May I collect on a wildlife refuge, a reservoir shoreline or a military range?

Usually not without written permission. National wildlife refuges prohibit "the unauthorized removal of any public property including natural objects" [1]. Army Corps of Engineers lake and river projects prohibit removing "natural formations, mineral deposits" and "paleontological resources" except with the District Commander's written permission [2]. Bureau of Reclamation lands prohibit removing natural resources except as other federal, state and local law allows [3], and the Tennessee Valley Authority bans metal detectors and any activity affecting archaeological resources on its public lands [4]. Military ranges are closed ground controlled by each installation. Each of these agencies writes its own rule, and this page quotes each one and tells you whom to ask.

The four agencies side by side

Each regulation's wording was checked against the current eCFR text on October 22, 2026, and the TVA page was read the same day.

National wildlife refuges

The refuge rule is one sentence, 50 CFR 27.61, quoted in full in the table above [1]. "Natural objects" covers rocks, minerals and fossils, and the operative word is "unauthorized." The next sections close the remaining gap: 27.63, headed "Search for and removal of other valued objects," requires a permit or other authorization to search for "valuable semi-precious rocks, stones, or mineral specimens" (paragraph (a)), and for the "collection of paleontological resources" (paragraph (c)) [1]. A refuge exists for wildlife, and most refuges have no program that authorizes rock collecting. Fossils on refuges are also governed by the federal fossil regulations, explained on collecting fossils on public land.

If a refuge sits next to BLM land, as many western refuges do, be sure which side of the fence you are on. A refuge boundary is often marked only by small signs.

Army Corps of Engineers lakes and rivers

Corps projects are the reservoirs, locks and dams with Corps-run campgrounds and shorelines, common in the South, Midwest and Great Plains. The Corps' public-use rules in 36 CFR Part 327 apply "to water resources development projects, completed or under construction" [5]. The property rule reads in full [2]:

(a) Destruction, injury, defacement, removal or any alteration of public property including, but not limited to, developed facilities, natural formations, mineral deposits, historical and archaeological features, paleontological resources, boundary monumentation or markers and vegetative growth, is prohibited except when in accordance with written permission of the District Commander.

So the Corps' answer to "can I pick up an agate on the shoreline" is no unless you have written permission. Metal detectors are treated differently. Paragraph (d) reads: "The use of metal detectors is permitted on designated beaches or other previously disturbed areas unless prohibited by the District Commander for reasons of protection of archaeological, historical or paleontological resources. Specific information regarding metal detector policy and designated use areas is available at the Manager's Office" [2]. Finds must go through the lost-and-found rules of 327.15 and 327.16, "except for non-identifiable items such as coins of value less than $25" [2]. Detecting is for lost modern objects on designated beaches; it is not permission to dig minerals or artifacts.

Bureau of Reclamation reservoirs

Reclamation's rules of conduct, 43 CFR Part 423, start from a ban. Paragraph (a) of 423.29 reads: "You must not destroy, injure, deface, remove, search for, disturb, or alter natural resources or cultural resources, including abandoned buildings or structures, on or in Reclamation facilities, lands, or waterbodies except in accordance with § 423.29(g) and other applicable Federal, State, and local laws" [3]. Paragraph (g) allows "renewable natural resource gathering activities such as picking berries and mushrooms, collecting antlers, and other similar activities" [3]. Rocks are not renewable.

The phrase "other applicable Federal ... laws" matters, because two Interior rules reach Reclamation land. The petrified wood regulation says "All public lands administered by the Bureau of Land Management and the Bureau of Reclamation are open to or available for free use removal of petrified wood unless otherwise provided for by notice in the Federal Register" [6]. The federal fossil rules, explained on collecting fossils on public land, are another. Ask the Reclamation area office which rules apply at your spot before collecting anything.

Metal detectors are off limits on Reclamation lands. Paragraph (f) prohibits possessing a metal detector or using one "to locate or recover subsurface objects or features on Reclamation lands," except "When transporting, but not using, a metal detector or other geophysical discovery device in a vehicle on a public road" or "As allowed by a permit issued pursuant to subpart D of this part 423" [3].

TVA shorelines

The Tennessee Valley Authority manages reservoir shorelines across the Tennessee Valley, and arrowhead hunters ask about them often. TVA's published rules for its public lands do not mention rocks, minerals or fossils by name. They do say: "The excavation, removal, damage, alteration or defacement of federal property" is prohibited, "Any activity affecting archaeological resources is a felony offense and is prohibited by federal law," and "The use of metal detectors is prohibited" [4]. Exposed shoreline at low water is exactly where artifacts turn up, so treat a TVA shoreline as a look-and-photograph place unless TVA tells you otherwise in writing. The law on artifacts is on arrowheads and other artifacts.

Military ranges and installations

Access to military land is controlled by each installation, and any public recreation access is set by that installation; the rules are not published in one place. This page found no general federal rule that allows rock collecting on military land, so the honest answer is: ask the installation, and do not collect without written permission.

Two hazards make this more than a paperwork question. Ranges can hold unexploded ordnance, which may look like a rusty pipe or a heavy rock, and closed areas can be closed for that reason. If you find something that looks like ordnance anywhere, do not touch it, mark the spot from a distance, leave, and call 911 or the land manager. Field safety in general is on staying safe in the field.

Land that the military once used and has since transferred, such as former ranges now managed by BLM or a state, takes the rules of its current manager. Check the land status first.

How to ask, and what to keep

1. Find the office: the refuge headquarters, the Corps project or Manager's Office, the Reclamation area office, TVA, or the installation's natural resources or public affairs office.
2. Ask specifically: the material, the place, the tools and the dates.
3. If the answer is yes, ask for it in writing. The Corps rule requires written permission by its own terms [2].
4. File the permission with your field notes, as you would a private landowner's letter.

Finding out whose land it is first

Reservoir shorelines are a patchwork of Corps, Reclamation, state park, county and private land, and the boundaries move with the water. Start with finding out who manages the ground you are standing on.

References

1. eCFR, 50 CFR Part 27, Subpart F, sections 27.61 (Destruction or removal of property) and 27.63 (Search for and removal of other valued objects), up to date as of September 3, 2026, read October 22, 2026. https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-50/chapter-I/subchapter-C/part-27/subpart-F
2. Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School, 36 CFR 327.14 Public property (65 FR 6901, Feb. 11, 2000), read October 22, 2026. https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/36/327.14
3. Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School, 43 CFR 423.29 Natural and cultural resources, read October 22, 2026. https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/43/423.29
4. Tennessee Valley Authority, *Rules for Use of TVA Public Lands*, undated, read October 22, 2026. https://tva.com/Environment/Environmental-Stewardship/Land-Management/Rules-for-Use-of-TVA-Public-Lands
5. Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School, 36 CFR 327.0 Applicability, read October 22, 2026. https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/36/327.0
6. Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School, 43 CFR 3622.3 Designation of areas, read October 22, 2026. https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/43/3622.3