Your help needed to protect fossils

[TJVlamis@aol.com]

I'm pleased to post the e-mail recently sent out by SVP President Richard 
Stucky. Vertebrate fossils on federal lands are being destroyed by illegal 
collecting . The Department of the Interior report, Fossils on Federal and 
Indian Lands reported that a study by the National Park Service documented 721 
incidents of illegal collecting from 1995 - 1998 and that a survey of Oglala 
National Grassland found that almost 1/3 of the paleo sites had been damaged by 
illegal collecting or vandalism. I lost the links in Dr. Stucky's e-mail when I 
pasted them in here, but they are available at teh SVP website 
http://www.vertpaleo.org

I know that many of you are amateur paleontologists like myself. Let me be 
clear about a couple things that may be of concern to you: Neither H.R. 2974 
nor S. 2727 will deter amateurs from any collecting they can legally do today 
and will not affect private lands. If you have any doubts please read the bills 
and compare them with existing laws and regulations. They can be reached by 
seraching by bill number at http://thomas.loc.gov or you can download them from 
the links provided at the above-referenced SVP website

Please send your faxes ASAP. 

Ted J. Vlamis
President, Save America's Fossils for Everyone

Dear Fellow SVP Member: 

Your help is urgently needed to protect vertebrate fossils on federal lands. We 
ask that you contact your members of Congress immediately in support of House 
Bill 2974 and Senate Bill 2727. THIS IS URGENT!

For more than a decade the majority of SVP members have supported efforts to 
have federal legislation that protects vertebrate fossils on public lands in 
the United States. We have made significant progress this year through the work 
of the Government Liaison Committee of SVP and SAFE.

The U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate are both considering 
similar bills, the Paleontological Resources Preservation Act. 

The House version, HR 2974, was introduced by Rep. James McGovern of 
Massachusetts; the Senate version, S 2727, was introduced by Sen. Daniel Akaka 
of Hawaii.

Both bills are currently in committee. While they are slightly different, both 
provide for significant protection of vertebrate fossils. (Read the text of HR 
2974. Read the text of S 2727.)

Hearings have been held by the Senate. This is an important time to let your 
congressional representatives know of your support. 

Amateur and professional paleontologists have witnessed the theft and vandalism 
of significant fossil sites and have expressed strong concern for the loss of 
important specimens from our research and educational collections. 

This legislation strengthens the protection of vertebrate fossils through 
stronger penalties, and provides for clear guidelines to land managers. The 
legislation does not impact any legitimate commercial paleontology nor does it 
change any current regulations for amateur paleontologists who pursue their 
interests on public lands.

Your immediate action is needed to help get this legislation passed. Fax your 
letters of support to your representatives and senators. Time is critical since 
any legislation not passed and signed into law is dead at the end of this 
session of Congress. 

With fall elections looming little time is left. We have attached sample 
letters that you can use as a model, but feel free to use your own words to 
support the legislation. Encourage amateur paleontologists, educators and 
friends to support this legislation as well. The more letters that sent in 
support, the more likely that the legislation will pass.

There is a growing campaign of opposition to this legislation. Those people who 
are opposed have already begun an extensive letter writing campaign based on 
misinformation about these bills. 

Without your fax letter, the only voice heard on Capital Hill will be that of 
those who are misrepresenting the facts about this legislation. I urge you to 
read the text of the legislation for yourselves. You may also find additional 
information and the text of my testimony before the Senate Energy Committee.

FAX YOUR LETTERS TO YOUR REPRESENTATIVES URGING THEIR SUPPORT OF H.R. 2974 AND 
TO YOUR SENATORS URGING THEIR SUPPORT OF S. 2727 as soon as possible.


PLEASE FAX A COPY OF YOUR HOUSE LETTERS TO THE HONORABLE JAMES HANSEN, CHAIR OF 
THE RESOURCES COMMITTEE AT 202-225-5929, AND A COPY OF YOUR SENATE LETTERS TO 
THE HONORABLE JEFF BINGAMAN, CHAIRMAN OF THE ENERGY AND NATURAL RESOURCES 
COMMITTEE AT 202-224-6163. 

We would also appreciate copies be sent to the SVP office at 847-480-9282. 

Model letters you can use are included below and are located on the SVP Web 
site at www.vertpaleo.org/fossilleg.htm. Feel free to use them, or a letter 
written in your own words will have more impact. Contact information is also 
provided below.

To aid you in contacting your representatives and senators quickly to voice 
your support of the Paleontological Resources Preservation bills (HR 2974 and S 
2727), we are providing this link that will help you locate their fax numbers 
and mailing addresses quickly:

Go to: 
http://capwiz.com/c-span/dbq/officials/directory/directory.dbq?command=congdir 
to find all their contact information, including fax numbers.

A copy of the SVP President Richard Stucky's message, a transcript of his 
testimony before a U.S. Senate committee, and model letters can be found on the 
SVP Web site at www.vertpaleo.org/fossilleg.htm. 


Thanks for your support! This is a great opportunity for us to ensure that 
significant specimens are protected for all future generations.

Richard Stucky 
President, Society of Vertebrate Paleontology 

Model Letters: 

House Letter: 

The Honorable ___________ 
__________ House Office Building 
Washington, DC 20515 

Dear Representative _____: 

I am writing to urge you to support and co-sponsor H.R. 2974, the 
Paleontological Resources Preservation Act. 

H.R. 2974 will codify the existing practice of requiring that vertebrate 
fossils and other rare and scientifically significant fossils be collected only 
by qualified researchers, whether they be professional or amateur, who obtain a 
permit and agree to deposit the fossils in public institutions to ensure their 
future availability to researchers and the public. It incorporates the 
recommendations contained in a report to Congress issued by the Secretary of 
the Interior after receiving input from federal land management agencies, the 
Smithsonian Institution, the United States Geological Survey, the 
paleontological community, and the general public, and it is consistent with 
vast majority opinions of the general public.

This report, Fossils on Federal & Indian Lands, found that most vertebrate 
fossils are rare, some invertebrate and plant fossils are rare, penalties for 
fossil theft should be strengthened, effective stewardship' requires accurate 
information, federal fossil collections should be preserved and available for 
research and public education, and federal fossil management should emphasize 
opportunities for public involvement. It also found a very serious problem with 
illegal collecting and the theft of fossils from public lands.

H.R. 2974 places a premium on deriving the maximum educational benefit of 
public domain fossils for all of the people of the United States and sees that 
agencies will continue to increase public awareness about the significance of 
paleontological resources. It puts no new restrictions on amateur fossil 
collecting and will aid the amateur community by clarifying amateur collectors' 
rights and responsibilities. It also does not apply to any private or state 
lands, and thus will have no impact on legal commercial entities. In short, 
anything an amateur or commercial collector can legally do today will still be 
permitted after the passage of H.R. 2974. What H.R. 2974 will do is to codify 
and clarify existing practice, and establish strong penalties to stop the 
plundering of this invaluable resource. 

(Please insert a paragraph about you, your institution, etc. Some of the kinds 
of things you might elaborate on include education and outreach programs, the 
importance of specimens from public lands to your collections, etc.)

Thank you for taking the time to consider this important matter. I hope you 
will sign on to this bill by calling Chris Philbin in Rep.   McGovern's office 
at 225-6101.

Sincerely, 




cc: The Honorable James Hansen 
Senate Letter: 

The Honorable ___________ 
__________ Senate Office Building 
Washington, DC 20510 

Dear Senator _____: 

I am writing to urge you to support and co-sponsor S. 2727, the Paleontological 
Resources Preservation Act. 

S. 2727 will codify the existing practice of requiring that vertebrate fossils 
and other rare and scientifically significant fossils be collected only by 
qualified researchers, whether they be professional or amateur, who obtain a 
permit and agree to deposit the fossils in public institutions to ensure their 
future availability to researchers and the public. It incorporates the 
recommendations contained in a report to Congress issued by the Secretary of 
the Interior after receiving input from federal land management agencies, the 
Smithsonian Institution, the United States Geological Survey, the 
paleontological community, and the general public, and it is consistent with 
vast majority opinions of the general public.

This report, Fossils on Federal & Indian Lands, found that most vertebrate 
fossils are rare, some invertebrate and plant fossils are rare, penalties for 
fossil theft should be strengthened, effective stewardship' requires accurate 
information, federal fossil collections should be preserved and available for 
research and public education, and federal fossil management should emphasize 
opportunities for public involvement. It also found a very serious problem with 
illegal collecting and the theft of fossils from public lands.


S. 2727 places a premium on deriving the maximum educational benefit of public 
domain fossils for all of the people of the United States and sees that 
agencies will continue to increase public awareness about the significance of 
paleontological resources. It puts no new restrictions on amateur fossil 
collecting and will aid the amateur community by clarifying amateur collectors' 
rights and responsibilities. It also does not apply to any private or state 
lands, and thus will have no impact on legal commercial entities. In short, 
anything an amateur or commercial collector can legally do today will still be 
permitted after the passage of H.R. 2974. What H.R. 2974 will do is to codify 
and clarify existing practice, and establish strong penalties to stop the 
plundering of this invaluable resource. 

(Please insert a paragraph about you, your institution, etc. Some of the kinds 
of things you might elaborate on include education and outreach programs, the 
importance of specimens from public lands to your collections, etc.)


Thank you for taking the time to consider this important matter. I hope you 
will sign on to this bill by calling Seema Balwani in Sen. Akaka's office at 
224-1171.

Sincerely, 




cc: The Honorable Jeff Bingaman