[meteorite-list] My thoughts on the Arizona Fall

From: Michael Farmer <meteoriteguy_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Sun, 5 Jul 2009 19:30:35 -0700 (PDT)
Message-ID: <184434.76547.qm_at_web110603.mail.gq1.yahoo.com>

Greg, you seem to have a good heart, but you are coming off as very nasty.
Just go hunt, I learned on my own, most people learn by doing. My first real fall was Monahans, then months later Portales, I learned on the spot, alone, it was every man for himself.
We make a living at this, now you are selling meteorites and gloating and throwing sand in the eyes of the "big dealers" on prices. Do you think this will help your chances? Come on, I spent ~$50,000 a year on hunts, and let me tell you, I must recoup this in sales, or I will be living in a cardboard box. Your emails harping on overpriced dealers are not falling on deaf ears. Go ahead, do a hunt yourself, see what the costs are for stones found, and you would find that most in West lost money, even those who found stones!
Get over it, take a chance, do it. I am really not interested in training my competition, so I am not too keen to take people with me. This is not meant to be mean, but common sense.
Michael Farmer

--- On Sun, 7/5/09, Greg Catterton <star_wars_collector at yahoo.com> wrote:

> From: Greg Catterton <star_wars_collector at yahoo.com>
> Subject: Re: [meteorite-list] My thoughts on the Arizona Fall
> To: meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com
> Date: Sunday, July 5, 2009, 8:25 PM
>
> Im glad you seem to understand where I am coming from, this
> was not meant as an attack, just my frustration at not being
> able to join in on what I would consider a great learning
> experience.
> When I was told it was being kept secret, I felt pretty
> upset at the fact that it seemed to be that something of a
> high scholl clique only type thing.
> I am newer at this and want to take up as many things like
> this as I can to better learn and understand things and
> thought with the gorup out there currently, I could learn
> alot while contributing in a good manner.
>
> I have asked many hunters to tag along on trips, becouse I
> dont know how to do it and really want to learn. each time I
> have been told no.
>
> I want to learn how to do this right and if none of these
> guys are willing to help me out or anyone else who wants to
> learn how to do it right, why should I even stay in this
> hobby?
>
> Greg C.
>
>
>
>
> --- On Sun, 7/5/09, Jack Schrader <schraderj at rocketmail.com>
> wrote:
>
> > From: Jack Schrader <schraderj at rocketmail.com>
> > Subject: [meteorite-list] My thoughts on the Arizona
> Fall
> > To: meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com
> > Date: Sunday, July 5, 2009, 5:35 PM
> >
> > 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
> >
> >
> >
> > ? ? ?
> >
> > ______________________________________________
> > http://www.meteoritecentral.com
> > Meteorite-list mailing list
> > Meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com
> > http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list
> >
>
>
> ? ? ?
> ______________________________________________
> http://www.meteoritecentral.com
> Meteorite-list mailing list
> Meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com
> http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list
>
Received on Sun 05 Jul 2009 10:30:35 PM PDT