The Act Itself
This Act was created in response to the finding that there were significant caves on federal lands and that proper steps must be taken to ensure the protection of these caves and their resources. These resources expressly include paleontology resources.
What the Act Covers?
Cave resource includes any material or substance occurring naturally in caves on Federal lands, such as animal life, plant life, paleontological deposits, sediments, minerals, speleogens, and speleothems.
What is Excluded?
This Act allows for any tribe to apply to the secretary and if approved all responsibility of the secretary can be delegated to the tribe.
What Does the Act Apply to?
The Act applies to federal lands, which are lands the fee title to which is owned by the United States and administered by the Secretary of Agriculture or the Secretary of the Interior.
Law Review Articles
Roberto Iraola, The Federal Cave Resources Protection Act of 1988, 17 Fordham Envtl. L. Rev. 89 (2005), this article examines those provisions of the Act and its implementation, the collection and removal of cave resources, and the civil and criminal penalties.