Re: Your not going to like this...

[Jeffrey Alan Bartlett <jabartle@unity.ncsu.edu>]

Ken's "science-friendly entrepreneur" is exactly the ticket, and already
corporeally represented by some private concerns [people and companies].
 Notable ones are those working closely with museums and interested in
collaboration, documentation, otherwise "doing it right".  These are
becoming publicly recognized and might even someday become subject to
some sort of academic endorsement [like toothpaste?].

and those who choose to strip-mine without regard have existed for some
while, as in the case of the subject of the news article:  been in
business since the 70's and tactics have not noticeably  changed.  But
like ivory poaching and the old days of trophy-hunting by academic
institutions,  recent years have favored more careful work and the
spread of education/awareness and thus fostered a better set of
conditions overall.  

The optimism is well-founded and spot on, and hopefully continues to
lead to promotion of better science.

Yours
Jeff.
_________________________________________________
Jeffrey Alan Bartlett
Graduate Student in Paleoecology
Assistant to the Director
Center for the Exploration of the Dinosaurian World
North Carolina State University | North Carolina State Museum of Natural 
Sciences

Box 8208, Department of Marine, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences
Raleigh, North Carolina 27695-8208
jabartle@unity.ncsu.edu
(919) 515-7917


Ken Kinman wrote:
> 
>      You're quite right.  I don't like it at all.  Let's hope this doesn't
> encourage a bunch of really sloppy greedy guys to lease land and strip-mine
> it for fossils.  They would probably go bankrupt anyway, and leave
> scientific devastation in the process.  Very bad idea from any angle.
>      If rich people want fossil vertebrate decor, they can just as easily
> afford fossil casts (which would also be easier to keep clean).  And if they
> want fossil invertebrate decor, there are plenty of things like polished
> ammonite tables--- the real thing, but at least common ammonite rocks are
> nearly as rare and scientifically valuable as vertebrate-bearing rock.
>      AN IDEA:  Maybe some science-friendly entrepreneur could produce
> lower-priced fossil replicas (fossil eggs, dinosaur furniture, or whatever).
>   Lower prices and easier to keep clean---they could dramatically slash the
> demand for real fossils and maybe even make a little money.  Or am I being
> overly optimistic?
>            -----  Ken Kinman
> ******************************************
> >From: "Paleotracks"
> >Subject: Your not going to like this...
> >Date: Tue, 8 Jan 2002 21:20:47 -0800
> >
> >Just ran across this extreme of "home decor"
> >
> >http://www.nationalpost.com/artslife/life/story.html?f=/stories/20020108/1065251.html
> 
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