“Go to any national forest in the country and get caught digging up a Rhoderdenron, a native plant, or even moving around (or taking) rocks or anything else, and see how fast that gets you a $10,000 federal fine”
Decades ago I worked on the Town of Andrews, NC reservoir dam when it was being built in the National Forest. Acres of Rhododendron and Mt. Laural were bulldozed and burned. I rescued several and planted them in my backyard.
I grew up with a national wildlife refuge at my back door. Back then, we never gave a second thought to taking anything we wanted. When I was a kid, we used to play with, trap and keep horned toads as pets.
Now they are on the endangered species list. Do it now and you could end up in jail. However, I do love rhodedrons, and have many in my yard, but I danged sure wouldn’t harvest one from a national forest these days.
Forgot to add, Rebelbase, I trout fish in a beautiful stream in the Cherokee National Forest, and have looked up at cliff faces while fishing and see spray paint graffitti “Rhonda loves Ronnie,” etc.
There is a good reason for many of these laws and I agree with them. I can’t imagine what 25,000 people camped in a national forest shitting on the ground would be like. I danged sure wouldn’t care to fish in a “pristine” area like that, wade the stream for trout.