There's an interesting YouTube video on this by Johnny Harris. Apparently it was done to encourage guano/bird poop collection to help with fertilizer for farms.

Before industrial fertilizer was mass produced in the 20th Century guano was used. Guano is concentrated bird or bat droppings containing high levels of nitrates, phosphates and potassium all of which can promote plant growth. https://youtu.be/mVY08GnyR4A

Is it atill a law? Cause if it is, Im going to go find me an island.

I was only little bit disappointed that the Guano Act wasn't even referenced in the Kong: Skull Island movie.

There's no way government wonks would travel there to "explore" it and not bring up the fact they can just take it for America under the Guano Act.

Now that's some truly crappy legislation.

For the valuable phosphorus. Just listened to an interview with the author of this book on the history of phosphorus: https://www.amazon.com/Devils-Element-Phosphorus-World-Balance/dp/1324002662

Yes, the guano was used to make gunpowder. No shit, no boom.

Not really any different than saying that you're allowed to claim any oil well not already claimed. Strategic resources are strategic resources.

I knew someone was guano make that joke

This is bat shit crazy.

This is where the expression came from. As in you'd have to be batshit crazy to do something like that.

My neighbor does this lol. Harvests the bat shit in his shed and uses it on his little garden

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There’s people on that usland

I actually know of an island that would qualify, I found it on Lake Champlain not far from Burlington a couple decades ago when I was sailing. I don't remember the name, but it might as well have been called Bird Shit Island.

Guano was the best fertilizer available for a long time, before potassium nitrate was discovered in the deserts of South America. Fertile land was a big problem, even up to Habers invention of making ammonia.

Is this what happened to hawaii ?