from a class three human

[psparks@cerfnet.com]

I am a class three paleontologist as I have recently been 
classified.  But you have to put up with my input too.  I 
have been lurking for the most part and did not intend to 
voice my opinion for another month or so.  However in this 
discussion about us amateurs I finly have to make a comment 
or two.

first to counter all the terrible tales of idiots in 
paleotogical sites there are more than just a few examples 
that go the other way.  Sam, the fisrt seismosaurus, was 
found initially by a couple of just plain people (not even 
class three) who brought it to the attention of the right 
people and eventually to Gillette acounding to his book of 
the same title.

Jack Hoerner and friends first come across the baby 
maiasaurus from a ROCK SHOP AND FOSSIL SHOP. Egadds!

and so it goes on and on.

second we out number you guys (in real life if not on the 
net) by a long shot.  It would seem to me that honey would 
get a lot more cooperation than flames.  And of course we 
really want to cooperate and add to the data of the 
community.  I have s few times asked questions and even 
submitted a sample to the Smithssonian Institute and the 
responses I got were dumb, short in a first grade language 
approach, and a couple of times they were just plain wrong.  
I assume that most natural history museams are much more 
professional and in fact I know they arre.

thirdly, If anyone else is still reading, most fossils are 
comsumables at least until they are put in a proper 
condition.  Out here in the east,  fossils will last for a 
few days after a storm until they break up and are no longer 
of use to anyone.  If they are not collected (almost always 
by a class three or sometimes by a class four) tyhey don't 
exist anymore.

I am very anxious that our professional leaders in all their 
ivory tower enviornment don't throw out the baby with the 
bath water.  Let's be supportive friends.

paul w. sparks     psparks@cerfnet.com
"over the heather the wet wind blows
I've lice in my tunic and a cold in my nose"