<div dir="ltr"><div>Lance's bottom-line question was:</div><div><br></div><div>"
<span style="font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif">To accession, or not to accession? How do we balance the risk of preserving
<span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);background:white none repeat scroll 0% 0%">high <i><u>quality</u></i> </span>data while at the same documenting potentially important events like this?</span>
"</div><div><br></div><div>Rather than "not cataloging ... not publishing" (per Curtis) the photo record, and/or "adding the phot to iNaturalist" (per Mike), how about simply properly documenting the accession with the known information (incl. its apparent deficiencies), and allow others to determine for themselves what relevance or importance to give to the accession?</div><div><br></div><div>Are we building accession-based information systems which are not designed to accommodate (document) details about the reliability / quality / suspect nature of those accessions; the argument that "we" should only accession material that is in some limited sense "pure", "unverifiable" (in some senses only, which could itself be highlighted in the accession record), seems to be more of a go-no-go threshold to apply to a deficiently-designed information system --one that can not work with less-than-perfect information.</div><div><br></div><div>There exists a photo which depicts a frog with a possibly-reliable determination that can potentially document the occurrence of that specimen (and potentially, species) out-of-range, and likely / possibly due to a dispersal mechanism that we know from experience has had serious ecological consequences for our native biota. THAT is "high quality" data, though it may not be describing, e.g., specimens which are more commonly preserved in biological collections. Can our biodiversity collections not accommodate such easily-described and potentially valuable photographs?</div><div><br></div><div>Peter<br></div><div><div class="gmail_extra"><br><div class="gmail_quote">On Mon, May 21, 2018 at 4:21 PM, Mike Rutherford <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:Mike.Rutherford@sta.uwi.edu" target="_blank">Mike.Rutherford@sta.uwi.edu</a>></span> wrote:<br><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex">
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#1f497d">As an alternative way of preserving the record for posterity why not add the photo to iNaturalist? Research Grade records(i.e. ones
that have been verified by others) are shared by iNaturalist with GBIF so the record would be widely accessible. This way you could share the data without compromising your collection standards.
<u></u><u></u></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#1f497d">Mike<u></u><u></u></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Bookman Old Style",serif;color:black" lang="EN-US">Mr. Mike G. Rutherford</span></b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Bookman Old Style",serif;color:black" lang="EN-US"><br>
Curator of the University of the West Indies Zoology Museum (UWIZM)<br>
Department of Life Sciences<br>
<b>The University of The West Indies<br>
St. Augustine Campus<u></u><u></u></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Bookman Old Style",serif;color:black" lang="EN-US">Trinidad & Tobago, W.I.</span></b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Bookman Old Style",serif;color:black" lang="EN-US">
<br>
T: (Office) 868-662-2002 ext 82231<br>
T: (Mobile) 868-329-8401<u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Bookman Old Style",serif;color:black" lang="EN-US">E:
<a href="mailto:mike.rutherford@sta.uwi.edu" target="_blank"><span style="color:#0563c1">mike.rutherford@sta.uwi.edu</span></a><u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Bookman Old Style",serif;color:black" lang="EN-US">S: mike.g.rutherford<u></u><u></u></span></p>
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Find us on<u></u><u></u></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif" lang="EN-US">From:</span></b><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif" lang="EN-US"> Nhcoll-l [mailto:<a href="mailto:nhcoll-l-bounces@mailman.yale.edu" target="_blank">nhcoll-l-bounces@<wbr>mailman.yale.edu</a>]
<b>On Behalf Of </b>Curtis Schmidt<br>
<b>Sent:</b> Monday, 21 May 2018 18:28<br>
<b>To:</b> Lance McBrayer <<a href="mailto:lancemcbrayer@georgiasouthern.edu" target="_blank">lancemcbrayer@<wbr>georgiasouthern.edu</a>>; <a href="mailto:nhcoll-l@mailman.yale.edu" target="_blank">nhcoll-l@mailman.yale.edu</a><br>
<b>Subject:</b> Re: [Nhcoll-l] Accession of rare photo records<u></u><u></u></span></p>
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<p><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:black">Lance,<u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:black"><u></u> <u></u></span></p>
<p><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:black">What kept the individual from collecting the non-native species in the first place? I would certainly caution against cataloging an unverifiable photograph because, as you mention, it promotes bad
science and poor quality data. It would be different if it was an endangered species, but I see a photograph of very little value in this particular situation. I personally am an advocate of not publishing records based on photographs unless the animals are
protected. This is becoming an all too common practice that is irresponsible IMHO. I hope this helps.<u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:black"><u></u> <u></u></span></p>
<p><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:black">Curtis<u></u><u></u></span></p>
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<p style="background:white"><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:black">______________________________<wbr>___<u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p style="background:white"><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:black"><u></u> <u></u></span></p>
<p style="background:white"><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:black">Curtis J. Schmidt<u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p style="background:white"><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:black"> Zoological Collections Manager<u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p style="background:white"><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:black"> Sternberg Museum of Natural History<u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p style="background:white"><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:black"><u></u> <u></u></span></p>
<p style="background:white"><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:black"> Instructor<u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p style="background:white"><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:black"> Department of Biological Sciences<u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p style="background:white"><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:black"> Fort Hays State University<u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p style="background:white"><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:black"><u></u> <u></u></span></p>
<p style="background:white"><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:black"> 3000 Sternberg Drive<u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p style="background:white"><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:black"> Hays, KS 67601<u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p style="background:white"><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:black"> 785-650-2447 (cell)<u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p style="background:white"><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:black">______________________________<wbr>__<u></u><u></u></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:black">From:</span></b><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:black"> Nhcoll-l <<a href="mailto:nhcoll-l-bounces@mailman.yale.edu" target="_blank">nhcoll-l-bounces@mailman.<wbr>yale.edu</a>>
on behalf of Lance McBrayer <<a href="mailto:lancemcbrayer@georgiasouthern.edu" target="_blank">lancemcbrayer@<wbr>georgiasouthern.edu</a>><br>
<b>Sent:</b> Monday, May 21, 2018 3:21:24 PM<br>
<b>To:</b> <a href="mailto:nhcoll-l@mailman.yale.edu" target="_blank">nhcoll-l@mailman.yale.edu</a><br>
<b>Subject:</b> [Nhcoll-l] Accession of rare photo records</span> <u></u><u></u></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif">All<u></u><u></u></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif">I curate a herpetology collection of about 35,000 specimens, almost all of which are actual specimens. However, I also take definitive photographs such that there is little to no question
about the species in the photograph. I am aware of the debate on the value of photographic records, but I've come into an interesting situation.<u></u><u></u></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif">Recently, a collector I do not know asked to voucher a photograph of an invasive species of tropical frog that is established in Florida, and now Georgia and several other states. Yet
this record is from Massachusetts. Furthermore, the specimen was photographed in a potted plant in a national chain store of lumber and hardware...in February of 2018.<u></u><u></u></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif">Clearly the frog was brought there in or on the plant(s). But as such, this record is potentially valuable. This tropical frog species is very likely to have died in the harsh MA winter....but
it does well cohabitating with humans...so maybe not. And the store is literally next to a major river. So, if it does survive and disperse, it could move lots of places quickly.<u></u><u></u></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif">I have contacted four other very knowledgeable herpetologists to confirm my identification, and that of the collector. We all agree it "looks like" the same species; i.e. all five of us
agree on the identification.<u></u><u></u></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif">To accession, or not to accession? How do we balance the risk of preserving
<span style="color:#222222;background:white">high <i><u>quality</u></i> </span>data while at the same documenting potentially important events like this?<u></u><u></u></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif">Thanks for your insights.<u></u><u></u></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif">lm<u></u><u></u></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">-- <u></u><u></u></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span>Lance D. McBrayer</span><u></u><u></u></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span>Associate Dean of Faculty & Research Programs</span><u></u><u></u></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span>College of Science and Mathematics</span><u></u><u></u></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt">Georgia Southern University</span><u></u><u></u></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt">TEL: 912.478.5111</span><u></u><u></u></p>
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