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What's The Deal With The Burgess Shale?


palaeopix

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Welcome everyone!

I started this new topic in response to several questions that appeared elsewhere on the Forum. These questions were posed by fellow Forum member Wrangellian. Wrangellian asked about the monopoly that the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) has on Canadian Palaeozoic Lagerstatten such as the Burgess Shale (BS) and about access to the Burgess Shale Collection at the Royal British Columbia Museum (RBCM).

Wrangellian pointed out that the ROM has a monopoly on Palaeozoic Lagerstatten, such as the BS, within Canada. He wondered why the ROM had the monopoly and why the (RBCM) was unable to collect at the BS.

Here is how it all started.

Wrangellian posted as follows"

"....I went to Burgess in I think 1991 as a teenager, which was a dream come true as well, but I never got to take part in the collecting of course, it was just the guided tour! I wonder why the ROM seems to have a monopoly on all the Paleozic Lagerstatten on Canada..... even the ones here in BC - Even the RBCM doesnt do any collecting there or anywhere else as far as I know.. doesn't seem right."

My response was:

"The Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) has a monopoly on these Lagerstatte simply because they have the money, and thus the palaeontologists, to undertake such investigations. The Royal British Columbia Museum (RBCM) by contrast has at last count only one paleontologically related position that is held by Richard Hebda (Botany and Earth History). As far as I know the only other person who has a paleontology background at the RBCM is Gavin Hanke. Dr. Hanke does have formal training as a vertebrate paleontologist but his title is Curator of Vertebrates.

The ROM has not always had the monopoly on the Burgess Shale. For many years the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, DC was the largest repository of Burgess Shale material with over 65,000 specimens collected by Charles Walcott. In fact for the longest time no Canadian Museum or University had a collection from the Burgess Shale. This situation led to collections being made first by the Geological Survey of Canada (GSC) and then the ROM. Now many Canadian institutions have representative collections of the world famous fossils and the ROM has the largest collection with over 150,000 individual specimens. So as you can see the research is centered around where the fossils are stored and the RBCM simply does not have the budget to curate such a world class collection from the Burgess Shale.

Dan"

Wrangellian replied:

"Too bad. Like I said, doesnt seem right. What is wrong with this province?.....

I know the RBCM has some Burgess fossils but not sure how many and wonder how they got them."

My reply:

"I believe, if memory serves me right, that the RBCM acquired its Burgess Shale material from the GSC. As I mentioned in my previous post the GSC was tasked with making representative collections of Burgess Shale material, that was then given to various institutions such as the RBCM.

I had an opportunity to see the collection after it was rediscovered, after all but being forgotten about, in the late 1980s. As I recall the collection was not very large but there were some spectacular specimens. I believe that the collection is now curated in an area of the museum where it will not soon be forgotten.

It really is too bad that the province of British Columbia has no real significant display or collection of its own. I also understand that Parks Canada still owns all of the specimens that are currently held at the ROM so at least the fossils are being preserved for future generations.

Dan

P.S. Please forgive me Peter for hijacking your topic. I had no intentions of doing so but felt a need to address Eric's (Wrangellian) questions and this is a topic close to my heart. If anyone would like to discuss this further perhaps we should start a new topic, if one doesn't already exist."

piranha added this comment:

"Paleopix underscores the glaring deficiencies of these generally over-reaching and over-bearing institutions for the advancement and propagation of knowledge. While we all salivate at the thought of unfettered access to these venerable collections the truth is that these fossils are merely pawns in the never ending game of what happens to be fashionable at any given moment for the bureaucrats to politicize. I can only dream of a day when real access is granted to 'all' via a virtual repository of genuine substance. Yes, the professional paleos earn their mettle but let's face it guys, the so called amateurs have and always will be the backbone of discovery and elucidation. Nothing dramatic just my ₵.02"

Wrangellian replied:

"Do you mean access to the collections in the museums that are normally hidden away and not seen by the general public? What does it take to get to see them, anyway, in say the RBCM or ROM?"

piranha replied:

"A few best selling books and a Discovery or Nat Geo show will get you in the door. A million dollar endowment is an easy fast track for sure. Seriously though, what a shame when you consider the hundreds of thousands of fossils that cannot even be shown? I suppose that is the business of a museum and its board of trustees to decide.

I have many more paragraphs possible here so at this point before the altitude sickness gets the better of me I'll make my descent back to base camp where there is more oxygen to breathe .... yes, better now and I can feel the keys beneath my finger tips again."

And that is where the discussion stands.

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In response to Wrangellian's question: "Do you mean access to the collections in the museums that are normally hidden away and not seen by the general public? What does it take to get to see them, anyway, in say the RBCM or ROM?"

I do not know about other institutions but at the RBCM access to the fossils is pretty restricted and rightfully so. The museum does not have much space dedicated to paleontology displays so the fossils remain in storage. Accredited researchers may be granted access but the general public is not. I had the good fortune to see the specimens when they were loaned to the University of Victoria back in the eighties.

I am not certain what the RBCM has planned for the future but I do understand that expansion of display and storage areas has been suggested. So perhaps in the future these amazing fossils will be on display for everyone.

Dan

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I know that several other threads have dealt with various aspects of the Burgess Shale but please feel free to add anything related to the BS to this thread. Discussions about other lagerstatten are also welcome especially if they are similar to the BS (i.e. Chengjiang).

Dan

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I just read an article on three new Burgess Shale localities found in Yoho National Park. The article suggests that many of the creatures found are new to science. The article also mentions that Parks Canada and the ROM are launching a virtual museum dedicated to the Burgess Shale in 2011.

Here's the link: http://www.rmoutlook...9099988/0/RMO08

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Good day guys - sheesh it got a little heated over there. I bet that will get me the official imprimatur of Governor Jesse Ventura - that's it the Bilderberg Group is coming for our fossils :o Honestly, I was looking for the lampshade and all I could find was a lousy tin foil hat! - DOH :P

Note to self: in the future never consume more than one glass of Uncle Vito's innocent looking homemade holiday brandy! ( :wacko: moonshine! :blink: )

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Good day guys - sheesh it got a little heated over there. I bet that will get me the official imprimatur of Governor Jesse Ventura - that's it the Bilderberg Group is coming for our fossils :o Honestly, I was looking for the lampshade and all I could find was a lousy tin foil hat! - DOH :P

Note to self: in the future never consume more than one glass of Uncle Vito's innocent looking homemade holiday brandy! ( :wacko: moonshine! :blink: )

It's all good now piranha! I moved the discussion over here because I respect Peter's wishes. Hopefully we will be hearing from you and Peter on this thread.

Dan

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Thanks Guys for moving the thread to a more appropriate venue.

Peter

Hey no problem Peter!

Don't be shy. I'm sure you'll have some input that we would all appreciate. Even though the thread is dedicated to the Burgess Shale, I'm sure we could gain some valuable insight on other lagerstatte (fossils, theft, protection, curation etc...).

Dan

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I may be way off base here, but between the poor provincial support for paleontology research in BC, and the history of granting mineral leases on well known and previously publicly accessible fossil sites, it seems to me that it has been a long time since BC had an elected government that had a clue about the value of paleontology, or science in general, to the province. Things seem to swing back and forth between social activism (NDP) or pro-business activism, but either way science gets no attention.

Don

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I may be way off base here, but between the poor provincial support for paleontology research in BC, and the history of granting mineral leases on well known and previously publicly accessible fossil sites, it seems to me that it has been a long time since BC had an elected government that had a clue about the value of paleontology, or science in general, to the province. Things seem to swing back and forth between social activism (NDP) or pro-business activism, but either way science gets no attention.

Don

Hey Don,

I think you've hit the nail on the head. It's really disturbing that a province like BC, that is so rich with paleontological resources, has so few payed paleontologists. I wonder how many accredited paleontologists are employed here in BC?

Dan

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I may be way off base here, but between the poor provincial support for paleontology research in BC, and the history of granting mineral leases on well known and previously publicly accessible fossil sites, ...

Don

You must be thinking of the McAbee site.

I don't like that McAbee isn't being protected from exploitation but I appreciate having been able to collect there a couple times. (And people like me would gladly make their specimens available for study - in fact I'm trying to get some of my pieces looked at but currently there's nobody needing them, apparently... for reasons that were already mentioned I guess.)

But all of this discussion has brought up a sore point with me: so here goes - and here I might be opening a big can o' worms but so be it: What I don't like to see is what I saw when I took the tour of Burgess in 1991. The ROM team, I guess, was up there, and they had a nice collection of things laid out under a tent for us to see, things they were taking back with them, but I noticed there were lots of 'reject' fossils that they were leaving in the 'tailings' because they didn't need them and understandably had to be selective about what they took back with them, but nonetheless were rare fossils that any collector would be proud to have in their collection. Of course no one was allowed to take any of these, being a park/UNESCO site/etc. Instead, they were condemned to disintegrate by weathering and scratching against each other as they slid down the slope. Vauxia, trilobites, brachiopods, Selkirkia, bits of everything. I spent most of my precious time up there looking thru the tailings. It killed me having to leave them up there.

I'm not saying the place should be opened up to private enterprise, just that these fossils should not be left up there to disintegrate, no matter how humble, because even those humble specimens can inspire awe and wonder at least in a school child's mind. They can't do so if left up there, they won't last as long on that slope as they would in the drawer of a school, college or even a private collector. I know the park belongs technically to the public and therefore no private collector should own any of them (I might bring up the concept of "stewardship not ownership" later), but in light of the situation - that the ROM can't handle too much material and that the RBCM and others apparently don't have the funding or the desire to collect up there, and the worldwide rarity of these fossils and the short lifespan of a fossil exposed on the slope, it seems to me even private collecting in the ROM's reject pile would be better than nothing. Some of us at the time were musing that these would sell like hotcakes down at the Visitor's Centre, and the gov't (ie. the people) would benefit by it.

I don't think a little extra rock missing is going to be noticed by the wildlife, and the dig teams are already leaving quite a scar and tailings heap that far outweigh any impact that taking a few loose pieces would make. These pieces are already out of their natural place, by the hand of man. And anyway it's an accident that the site happened to be found in Yoho Park. The park was not established because of Burgess.

I could go on but I'm sure there's lots to talk about already.

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This just a footnote for those who may be interested... I am not sure if this has already been posted by I just watched a super DVD that I purchased from Ebay... "Darwin Dilemma " on the Cambrian explosion with clips of the Burgess Shale site, and Chengjiang Lagerstatte site and the fossilized fauna of that biota... complete with computer animation of Cambrian creatures also as a bonus... talks and shows Pre-Cambrian fossil record. I really enjoyed this DVD video.

PL

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No one said any common sense was being applied. Antiquated rules and dictates sadly rule the roost. Seems oxymoronish to "manage" the resource so irresponsibly. From the dark and dusty collection drawers lucky to see the light of day once in a hundred years to the vast spoils that aren't deemed worthy enough to be passed around in a middle school classroom. Forget about the darn fossils for a moment. What about the wrong minded legacy of absolutely changing the natural intrinsic value of the landscape forever? Aren't forests and parks obligated to do no harm? Let alone a UNESCO World Heritage Site? Plenty of double standards to go around for sure - what a terrible tragedy to utterly squander such a treasured place. :(

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This is one of my personal problems with museums, is that I feel these specimens languish unappreciated in cases like this. And to think that those lucky specimens not selected are simply left to be weathered into oblivion is just salt in the wound. Museums certainly have their place, but there has to be a place for the private collector in cases like this, to come in and make these specimens available and appreciated to those who would otherwise never have the chance. What if a pay-to-dig available at the tailings? Who wouldn't take that? AND, the museum gets to make a buck. AND, these amazing animals are not left to rot (again).

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This just a footnote for those who may be interested... I am not sure if this has already been posted by I just watched a super DVD that I purchased from Ebay... "Darwin Dilemma " on the Cambrian explosion with clips of the Burgess Shale site, and Chengjiang Lagerstatte site and the fossilized fauna of that biota... complete with computer animation of Cambrian creatures also as a bonus... talks and shows Pre-Cambrian fossil record. I really enjoyed this DVD video.

PL

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I recorded this on my DVR a few months ago when it was broadcast on one the religious networks. There is great info, wonderful animation and depictions as well. Simon Conway Morris and others were on hand to give their assessments. I should point out that much of this docu-drama is to promote the viewpoint of the ID crowd; Douglas Axe et al, the Discovery Institute and their ilk are the culprits behind this mendacious production. Illustra Media is nothing more than the "edu-tainment" arm for the ID movement. SCARY :o

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Eric you raise some valid points. I too visited the BS in the early nineties (1993) and was dismayed by the huge talus pile that the ROM created with their discards. I've been back to the site twice since then and visitors are still finding spectacular specimens in that waste piles. During my second trip a beautiful Wiwaxia corrugata was found amongst the debris left by the ROM. When the Geological Survey of Canada collected at the BS during the late sixties they collected a specimen, from the talus, that turned out to be the counterpart of a specimen collected by Walcott many years earlier. I do not recall the ID of that specimen but it boggles the mind to understand why such a specimen was discarded in the first place. Perhaps it was lost or misplaced by Walcott.

When I visited the BS in 1993 as part of a private tour I had an opportunity to speak with Des Collins and several members of his field team. Many new and spectacular specimens were laid out under a tent much like the one you saw. Des explained that Parks Canada had strict quotas on the number of specimens that could be removed from the site. Knowing this explains why, such a large amount of talus was produced and, only the very best and rarest specimens became a part of the ROM's collection.

As a natural resource, within the boundaries of Yoho National Park, Parks Canada has no other choice than to restrict access to the BS and nearby Stephen Trilobite beds. I agree that it would be better to salvage those discarded specimens than allow them to disappear forever. But how does Parks Canada go about it? Many questions need to be answered before anything can happen. Who should be allowed to collect the material? How much of the material should be collected and sold off? And which specimens should be sold and at what price? Have you seen some of the prices that some BS material has sold for? Should only the very rich be permitted to have access to a treasure that rightfully belongs to all British Columbians (and Canadians)?

Parks Canada has a difficult job on their hands. They are responsible for protecting one of the most important paleontological resources on the planet, which happens to be located in a wilderness area. I have it on authority that they have on several occasions restricted even the ROM from collecting at the BS because of the amount of material removed in the past.

I fear there are no easy solutions to this issue!

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This just a footnote for those who may be interested... I am not sure if this has already been posted by I just watched a super DVD that I purchased from Ebay... "Darwin Dilemma " on the Cambrian explosion with clips of the Burgess Shale site, and Chengjiang Lagerstatte site and the fossilized fauna of that biota... complete with computer animation of Cambrian creatures also as a bonus... talks and shows Pre-Cambrian fossil record. I really enjoyed this DVD video.

PL

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Thanks Peter,

I've not seen that one before so I'll have to keep an eye open for it.

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To a certain extent (hard as it is to believe) we are lucky that the park managers are even allowing the ROM to collect. In other cases park administrators consider the removal of even unique specimens by highly qualified researchers to be a violation of their mandate to "preserve" park resources in their natural state. There is the example of a unique deposit of articulated Permian crinoids, including undescribed genera, that was discovered in Strathcona Provincial Park on Vancouver Island. This is the first Permian crinoid fauna to be found in the Wrangellia terrain, and the second largest late Permian crinoid fauna in North America. Despite documentation of rapid loss of specimens due to erosion, the park management has so far refused three requests from Royal BC Museum and Geological Survey of Canada paleontologists to collect even a small sample of each species for scientific documentation. The situation is documented in the following paper (I have highlighted part of the abstract for emphasis):

Globally significant Early Permian crinoids from the Mount Mark Formation in Strathcona Provincial Park, Vancouver Island, British Columbia — preliminary analysis of a disappearing fauna

Authors: Webster, G. D.; Haggart, James W.; Saxifrage, Carrie; Saxifrage, Barry; Gronau, Christian; Douglas, Aileen

Source: Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences, Volume 46, Number 9, 1 September 2009 , pp. 663-674

Abstract:

"Strata of the Mount Mark Formation, Buttle Lake Group, exposed in the vicinity of Marble Peak in Strathcona Provincial Park, central Vancouver Island, contain a diverse Early Permian crinoid fauna. This is the first Permian fauna containing crowns and cups recognized from Wrangellia terrane. The fauna contains representatives of each of the major Paleozoic crinoid subclasses: Camerata, Disparida, and Cladida. Specimens were observed and photographed between 2004 and 2008. No specimens were collected in adherence to regulations of Stratcona Provincial Park. Preliminary identifications recognize several new genera and species within the fauna, but they are not named or described lacking specimens for repository. A minimum of 24 species are judged to be in the fauna, making it the second most diverse Permian fauna known from North America. Identified genera suggest a greater relationship to North American faunas than to Paleotethyan faunas, suggesting Wrangellia was closer to North America than to the Paleotethyan realm during Early Permian time. Exposures of the Mount Mark Formation in the vicinity of Marble Peak are undergoing karstification, and specimens are being lost under the harsh weathering conditions. Observations of individual specimens over a five-year interval found that morphologic details critical for identification are being lost at an alarming rate. It is recommended that sufficient specimens in the fauna should be collected as soon as possible for identification and analysis. These specimens should be preserved for future reference and could form an educational display in the Strathcona Provincial Park headquarters."

It seems the lack of respect for the paleontological resources and history of BC is not limited to the provincial government.

It also seems that in some cases, when the government does pay attention it ends up doing more harm than good by confusing fossils with other "antiquities", in other words archeological artifacts and sites. Protections that are appropriate to prevent "pot hunters" from tearing up truly unique archeological sites are, as we all know, usually totally inappropriate for fossil deposits, especially common invertebrates and even some vertebrates (shark teeth and Green River type fish deposits come to mind). The confusion is perhaps understandable in the case of uneducated administrators who think all "antiquities" are more or less the same, but it is outrageous when these people reject all efforts by knowledgeable specialists to inform them of the differences. [Note: I don't know if this is the issue with the Strathcona Park administrators, or if they just have a hate on for paleontology.]

Don

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Paleopix makes several good points regarding the dilemna Parks Canada officials face. In a way it is analogous to the situation with trade in ivory. Although game parks could raise much needed revenue by selling salvaged ivory from elephants that die of natural causes, or that have to be culled in those parks with an overpopulation of elephants, the presence of such ivory on the market would make it almost impossible to identify or track contraband ivory from poaching. Although there is a very limited amount of Burgess Shale material in private hands from very old collections, any such material could be traced and verified without much difficulty. Commercial sale of newly collected material would create a demand that could result in people prospecting and collecting in the park on a wide scale (though obviously not at the BS quarry itself). That in turn would require monitoring and enforcement in the park on a much larger scale than is currently possible, so enhanced revenues could be eaten up by the need to hire and train more park rangers.

Don

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Yes I realize the dilemma they face, but in the meantime, the choice I see is between leaving the fossils up there and recovering them (whether to sell, give away, or distribute to schools and museums, whatever - who cares!)... and the side they seem to be coming firmly down upon is to leave them up there to be weathered away to nothing, which I'm sure we can all agree is the WORST possible option, in the case of fossils. Parks are about preserving things for future generations to enjoy. Leaving things up there works fine with wildlife and such, but they don't seem to realize that with fossils this is not conducive to their long term preservation, at least for fossils exposed at the surface. Those stories about the Wiwaxia and the Strathcona crinoids just strengthened my conviction.

Maybe the Strathcona people have a hate on for paleontology, but apparently the problem is not limited to Strathcona! But at least the knowledge that it's the Parks that is putting the limits on what the ROM takes, improves the ROM's image in my eyes. It's the draconian Parks admin who are to blame for the loss of fossil heritage. Some of them may not care, but I bet most just don't understand the problem and are only doing what they are told (to make sure nobody takes anything - easy rule to follow!)

If I had enough clout I'd advocate changing the rules for all parks in the country so that surface fossils should be exempt from the 'leave it there' policy, at least for professionals if not for everybody. But I am nobody, my voice alone is useless.. we would need to unite, professionals and amateurs, to have any impact. It might be a David & Goliath situation for us but David did win that one despite the odds!

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I guess to put things in perspective tragedy always surrounds the avid fossil collector.... think about every working day millions and millions of prime fossil are crushed up into gravel and cement to pave roads and build our infra structure....all in the name of progress. I live in Southern Ontario Canada where there is one of the riches deposits of fossil in Canada yet access is extremely poor to almost nil... the Niagara Gorge and Escarpment are own by Parks and off limits to collecting so we sit and watch fossils erode out and turn to dust.... the majority of quarrys don't allow collecting due to insurance / liabilities issues so where does leave the average fossil collector..... high and dry with nothing to collect due to policy restrictions. Despite the ROM bashing .. I still have high regards to these folks and their institution (just my personal opinion).

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This is one of my personal problems with museums, is that I feel these specimens languish unappreciated in cases like this. And to think that those lucky specimens not selected are simply left to be weathered into oblivion is just salt in the wound. Museums certainly have their place, but there has to be a place for the private collector in cases like this, to come in and make these specimens available and appreciated to those who would otherwise never have the chance. What if a pay-to-dig available at the tailings? Who wouldn't take that? AND, the museum gets to make a buck. AND, these amazing animals are not left to rot (again).

This might be a separate discussion, but I know people who won't donate to (or even visit) the Royal BC Museum because they rarely if ever show all the 'good stuff' (rocks and fossils) - it's always has the same tired old exhibits of antiques, native artifacts, etc, while the fossils you have to make arrangements to see. I guess it all comes down to money and room but I'm sure they would change things if they realized how much public interest there is in fossils. And I can't disagree with that. All the guys in the Victoria Paleo Soc. have no trouble advising fossil hunters to deposit their important finds in the RBCM but of course they live in Victoria and have a connection with the place (RBCM people). Maybe the RBCM is the best long-term repository for specimens in this province but I see far more interesting fossils and rocks at shows, among dealers and private collectors who like to display their stuff, than I have ever seen on public display at the RBCM.

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After reading many of the posts here on this thread, I see that people are very passionate about the subject of letting spectacular fossils weather away for all eternity. I too find it incredibly difficult to understand how such wonders of nature and geology can be left to the ravages of nature, because they reside within a Park. But on the other hand, I wonder what would ultimately become of treasures like the Burgess Shale if it were not protected. Don (FossilDAWG) points out that it would be difficult to monitor legitimately collected specimens against illegally acquired ones. He further points out that many specimens for offer on the internet come from OLD COLLECTIONS, which may be the case, but I suspect many of the specimens are being passed off as old, when in fact they are from recent collections. This suspicion was confirmed last year while on my third trek to the Burgess Shale. I was informed, by the Parks Canada guide, that every year people are stopped on trails leading to and from the Burgess Shale site. Fossil theft is a real problem in the Parks and there simply are not enough Wardens to enforce the closures. Special sites such as the Mount Stephen Trilobite beds are monitored by cameras and high tech alarms, but people still try to access them without a guide. I was also informed that the Burgess Shale site was to be monitored with similar devices, but the fact remains that the Burgess Shale resides in a remote location and there are numerous "escape routes" that can be used when accessing the site. So again it comes down to man-power which the Parks are sadly lacking.

If collecting were permitted, at sites such as the Burgess Shale or the Stephen Trilobite beds, who would decide how much of the material be removed? What happens when all the loose material is gone? Do we simply close the site for collecting or do we allow quarrying? At what point do we stop removing material from the mountain? Sure the mountains and fossils are being worn away, but that is all part and parcel of what the Parks are trying to preserve: natural systems acting naturally. It is difficult to watch the fossils weather away, but this has been happening for millions of years and it will continue to do so. How many specimens need to be saved? I suspect that there are more than 250,000 individual specimens from the Burgess Shale residing in major collections in North America alone. So is it really all that bad that some specimens are left on the mountain? I don't know. Sure, I would probably be first in line to have an opportunity to acquire a specimen or two from such an iconic setting as the Burgess Shale.

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There seems to be a lot of issues some of you hold close to your hearts regarding this material and as a fossil collector I can see your frustrations... If the material is owned by the nation and kept and curated whilst financed by the nations purse, then realistically it should be possible for you to go and view 'your' fossils.... That is the situation in the UK and I have been in the vaults of a couple of museums myself who have done this allowing an organised group to look whilst supervised at some specimens that we had interest in... If this cant be arranged then the material on display within the museum should be rotated on a regular basis to compensate for this as well as maintain foot traffic and interest in the museums displays....

The surplus material...... I can see where the team extracting the fossils are coming from, they must have one hell of a task deciding what stays and probably also are just as frustrated as you at the dilema they face... Its a pity money raised from the surplus cannot be used in some way to fund exhibitions in various museums around the country of the new material thats found (at least).... Its probably this burocracy that has drove the price of this material up as it is difficult to obtain, so making the surplus fossils more accessible can only be a good thing for collectors who would appreciate this in their collections... They could even put representative samples together of the 2nd's and have it as a fund raising mechanism/lottery for the museum where everyone who buys a ticket has an equal chance of obtaining the fossils... It is such a shame they just rot away... and I'm pretty sure those in control will realise this to....Its just a few legal problems that need ironing out to make all your ideas a reality....

Cheers Steve... And Welcome if your a New Member... :)

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I don't want to get into the "politics" of the Burgess Shale.

So instead and hopefully lighten up this thread , I am attaching this picture of our field crew (standing in Walcott's old quarry) in July of 1988 ... obviously not much collecting was done that week.

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