[meteorite-list] Responsibility Over Ratings

From: Meteorites USA <eric_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Thu, 24 Jun 2010 14:15:00 -0700
Message-ID: <4C23CAD4.5020507_at_meteoritesusa.com>

Hi Geoff, Steve, Adam, List,

Behind the scenes people have been talking... It's now becoming more and
more public that there is an issue with with regard to recovering
meteorites on federal land. It's important to realize that there is no
law right now that prevents the recovery of meteorites on federal land,
only a misinterpretation of a current Act posted on a BLM website. I
think it would be a great travesty if there were such a restrictive law
put in place.

Such legislation would stifle and slow the advancement of knowledge and
meteorite science to a crawl.

Geoff's idea for a PR campaign is a great idea and I think it should be
done in an organized and all inclusive way within the community. Geoff
(I believe) knows of, and I've spoken with Steve on this as well and
he's given his input as well which is greatly appreciated.

I've been working with meteorite hunters and collectors in the meteorite
world on creating an association that will promote responsible and
ethical meteorite hunting practices, and to establish an organization
which promotes meteorite hunting and collecting within the private
sector at an educational and scientific level. I've proposed this
organization idea privately to many people within this community for
over a year now and this is my first public announcement on the
Met-List. There is much interest and support from this community and
from prominent hunters and collectors for such an organization as
evidenced by the many many emails, and popularity of the post on my site
about this organization which has received thousands of reads and lots
of comments.

I've also spoken with numerous board members of the IMCA requesting a
cooperative team effort in conjunction with our organization regarding
this very matter. I am confident the IMCA and the organization we are
founding can work together in this role. I'm offering my help and that
of our organization to build a cooperative team to preserve our rights
to hunt and recover meteorites as private sector hunters, collectors,
researchers and scientists.

This organization is called the Meteorite Hunting Association
http://www.meteoritesusa.com/meteorite-articles/meteorite-hunting-association/

I'm all for cooperation and working together towards a common goal.
Let's do it! Together as a community. The more people who are involved
the better the chance of doing something good for this community, and
the world at large. Meteorites can unlock some of the biggest mysteries
in the history of humanity, meteorites are truly windows into the
knowledge of the universe.

Regards,
Eric Wichman
Meteorites USA



On 6/24/2010 1:05 PM, Notkin wrote:
> Adam Hupe wrote:
>
>> I do not like the idea of some self-appointed spokesperson
>> representing my favorite pursuit in the media but will have to live
>> with it.
>
>
> Dear Adam:
>
> I'm not sure if you're referring to me or not, but it sounds like it.
> I have been working in entertainment since I was fifteen. I enjoy
> making educational television and intend to continue to do so. I am
> not the "self-appointed spokesperson" of anything and do not pretend
> to be, or want to be. I like to do my own thing and I try to show
> meteorites and the meteorite world in a good light, as best I can.
>
>
>> Yes, money is a part of the game but if we put too much emphasis on
>> it, our hobby will surely be in jeopardy. Two states have already
>> proclaimed their land off limits with two more in hot pursuit. I was
>> going to hunt meteorites this July in Washington State but won't
>> bother since state State and Federal Land are now off-limits, same
>> for Oregon. California and Arizona are next, probably shut down
>> within the next 12 months. Arizona has already specified that
>> meteorites cannot be removed from state parks. It will not be long
>> before the Federal lands are included.
>
> Agreed. I'd also like to point out that the apparent Oregon ban on
> meteorite hunting on BLM lands was posted on their website before our
> BLM-related shows aired, so these decisions have nothing to do with
> "Meteorite Men." I think it's more likely that somebody noticed the
> unending stream of meteorites offered for sale on ebay that originated
> on BLM land, and decided to take action. All the meteorites we
> collected from Federal land in Gold Basin were given, on permanent
> loan, to the Monnig Collection, by courtesy of the Park Service, and
> that was clearly documented on the show. None of the stone fragments
> we collected on BLM land in Nevada have been offered for sale ? rather
> they have been given as gifts and donations to deserving people. In
> other words "Meteorite Men" has respected existing laws and encouraged
> others to do the same. I view this as setting a positive example and
> demonstrating that meteorite hunters can be responsible.
>
> It's my understanding that removing minerals, fossils, etc. from most
> state parks has always been against the law. Please correct me if I am
> wrong in that, as I know you have a lot of experience with land
> regulations.
>
> As a worldly person, I'm sure you are well aware that ten years ago,
> or so, a group of elitist paleontologists managed to force through a
> ban on the collecting of invertebrate fossils on Federal land, with
> severe penalties levied on those who broke the law. Similar things
> have been tried a number of times with invertebrate fossils. AAPS --
> the excellent paleo group -- has so far lobbied successfully to
> prevent this absurd law from being passed. Perhaps a similar PR effort
> on behalf of meteorite collecting would be a good challenge for the
> IMCA. I have long felt it was just a matter of time until meteorite
> hunting was banned on Federal land so, sadly, these recent political
> movements are of no surprise to me.
>
>
>> I think it is our responsibility to be careful and thoughtful about
>> what is being stated to the media, especially since they get it wrong
>> half the time and are quicker to jump on bad news. I am not trying
>> to be negative, only trying to preserve an interesting and fun
>> avocation.
>
> And I agree with you 100% on this too. We should all try to be
> thoughtful, accurate and respectful when speaking in public. Bob Haag
> is a fine example of how to interact well with the media, and he has
> certainly inspired me. Anyone who has been interviewed about
> meteorites -- and that includes many of you on the List -- is familiar
> with how frequently journalists misquote, or take things out of
> context. So, again, we try to be accurate and do the best we can.
>
> Thank you for your comments on this issue.
>
>
> Respectfully,
>
> Geoff N.
>
> www.aerolite.org
> www.meteoritemen.com
>
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Received on Thu 24 Jun 2010 05:15:00 PM PDT