules
ACEC and wilderness: the overlay that kills the cap
Ownership can say Federal / BLM and collecting can still be closed. Two common overlays:
ACEC (Area of Critical Environmental Concern)
BLM draws these to protect a specific resource — fossils, cultural sites, rare plants, scenery. Collecting rules inside an ACEC are whatever that plan says. Often: don’t.
Wilderness and WSA
Designated wilderness and many wilderness study areas restrict tools and surface disturbance. Hand-picking a chip might still be banned. A shovel almost certainly is. Check the unit.
How you miss them
Phone maps show “public.” They skip the overlay. After you confirm BLM, look at monument / ACEC / wilderness layers or the field-office recreation map.
Informational only. Overlay names and boundaries change. The local BLM office is the check.