Independent Paleontologists in the 21st Century

Chris Cozart

Introduction

The purpose of this paper is to provide a context for discussion of issues and opportunities regarding the future of paleontology in the twenty-first century from a non-professional point of view. The issues facing non-professional paleontologists (also commonly referred to as amateur paleontologists) can be grouped into four categories: access to collecting localities, ownership of collected specimens, custody and curatorship of collections, and access to and the advancement of knowledge. After a discussion of each of these areas of issue, the paper will present some opportunities and approaches for addressing these issues as we move into the next century.

Issue One: Access To Localities

Access to collecting localities has generally become more difficult over the past twenty years. In the case of private land, factors influencing access have included pressures from governmental regulation, liability, and increased numbers of people seeking access to private land for recreational purposes.

Governmental regulation of private activity has had both direct and indirect effects on landowners' willingness to grant access to their property to fossil collectors. Safety regulations have had a direct impact by placing landowners at risk for violations of regulations occurring on their property whether regardless the actual violator is in their employ or engaged in a commercial activity. Given a choice between extra training and monitoring expense or risking a shut down, it is not surprising that many owners choose the simple solution of denying access.

Anti-pollution and wetlands regulations curtail access by limiting the life of localities. Pollution regulations either require restoration of mined areas or increase the cost of operations so much that commercial activity is uneconomic. Wetlands regulations generally prohibit development of land resources at all. Endangered species regulations also prohibit land uses that expose fossil bearing sediments. In some places landowners deny access to their property for fear that someone might find an endangered plant or animal that would limit their land use options or property values if reported.

Liability and the risk of suit are a major factor in many landowners decision to deny access to their property. Publicity over the ever-increasing awards and expanding interpretation of liability has convinced many landowners that the risks outweigh any altruistic reasons that there might be for granting access privileges.

A related factor is the sheer volume of people seeking access. The increased wealth of the people and the increased proportion of the public who find outdoor activities desirable have dramatically increased the number of people seeking access to private land for recreational purposes of all types. Many landowners have found it necessary to deny access in self-defense.

Pressure for recreational and commercial use of public lands has also greatly increased. At the same time special interest groups seeking to protect or preserve natural areas have sought legislation and regulatory change to limit use of public lands for commercial or recreational purposes. Governmental agencies have generally responded to these factors by increasing regulation and penalties for violations. Access to potential collecting localities is impacted by prohibition of activities, such as quarrying, that would expose fossil-bearing sediments, loss of right of way, and road closures. Some private organizations and wealthy individuals have also sought to reduce public access to public land by buying up strategic land parcels and closing traditional rights of way.

Lastly, pressures have been brought to bear on public agencies because of concerns over the use and ownership of specimens collected on public lands. Rights to specimen and their use are the second set of issues facing independent paleontologist.

Issue Two: Rights To Specimens

Concern over the rights to specimens comes from two sources. Some professional paleontologists are concerned over the potential loss of scientifically significant specimens due to commercial exploitation or to the ignorance of hobby collectors. These scientists have lobbied governmental agencies to implement regulations to limit access to localities and explicitly limit the collection of specimens to selected professional paleontologists.

These professional paleontologists have received support from special interest groups who object to the principal of private individual taking ownership (expropriating) of public goods (fossil specimens). The special interest groups take the position that fossils occurring on public lands belong to society as a whole and that it is immoral to allow private citizens to benefit at the expense of their fellow citizens by allowing them to take ownership of materials collected on public land. An extension of this position is that society as a whole has rights to naturally occurring resources that supersede private property interests. In this view, the landowner has done nothing to create fossil resources that may occur on their property, so has no claim on them. On the contrary, the landowner's role is stewardship of the public good. Depending on the position taken, collecting by non-professional paleontologists would be prohibited on either public or private land. Unfortunately, many specimens occur on lands subject to weathering and erosion (e.g., much of the western United States) and if left uncollected will deteriorate into obscurity, which benefits no one.

Issue Three: Curatorship Of Collections

One of the key contributions to science that the independent paleontologist makes to science is the long-term systematic collection of specific localities or formations. These long term collections yield more information regarding the variety of taxa and relative frequency of species in a community than is possible in the short term study that the professional paleontologist is usually able to perform. Having sometimes spent a lifetime building such a collection, the independent is naturally concerned that the integrity of the collection be maintained.

Unfortunately, many scientific institutions, whether museums or universities, no longer have the space or funding to accept or curate these collections. In fact, many repositories have shut down, or no longer maintain good standards of collection maintenance. Every serious non-professional is aware of instances of lost materials, removal of specimens from collection catalogs, and general deterioration of collection materials entrusted to institutions.

This situation leaves the independent professional with a dilemma: how to identify suitable institutions for donation of specimens, and the receipt of assurances that the receiving institution will continue to operate as expected.

Issue Four: Access To And Advantage Of Knowledge

Access to paleontological knowledge is important to non-professionals for a variety of reasons. Locality information is important to identifying and finding new collecting sites and the building of collections. Systematic descriptions in professional journals, monographs, etc., make it possible to identify what is new. Paleoenvironmental and behavioral studies help us understand the significance of what we find.

Unfortunately, this information is getting more difficult to find. Because of the increasing scarcity of funds, many libraries have reduced the scope of, or eliminated their paleontological sections. Similarly, many institutions have cut back on their staffing. Loss of access to these expert resources greatly increases the difficulty of non-professionals' research and personal growth. Most paleontologists begin their interest with a fascination for fossils and field collecting. As their knowledge grows, interest shifts toward paleontologic study and developing a deeper understanding of the meaning of fossils.

The opportunity to interact face to face with professionals provides direction and an entry point to the resources of the professional community. Ideally, personal relationships lead to identification of new finds and opportunities for collaboration. One way to accomplish this is to advertise professional meetings and welcome the non-professional to such meetings. Another way is by offering the non-professional the opportunity to be junior author of a paper. This single opportunity has been the bridge into serious science for many.

Published materials, while of very high quality, are harder to find and are becoming increasingly expensive. Building a personal library, while necessitated by the loss of public library collections, is prohibitively expensive for many.

Lastly, the changing emphasis of the design of public exhibit space in museums has made it harder to learn from viewing the exhibits. Large quantities of specimens and copious signage provide excellent opportunities for learning and research. Sadly, museum exhibits have been moving in the opposite direction.

Summary

The issues discussed above raise several questions. Who should have access to collecting localities and under what circumstances? Who should own/maintain custody of specimens? What mechanism should there be for identifying/reporting scientifically significant finds? How can the future study of paleontology be supported?

The key to ensuring the future of paleontology and maintaining paleontological resources such as collections, libraries, publications, and professional opportunities is increasing public awareness and support. Only with cooperation of all segments of the paleontological community can the science of paleontology experience growth and remain viable into the next century.

Acknowledgements

The author wishes to thank Marv Houg and the members of MAPS for the opportunity to attend the Senckenberg conference and present this paper. I also wish to thank John Catalani for editorial assistance in the completion of this paper.

Independent Paleontologists Delegates

Mr. Chris Cozart--Topic Coordinator
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Wheaton, Illinois 60189-4844 USA
cdcozart@aol.com
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