Our Researchers

Casey Lindqvist

Waterway & Shoreline Researcher

Casey researches the hobbies practiced at the edge of water — gold panning, magnet fishing, and beachcombing — where the acting land manager can change from one bank, bridge, or park boundary to the next. After assuming a permitting rule from one river applied a state over, and finding out the hard way that it didn't, Casey now verifies every waterway segment individually before writing about it.

Derek Voss

Fossil Hunting Researcher

Derek researches public-land fossil collecting rules, with a focus on the line federal law draws between common invertebrate material and protected vertebrate fossils. He started keeping careful notes after nearly pocketing what turned out to be a bone fragment on BLM land, then realizing how easy that mistake is to make without knowing the rule.

Rachel Mower

Rockhounding Researcher

Rachel is a rockhound focused on BLM open desert and Southwest public lands. She learned to navigate the federal casual-use rules and mining claim complications the hard way — by showing up at spots that turned out to be claimed land — and now researches claim status before she drives anywhere.

Sam Peterson

Foraging Rules Contributor

Sam is a forager based in Florida who got serious about the legal side of wild harvesting after discovering that picking saw palmetto berries on public land without permission and a state permit — something thousands of people do casually — can be a third-degree felony under Florida law. He now documents harvest rules across national forests and public lands so foragers know exactly what they're walking into.

Stuart Wilkinson

Metal Detecting Researcher

Stuart is a weekend detectorist based in central Florida who has worked the Space Coast and Treasure Coast beaches for several years. He started keeping detailed notes on local rules after a ranger stopped him at a Brevard County park and cited an excavation ordinance he had never heard of.