Rob and List, There is nothing "illegal" about the way Carl found it, Just cuz somebody makes the first find, no matter who it is does not own the strewnfield, not by any means, unless it is on his property. If not it is fair game, just cuz it is in AZ they feel the need to sccop it all up for them selves, thats not right, they can use any excuse they want, I see it as selfish, who is to say Carl will not get GPS coordinance and in situ photo? After the way Jack, Mike and the other acted, I would not give them any info on my finds, they are not doing the same for anyone else. This fall just shows the true colors of some of the hunters. Like you said, when Jack invited Farmer he knew there was a chance that somebody may find the strewnfield cuz he is so high profile. He took that chance and it happened. Carl did not putr a beakon on Mikes Car. There are no written Meteorite Hunter Rules or Ethics, Like mike said it is a blood sport. just MHO Best Wishes, Joe K
----- Original Message ---- From: Rob Matson <mojave_meteori...@cox.net> To: Joe Kerchner <skyrockmeteori...@yahoo.com>; meteorite list <meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com> Sent: Saturday, July 18, 2009 3:07:42 PM Subject: Meteorite hunting ethics Hi Joe/List, > I feel Carl did nothing wrong, He found the strewnfield the > only way he could, and he found it. If by "wrong", you mean "illegal", then I would agree with you. But if you mean "ethical", you're starting to get into a gray area and a slippery slope. For instance, if Carl found his way by his own devices (e.g. witness interviews, geometric triangulation, etc.) to within a mile or two of the strewn field and discovered a parked car (or several parked cars) in an odd location with people walking around outside in 100+ degree temperatures, then that would be an independent discovery. No problem. But suppose he was only able to get within 10 miles of the right location, and happened to spot Jack, or Robert or Mike driving by while he was stopped for gas? 10 minutes later and gassed up, he takes the same road and keeps driving until he spots their parked vehicles. Still ethical? (100 square miles would have been a lot of ground to cover, with no confirmation that you were even close to the right location.) Suppose rather than merely driving the same road 10 minutes later he had actively followed them, remaining in visual range. Not illegal, but meteorite hunting skill is slowly being overtaken by espionage. Suppose Carl only knew that the fall was somewhere far enough southeast of Tucson that any hunter from the Tucson area would take I-10. He spots Mike entering the highway at an early hour and follows him the rest of the way (staying far enough behind so that his "tail" isn't spotted). Would you now feel as comfortable saying, "I feel Carl did nothing wrong, he found the strewnfield the only way he could"? If you're still fine with this, let's take it a bit further. Suppose you just don't have a head for math or geometry and don't know east from west. But you happen to find out where Mike lives. You have no idea when he's headed out and don't have the patience to wait for days at a freeway entrance ramp. Why leave anything to chance? Just stick a locator beacon on the underside of his vehicle and see where he goes from the comfort of your air- conditioned living room! (Of course, now you would have crossed the line from unethical to illegal.) My hyperbole is meant to illustrate that one man's "fair and square" may be another man's "cheating". In this particular case, Mike was put in a rather uncomfortable position because in poker parlance he unintentionally provided the "tell" that revealed the fall location to an outside party. How would you feel if you had been invited to assist in the recovery of a new fall under the condition that you not reveal that location to anyone else? Embarrassed? Angry? Could anyone blame you for feeling that way? After all, through no real fault of your own you have broken your promise to Jack. Jack is wise to the ways of the world, and certainly knew that involving anyone else (and in particular someone high-profile) was a calculated risk -- one that for a few weeks has certainly paid off in terms of getting accurate masses, find locations, and in situ photos. More finds than he would have made working alone. I would hope that anyone who finds their way to the fall site (preferably by non-cloak-and-dagger-means) would respect Jack's work as the P.I. on this fall and provide him with all find data. That means masses, coordinates, and in situ images. If you don't have a GPS unit or a digital camera, find someone who does before extracting a find; otherwise you are destroying scientific data. --Rob ______________________________________________ http://www.meteoritecentral.com Meteorite-list mailing list Meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list