[meteorite-list] It is a sad day.....

From: Meteorites USA <eric_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Mon, 08 Mar 2010 23:52:02 -0800
Message-ID: <4B95FE22.8020707_at_meteoritesusa.com>

Jason,

You can't group all meteorite hunters into one group. You alienate the
professional hunter who records the data like you do. I commend you on
your dry lake bed finds and the data you gathered! I wish all hunters
did that. I hunt with and know many that do. But to say what you said so
matter-of-factly is unfair to the rest of the hunting community that
does care about preserving meteorite/strewnfield data.

Your comment "appropriate scientific programs" ??? What, so only
scientists are worthy to preserve data? This again I believe is the
wrong philosophy and alienates the guys that actually get out there and
spend thousands of hours in the field and record the data that is so
very valuable to science.

"...This, in my mind, is what many people are doing today in the field
of meteorites. Yes, many meteorites are being recovered, but look around
you at the staggering scientific losses that are occurring
simultaneously..."

You're confusing NWA meteorites with USA meteorites. Big difference. ;)

All hunters I know and hunt with record ALL data from their finds and
report this data to the scientific community. Regretfully, there are
those that don't care about data, and they don't collect it, they are
just after the money. But you can't have a free society and expect
everyone to follow all the rules. There are going to be "bad apples"
that spoil the bunch. Don't fall into the trap of grouping everyone
together to make the decision process easier, that';s how we got in this
mess to begin with. Again you're grouping responsible hunters with
irresponsible ones and that's not fair or honest.

Meteorite information needs to be protected, but there has to be another
way that will allow both responsible meteorite hunters and scientists to
continue to work together to preserve the data and NOT exclude any one
group of people. It is after all taxpayer dollars that paid for that
federal land and EVERY citizen of the United States has every right to
hunt that land. They own it, the government only governs it, with our
permission, we dole out or relinquish that permission with lobbying and
voting our conscience and beliefs.

Regards,
Eric



On 3/8/2010 10:43 PM, Jason Utas wrote:
> You tell me what's better: the right for irresponsible hunters to lose
> information, or the protection of this irreplaceable scientific
> information.
Received on Tue 09 Mar 2010 02:52:02 AM PST