[meteorite-list] Treasure Hunter Code of Ethics

From: Galactic Stone & Ironworks <meteoritemike_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Tue, 23 Mar 2010 16:01:12 -0400
Message-ID: <e51421551003231301p6f9f5e66x3c5d080c4a8461d4_at_mail.gmail.com>

Hi Greg and List,

I'm not blaming Meteorite Men for anything. It was going to happen
sooner or later - it's the nature of any endeavour that involves
profit potential. In the grand scheme of collectibles, meteorites are
an anomaly - it is a market that is self regulated, with no governing
body, and has flown under the radar for decades. Now, meteorites are
a dollar-sign shaped blip on the radar screen of government
bureaucrats, scam artists, and regular honest people hoping they have
won the cosmic lottery. The attention this is bringing has a good
side and a bad side. The good side is increased awareness of
meteorites, which will result in more finds and add to the body of
science. The down side is that meteorites can be seen as currency by
some people who have no regard for how special meteorites are or the
ethics involved in this field.

Meteorite Men just happened to be one vehicle which helped bring
meteorites into the periphery of the mainstream. The legal battle
over the Lorton fall is another factor. The bohemian clusterfrick of
hunters that descended on West Texas was another factor. Geoff and
Steve can't be blamed, but we also cannot deny that the show played a
role. It's just the way it is.

As for Antiques Roadshow, it's a different story. People find stuff
in their attic or at a flea market. They don't fly half way around
the country or the planet to spend weeks tromping around a desert or a
dry lake bed. Plus, as interesting as the human stories are behind
some of the antique finds, there are equally compelling stories around
meteorites and these meteorites have a science lesson to teach as
well. For Antiques Roadshow, there is little else beyond the money
and the provenance of the items to focus on. For a show about
meteorites, there is plenty to focus on in addition to the money.

I will still continue to enjoy watching the show and will recommend it
to friends and non-meteorite people. But I will also continue to
cringe every time that dollar value pops up on the screen.

Best regards and happy huntings,

MikeG


On 3/23/10, Greg Stanley <stanleygregr at hotmail.com> wrote:
>
> Mike:
>
> If people do not see dollar signs, than they simply will not watch it. Look
> at "Antiques Roadshow," do you think it would be popular with the values of
> the items never revealed? No way. I think "Meteorite Men" is great; I just
> love it when people I've know for years come to me and tell me about the
> show... and after a while I'm showing off some of my specimens to them. As
> to the scammers, they will always be there and that is why meteorite
> enthusiasts (like us on this list) need to educate the public as best we
> can. We surely had scammers before now. As to the ethics of hunting... I'm
> surprised it has to be brought up and unfortunate too; I've collected
> fossils and minerals since the '70s and now meteorites since well... 1997
> was actually the first time I looked form meteorites, and found my first in
> 2006. So the standard "treat everyone with respect, and leave all property
> as you found it" still applies. I understand with more hunters they may be
> more abuse - well they need to reported in my opinion. The integraty of the
> hobby needs to be maintained. I can't believe blaiming "Meteorite Men" is
> the right thing to do however.
>
> Greg S.
>
> ----------------------------------------
>> Date: Tue, 23 Mar 2010 15:14:24 -0400
>> From: meteoritemike at gmail.com
>> To: raremeteorites at yahoo.com
>> CC: meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com
>> Subject: Re: [meteorite-list] Treasure Hunter Code of Ethics
>>
>> Hi Adam and List,
>>
>> Well said, and I couldn't agree more.
>>
>> When I first saw Meteorite Men, I had very mixed feelings. I knew
>> this exposure would bring in a ton of new collectors, a ton of new
>> hunters, a few new dealers, and a ton of regular folk who think
>> grandpa's rock is a meteorite. All of that fresh blood would be good
>> for the hobby as a whole. I was thrilled with this aspect of the
>> show.
>>
>> When I discovered that dollar values was going to play a prominent
>> role in the show, I cringed. I cried. I ranted. I went outside, lit
>> a cigar and paced around. (you get the idea). Because I knew all of
>> those dollar signs (and Sonny's Ka-Jillion Dollar Rock) was going to
>> bring out the greed elements surrounding any valuable or rare
>> collectible (commodity) - the government is going to want it's palm
>> stroked, land owners were going to see dollar signs, and scammers
>> would crawl out of the woodworks. Any time there is a buck to be
>> made, it brings out the best and worst in people (and institutions) -
>> and now the genie is out of the bottle and the mainstream public knows
>> that gold falls from the sky in the form of meteorites. And the
>> government bureaucrats want to get involved now and make themselves
>> feel important. God help us all. LOL
>>
>> In all seriousness though, the Treasure Hunter COE is a good thing and
>> everyone should familiarize themselves with it. And above all -
>> RESPECT NATURE. When you are out hunting or hiking, please LEAVE NO
>> TRACE. No trash, no cigarette butts, no waste, no holes, and no
>> disrespect. Treat the great outdoors like your grandmother's living
>> room - be respectful.
>>
>> Best regards and happy huntings,
>>
>> MikeG
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> On 3/23/10, Adam Hupe wrote:
>>> Dear List Members,
>>>
>>> One of the reasons Meteor Crater was closed to hunting was due to a few
>>> meteorite hunters disrespecting land owners wishes. Holes and excavations
>>> were left behind without being back-filled and I read that a steer was
>>> injured. The BAR T ranch complained that cattle gates were being left
>>> open
>>> and trash left behind. ...and you wonder why it is now off limits.
>>>
>>> If meteorite hunting is going to be portrayed as a form of treasure
>>> hunting
>>> on TV, then maybe the treasure hunter's Code of Ethics should be brought
>>> up.
>>> It may help to preserve a portion of this hobby which is in grave danger
>>> right now. A disturbing recent development is that two states felt the
>>> need
>>> to protect federal lands from meteorite hunting even though none have
>>> been
>>> found on federal land in these two states as far as I can tell. What
>>> prompted this? You publicly treat meteorites like treasure and so will
>>> state
>>> and federal governments. You attach mega dollar price tags and you
>>> sometimes garner the wrong attention.
>>>
>>> Everything you say or do has a backlash that needs to be considered. What
>>> is
>>> good for TV ratings may not be good for the hobby.
>>>
>>> Treasure Hunters have been around for a long time and learned their
>>> lessons
>>> the hard way. Perhaps, we could learn something from them.
>>>
>>> Here is a link to a good interpretation of the Treasure Hunters Code of
>>> Ethics:
>>>
>>> http://www.threeforkstreasurehunters.org/ethicscode.html
>>>
>>>
>>> Best Regards,
>>>
>>> Adam
>>> ______________________________________________
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>>>
>>
>>
>> --
>> ------------------------------------------------------------
>> Mike Gilmer - Galactic Stone & Ironworks Meteorites
>> http://www.galactic-stone.com
>> http://www.facebook.com/galacticstone
>> ------------------------------------------------------------
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-- 
------------------------------------------------------------
Mike Gilmer - Galactic Stone & Ironworks Meteorites
http://www.galactic-stone.com
http://www.facebook.com/galacticstone
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Received on Tue 23 Mar 2010 04:01:12 PM PDT