Re: Fossil Preservation Act posting

[GROSS CORY WALTER <GROS4891@ADC.MtRoyal.AB.CA>]

On Sat, 17 Feb 1996, muriel29@wavenet.com (MC2) wrote,
>        
>        On the face of it, it appears reasonable; doesn't Canada have
>something similar, that mandates national/scientific interests when 
>it comes to fossil preservation?
>      

    G'day,
    
        Being from Canada, I thought I could shed a bit of light on 
this.

        I'm not sure about all of Canada, but in Alberta, ALL fossils 
collected belong to the government or Crown or whatever. Individual 
collectors are only the stewards of the finds, and these finds can be 
repossessed by the government whenever they feel like it. So if I 
take a bone to the Tyrrell for identification, for example, and they 
ask to keep it, then I can't refuse and I have to give it to them(as 
my understanding goes). Commercial collecting/sale of fossils in/from 
Alberta is forbidden unless you fill out a whole mess o' forms(again 
AMUG). Taking fossils out of the province is also banned. And 
incientally, it is the duty of the collector to gather as much 
scientifically useful data about the find as possible.

        Oh, just about forgot the most important thing...SURFACE 
COLLECTING ONLY, NO QUARRYING!! If the bone police catch you out in 
the field with a spade, then you're screwed.

        IMHO, this is a very good system. It (theoretically...I have 
heard some Dinosaur Prov. Park horror stories) stops people from 
screwing up important finds, leaving them to the professionals. It's 
forced responsibility, but responsibility none the less. 

Later,
Cory Gross
Alberta Palaeontological Society
MRC Earth Sciences Society  
gros4891@adc.mtroyal.ab.ca