[meteorite-list] My thoughts on the Arizona Fall

From: Jack Schrader <schraderj_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Sun, 5 Jul 2009 14:35:04 -0700 (PDT)
Message-ID: <669752.17939.qm_at_web111015.mail.gq1.yahoo.com>

Dear list members.

I have today received an email from a person.? He sent the message to the list and not to me personally so you already know who this person is.? If he had sent the message to me personally, I would have treated it with complete confidentiality.? I feel that it is important to share the information I shared with him with the members of this list.? Most of the people on this list have been involved with the science of meteorites for many years and have already gained the knowledge and wisdom that can only come from years of experience. This list has been very fortunate to have been joined by people who are new to the science and to the wonderful hobby of collecting meteorites.? His email was not sent to be malicious but was sent out of frustration and out of his enthusiastic desire to be able to look for a new meteorite and to actually find one for himself..? These people who hold this intense enthusiasm are the people we need in this science, this
 hobby. This is the dream we all hold dear, to venture out, find and be the first one to touch a stone that acually fell to earth from space.? I have copied the information I sent to him below.? I hope others who are experiencing similar feelings of frustration at the present time will benefit from this as well.


Hello.? This fall is a very rare, a very important and historic fall for this state and for the University of Arizona in particular as the site is very literally in their own back yard.? It is vitally important that the area be protected for only as long as it takes to properly record and document the fall.? I have seen what happens to an area when?the location?is announced publicly too early.? The area is almost immediately deluged and over run with not only the true professional meteorite hunters who are actually trying to do something good and recover the stones properly with GPS coordinates and photographic evidence of the stones in situ but with every treasure seeker and rock hunter and curiosity seeker who could care less about the science but more about simply having something cool to show off to their friends.? This is okay too and there is absolutely nothing wrong with this but right now is not the time for this.? This area is presently
 pristine and kin to a very delicate archaeological site.? The archaeologists need to do the proper work in the area before the "pot
hunters" find it and destroy any information that could otherwise be learned from the site.? My intention is certainly not simply just for the money or the stones that can be recovered.? When you really give this some thought, you will realize that I did not have to tell a single soul about this.? I discovered this remote area entirely on my own using the knowledge that I have gained over many years of hunting meteorites. I could have very easily kept this site to myself and hunted it for months and months.? But the path I chose was simply to do the right thing.? I made a proper announcement and I have begun preparations for conducting a proper search and recording of the fall site.? Please do not worry.? You will get your opportunity to hunt the area.? There will be stones in this area to be recovered for years to come and you will find yours.? And they will be free, you will not have to buy anything.? The area as any area where meteorite have
 fallen either in recent or in ancient times is impossible to
hunt out completely.? I am just simply asking for a little time that it takes to be able to properly record this fall site so the information may be available to the University of Arizona and to any other institutions and meteoriticists in the world who may have an interest in the work that we will be doing.? It is too important to risk destroying the information at this point not only for the science that can be gained from the area but for the generations to come who may have an interest in learning more about the dynamics of meteors and the variety of strewn field types that they create.? I do appreciate your understanding.? My very best wishes, Dr. Jack Schrader



      
Received on Sun 05 Jul 2009 05:35:04 PM PDT