August 2, 2008
--- In LA-Rocks@yahoogroups.com, Frank Fitch
Aug 1, 2008
Hi all,
here is more information on HR 544, from Shirley Leeson AFMS president, on the future of amateur fossil collecting, please read
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All, please act on this immediately, and have your club members call their congressman.
The more calls and letters the better. Then pass it on to everyone rockhound on your email list.
Shirley Leeson
Shirley Leeson
----- Original Message -----
From: Dee Holland
To: The Martins
Sent: Wednesday, July 30, 2008 11:30 AM
Subject: Re: CFMS PLAC Paleontological Resources Preservation Act, HR554
John,
I have just talked to Congressman John Culbertson, R 7th District West Houston, TX. Administrative Assistant, Brittany Hooten.
She has asked everyone to call their Congressman asking them to vote no on H.R. 554. Letters and follow-ups will help as congress is adjourning for 5 weeks starting tomorrow, so we may have time.... WE NEED EVERY CLUB MEMBER TO HELP WITH THIS...
Give a short reason, such as:
A. The bill stops amateur rockhounds from collecting vertebrate fossils.
B. Many amateurs have found some of the most important discoveries going back to the 1800s, and turned them over to either museums or universities for study.
C. With this bill any rock that looks like it might be a fossil will get a rockhound thrown in jail, their equipment including their car confiscated and the burden of proof will be on the rockhound in court.
D.Those people in the BLM or Forestry will not be schooled in recognizing a fossil from a rock, but their judgement will be taken.
E. Remind your congressman that once a fossil is exposed to wind and rain it will disintegrate. Universities and Museums don't have the time, money or the staff to find these fossils before they are gone.
Shirley Leeson
----- Original Message -----
From: The Martins
To: Fred Ott
Sent: Wednesday, July 30, 2008 10:36 AM
Subject: CFMS PLAC Paleontological Resources Preservation Act, HR554
To all CFMS Clubs, Rockhounds and Fossil collectors:
Attached and below is an article about the up and coming Paleontological Resources Preservation Act, HR554. Also attached is the actual text of the bill that is currently before the US House of Representatives. When this legislation passes, and it will pass, it's only a matter of time, it will make vertebrate fossil collecting as extinct as the dinosaur fossils we are trying to find. We, the Rockhounds and amateur fossil collectors will loose when this legislation passes. What we have to do is to make sure the legislators know that this bill, as written, is bad and provisions for the amateur fossil collector's needs are preserved and protected just as much as the fossil remains we are collecting. The only way to do this is to be informed about the legislation and for each and every one of us to write to the committee members that are reviewing the bill to voice our ideas, concerns and opinions. Letting the law makers know that we are not criminals, as the bill will make us, and the need for sensible regulations that protect the fossils as well as the rockhound and amateur non-commercial vertebrate collectors, need to be addressed, identified, established and preserved.
Please read, be informed and take action. Take action as individuals or formulate a club response, but act soon or it may be to late to have any affect on the outcome of this legislation and we all will loose.
Again, Thank you for time and consideration of this important matter.
John Martin - CFMS PLAC South 2008
Palmdale Gem and Mineral Club
pgmc@antelecom.net <mailto:pgmc%40antelecom.net> www.palmdalegems.org
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WORDS OF CAUTION
By
John M. Wright, RPG
AFMS Conservation & Legislation Chairman
HR 554 Resurrected Again!
The Paleontological Resources Preservation Act, HR554, has once again this year been resurrected, reviewed, and approved by the Agriculture Committee. It is now currently under review by the House Judiciary Committee and expected to clear that committee by July 18, 2008. This bill is on a “fast track” for passage and will most likely be voted on by the House of Representatives shortly after their return from summer recess which means September or October unless there is some unforeseen delay. I fully expect it to be quickly passed by voice vote, or quietly tacked onto some other major piece of legislation. It appears that a compromise has also been reached for Senate approval. While you may not agree with my assessment of this bill, it is important that we let all our members know that it is back on the table so to speak and hopefully they will take appropriate action
I want to emphatically remind you again, this is a dangerous piece of legislation that is going to hurt a lot of innocent people. The bill is so vague and open to interpretation that you can be arrested, have your vehicle impounded, and be tried for driving on a federal highway with a small rock wedged in the tread of your tires. As I said before, there is no requirement for the arresting officer to be knowledgeable regarding fossils or rocks, the burden of proof is your problem. I wonder what happened to innocent until proven guilty. Does the gravel in your driveway contain fossils? Your neighbor can turn you in for a nice reward. Secret “Area 51” type sites for paleontologist; sounds ridiculous, but unfortunately this bill authorizes it.
Who is going to benefit from this bill? A few inconsiderate paranoid college professors and museum curators that seriously lack the competence to compete in a free market society. Actually, this group is really all about money in the form of job security, grants, books, articles, TV specials, and speaking fees. The fact that more than 90% of the major fossil discoveries are made by amateurs causes symptoms suffered by these “professionals” very similar to a severe case of hemorrhoids.
“We the people” according to the Constitution own the federal lands and support them with our tax dollars, so why should a small special interest group be given exclusive rights to our lands? The justification used by paleontologist is to preserve rare fossils for future generations, but aren’t these the same scholars that warn us that the catastrophic circumstances that led to the demise of the dinosaurs and many other species in the past is going to happen again. They say “it’s not a matter of if, but when,” so according to their own philosophy the prospects for any future generations are not very good.
They say that rockhounds (informed amateurs in their vernacular) destroy sites and remove critical evidence needed by the scientific community.
Well, I recently spent several weeks reviewing paleontological articles and publications plus numerous other well known scientific publications covering a span of about 50 years and while I’m sure there must be many references to cleaning up excavation sites, I did not find any. However, I easily found “hundreds” of articles and references about leaving a site “as good as or better than found” in the American Federation of Mineralogical Societies’ monthly Newsletters, the seven area Federations of Mineralogical Societies’ monthly newsletters, and the numerous local Gem & Mineral Societies’ monthly bulletins. It sure seems to me like rockhounds (whoops – informed amateurs) are a little more concerned about conservation and protecting the environment than the scientific community.
Once the scholars and curators acquire "our" fossils from "our" lands, they will be tucked away in storage areas at universities supported by "our" tax dollars, to be studied by students who we as parents "pay"
tuitions for, and taught by professors whose salaries are paid by "our"
dollars and tuition fees. The museums built with "our" tax dollars and "our" donations will have experts whose salaries are paid by "our" taxes and donations prepare the fossils "owned by us" for display so "we the public" can see them for a "fee." Talk about a stacked deck!
A lot of politicians have benefited by riding on the environmental bandwagon, but with the price of gasoline skyrocketing, travel, food, utilities, building materials, and almost everything else going up astronomically, being "Green" is becoming more of a political liability than an asset. Someday, they may even come to the realization that people who spend their lives studying petrified bones and dinosaur poop don’t add a lot to the economy.
Another important product of this legislation will be to further enhance the black-market trade. It’s already a lucrative business and this bill will just increase the price of American fossils overseas. With people, merchandise, and tons of narcotics being smuggled freely across our porous borders, moving fossils out of the country shouldn’t pose much of a problem.
It is ironic, but we spend billions of dollars helping other nations gain independence, become democracies, and their people enjoy the benefits of freedom. Unfortunately, the same politicians that appropriate our tax dollars for this noble purpose turn right around and help implement policies to accommodate special interest groups that place far more restrictions on our freedoms here at home.
Time is short to stop or change HR 554. About the only alternative we have left at this stage is to call our representatives and tell them how we feel about this bill. I know that many of you are leery when it comes to talking directly with dignitaries and that it may be difficult for you to contact your Representatives or Senators to talk with them in person. Most of the members of congress maintain offices in their districts and the staff members working for them at these offices are local people. If you call and talk with a member their staff, you will normally find them to be very friendly, courteous and easy to talk with because they want your vote and support. Most importantly, they pass information received from constituents on to their boss. If they get several calls, a red flag, so to speak, goes up indicating areas of importance. Often this is a better way to get the attention of your Representative as he or she wants and needs every vote to stay in office. Constituents usually are more influential than anyone else when dealing with legislators.
I might add a note of interest at this point: our club sends a courtesy copy of our monthly bulletin (which includes my AFMS & SFMS articles) to both our U.S. Senators and our Representative. We have been told that it is well received and appreciated by them.
I am also including a list of the Agriculture Committee members provided by Carolyn Weinberger, Editor of the AFMS Newsletter. It would really help if you called or faxed them, particularly if you live in their congressional district.
Agriculture Committee Members:
Collin C. Peterson, MN, Chairman
Tim Holden, PA, Vice Chairman
Mike McIntyre, NC
Bob Etheridge, NC
Leonard L. Boswell, IA
Joe Baca, CA
Dennis A. Cardoza, CA
David Scott, GA
Jim Marshall, GA
Stephanie Herseth Sandlin , SD
Henry Cuellar, TX
Jim Costa, CA
John T. Salazar, CO
Brad Ellsworth, IN
Nancy E. Boyda, KS
Zachary T. Space, OH
Timothy J. Walz, MN
Kirsten E. Gillibrand, NY
Steve Kagen, WI
Earl Pomeroy, ND
Lincoln Davis, TN
John Barrow, GA
Nick Lampson, TX
Joe Donnelly, IN
Tim Mahoney, FL
Republican Minority
Bob Goodlatte, VA, Ranking Minority Member
Terry Everett, AL
Frank D. Lucas, OK
Jerry Moran, KS
Robin Hayes, NC
Timothy V. Johnson, IL
Sam Graves, MO
Mike Rogers, AL
Steve King, IA
Marilyn N. Musgrave, CO
Randy Neugebauer, TX
Charles W. Boustany, Jr., LA
John R. 'Randy' Kuhl, NY
Virginia Foxx, NC
K. Michael Conaway, TX
Jeff Fortenberry, NE
Jean Schmidt, OH
Adrian Smith, NE
Tim Walberg, MI
Robert E. Latta, OH
