Are Fossil-hunting Laws Hurting Science?

[Oxytropidoceras]

To collect or not to collect: are fossil-hunting laws hurting science?

by Hanneke Meijer The Guardian, July 27, 2016

https://www.theguardian.com/science/2016/jul/27/to-collect-or-not-to-collect-are-fossil-hunting-laws-hurting-science

"The collecting of fossilised remains of animals and plants is

often limited by law to prevent overexploitation and vandalism.

But what’s best for science?"

Yours,

Paul H.

[Raggedy Man]

We've already had several members, including myself, post images of fossilized remains deteriorating in the open. In their eyes, a bad apple makes the whole bushel bad.

[Fossil Claw]

Any law that punishes everyone for the acts of a few hurt science, life in general, and society. It is simple if you want to help science with laws, put 3 types of laws in place. 1)laws to punish the vandals and jerks and leave the rest of us responsible people alone. Also leave some room for those that damage by accident or have no clue. 2) laws to help fund saving our natural history treasures to fund collection and museums 3)laws to punish scientists that knowingly falsify their science.

These current new laws are there solely to benefit the few that work in museums and do nothing to save our natural history treasures. if the scientists behind them really cared about saving the treasures and not just about cutting everyone esle out they would support the kinds of laws I list above.

If we taxed commercial collecting and sales, this could easily fund academic work similar to the way hunting licenses fund wild life management and parks. Could be win-win if certain academics get out of the way. There are some great examples of academics(mostly invertebrate scientists ) working with the public to further research. Look at UC and the Dry dredgers.

Is seems that many vertebrat academics would rather allow these treasures to disintegrate out in the field to be lost to science forever then share them with the rest of us.

Edited July 28, 2016 by Fossil Claw

[Anchiornis]

Any law that punishes everyone for the acts of a few hurt science, life in general, and society. It is simple if you want to help science with laws, put 3 types of laws in place. 1)laws to punish the vandals and jerks and leave the rest of us responsible people alone. Also leave some room for those that damage by accident or have no clue. 2) laws to help fund saving our natural history treasures to fund collection and museums 3)laws to punish scientists that knowingly falsify their science.

These current new laws are there solely to benefit the few that work in museums and do nothing to save our natural history treasures. if the scientists behind them really cared about saving the treasures and not just about cutting everyone esle out they would support the kinds of laws I list above.

If we taxed commercial collecting and sales, this could easily fund academic work similar to the way hunting licenses fund wild life management and parks. Could be win-win if certain academics get out of the way. There are some great examples of academics(mostly invertebrate scientists ) working with the public to further research. Look at UC and the Dry dredgers.

Is seems that many vertebrat academics would rather allow these treasures to disintegrate out in the field to be lost to science forever then share them with the rest of us.

Luckily enough, the Paleontological Society is apparently working to form a bridge between both the amateurs and professionals.

[CraigHyatt]

I heard a comedian (maybe Seinfeld) riff on the first guy who walked off with a gas station restroom key... and now all the keys come with a tire iron welded to a heavy chain. Somebody had to be "that guy" who ruined it for everybody.

Another example comes from my own experience working in hamburger joints as a teenager. My boss told me to go out to the parking lot very frequently to pick up every single scrap of paper. Why? Because if people see even one paper cup there, they think it's OK to toss their own trash out the window. If you aren't diligent and strict, it gets out of hand very quickly.

The point is that sometimes laws seem overly strict, pointless and petty, but the laws have to account for "that guy"... the one who would park a backhoe on the side of the interstate and begin excavating fossils to sell on e-bay.

To me, the fossil collecting laws in Texas seem pretty reasonable.