Did you know that collecting feathers from off the ground was illegal? I’ll admit that I did have an inkling… but had no idea of the extent of the law. After an wonderful impromptu nature hike with Daddy (we did a 2.5 mile wetland hike), we came home with two amazingly beautiful feathers. ‘A’ had actually IDed them on the trail as Red Tail Hawk feathers… and I believe he is right. Of course in the process of looking them up I came upon this statement as well…

“Possessing a plume from nearly any bird species in the United States is verboten

– even if you just happened to discover it lying on the ground, and even if it

was shed in the normal course of molting. Most birds, save a few nonnative ones

like starlings and house sparrows, are protected by the Migratory Bird Treaty

Act, which makes it illegal to kill them or possess any of their body parts.

The maximum penalty for possession of feathers, a misdemeanor, is six months in

prison and a $5,000 fine. If you sell items containing such feathers, you’re

asking for more trouble: You could be charged with a felony, spend two years in

jail, and face a fine of $250,000. If you continue to use feathers in your

crafts, stick to those from domestic fowl, such as chickens and turkeys, or from

game birds that you have legally hunted, such as ducks and pheasants. If you

need further clarification , call the nearest state or federal fish and wildlife

agency.”

The law actually includes any part of the bird, feathers, nests, eggs, etc. And in an attempt to figure out what one needs to do to actually get a permit I finally came across this file from my state’s government site.

(6) A permit shall be issued only to a qualified person who will use the specimens obtained for bona fide scientific

or educational purposes. An applicant for a permit must be affiliated with one of the following institutions:

(a) A public or private school, such as a college, university, high school, junior high school, middle school, or

elementary school. The school must be recognized as a legitimate educational institution by the Michigan

department of education. The primary listed applicant, or the advisor named on the application, must hold at least

a bachelor’s degree in the biological sciences or an educational field.

(b) A public agency, such as a federal, state, city, or county unit of government associated with a wildlife or

scientific area of study or research.

(c) A non-profit educational organization, which has obtained an exemption from federal income tax under the

provisions of section 501 (c) (3) of the internal revenue code. The educational organization must be associated

with a wildlife or scientific area of study or research. The primary listed applicant, or the advisor named on the

application, must hold at least a bachelor’s degree in the biological sciences or an educational field. The applicant

must provide written documentation to the department certifying that 501 (c) (3) status has been achieved.

(d) A scientific research organization, working in cooperation with a college or university, whose primary listed

applicant holds a post graduate degree in a science-related field.

(e) A scientific research organization licensed by the United States department of agriculture.

What do you think are the chances of a homeschooling family meeting these requirements? I’m thinking very slim. I did send an email to the DNR asking how I might go about applying for one. I will keep ya posted.

‘A’ did a nature journal page on them and they have now been returned to the wild (ie our backyard). I guess it is for the best since I was leery about how to safely clean and store them. I understand that they don’t want poaching of birds… but seriously, can’t a little kid bring home a feather? What about that bird’s nest you clean out of the bird house or your eaves? And those robin egg shells sitting on my nature table? Hmm… how are we supposed to raise kids who care about the environment if they aren’t allow to INTERACT WITH IT!

For more information on the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918 you might want to check out Wikipedia.

UPDATE: Response from the DNR

In the email response he asked me to email him directly so he could forward me the Research License form but he also said this…

In the Information Circular, please note on page 4, number 1, the criteria for qualifying for this permit as a school. While it may be subject to debate, the intent of the language here is to exclude home schools (i.e. a home school is not a school such as a college, university, high school, junior high school, middle school, or elementary school). If you otherwise qualify (i.e. you have a Bachelor’s Degree in the biological sciences or educational field), you may wish to apply as a home school and allow me and other in the Department to determine if you qualify.