I think if you joined , kokufu and volunteered with the clubs function's (they have an xmas party coming up), you will soon get your foot in the door.
I would like to bring up another point that has been overlooked so far. it's the morality of going out and digging trees that are hundreds or thousands of years old, when you have very little experience to dig then the best way and and keep them alive afterwards. Even the most experienced collectors have a high mortality rate on their collected trees.
Finding the trees is easy. finding trees worth digging and keeping them alive is years of experience. Most trees, unfortunatly, are big "sticks" unworthy of becoming a nice bonsai and should not be subjected to almost certain death by a newbie after it's managed to survive a harsh enviroment for 200 years, just so someone can "experience it". The realy good, twisty trees with movement have an even higher death rate after collection.
Sure, sometimes you hear about a hillside that is going to be bulldozed for developement, and if they let you in, get them all, but don't go into a pristeen enviroment and start pulling everything out of the ground, unless you have someone who realy knoes what they are doing with you.
A while back, a memeber of my club heard of an area with trees and the land owner said he can dig there. I begged him not to take out any trees untill the correct time of year and to be patient for the trees benefit.
Meanwhile a young kid who just joined the club who is real cocky, heard about the area and started pulling trees out. He neglected to back fill one of the holes he left in his wake. One of the land owners horses stumbled in the hole and broke it's leg. Guess what? no more digging and I'm sure by now word has spread all around there about the careless bonsai people.
What would happen if a story got out to the press about people going out and digging thousand year old trees, which more than likely will die, and if they survive are subjected to cruel branch bending and wrapping with tight steel wire. I'm sure PETA would start a new chapter just for trees and some laws would get passed.
Please, by all means, dig! but be patient and wait till someone who knows what they are doing teaches you the responcible, corerect way first. (ok, just gotkicked off my hi-horse with a broke leg)