Museum Collection + "I guess I am a war crinimal!"

[Bob Parcelles,Jr.]

Greetings: 

This is a cross-post from PARC list and might denonstrate that
entomologists, particularly lepidopterists, are not the only ones
with this problem. please help him out directly. Critical OR NEGATIVE
comments SHOULD NOT be sent TO HIM! He did not post to either of
these 2 groups. help him if you can. Use him for discussion on these
2 lists.

I fear that in our zealousness to recruit people to become
environmentalists we are more and more getting people wh0 are anti
all consumptive uses of living or otherwise resources on this planet.
The need for scientists (true amateur as well as pro) to collect is
so obvious it defies imagination for it to be such a hot topic!

Bob Parcelles, Jr.
Having legally collected birds, mammals, fish, herps and all types of
invertebrates for the purpose of science and environmental education.
I also have have "collected" over 125,ooo photographic images with
over 20,000 having been published.

I guess I am a war crinimal!
**********************************************************************
Date: Thu, 7 Feb 2002 23:21:15 -0600 
 
Reply-to: Malcolm McCallum <mmccallu at MAIL.ASTATE.EDU> 
 
From: "Malcolm McCallum" <mmccallu at MAIL.ASTATE.EDU> 
Subject: museum collection 
 
To: PARC at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU 
 
I am having an ongoing debate with a group of students and faculty in
my department.  Our university runs a herpetology 
museum of about 26,000 specimens representing the largest 
collection of amphibians and reptiles from ARkansas.  Through 
monitoring and field work animals are deposited fairly 
frequently by us and herpetologists statewide.  Within our 
department there are a number of individuals who argue the 
importance of prudent voucher numbers and sampling targeting 
our herpetology group.  They contend that we over collect.  
THis, however, is far from the truth.  We do collect small 
samples (5-10 animals) from large populations (aparent 
hundreds to thousands of individuals in the immediate area like 
cricket frogs), or 1-2 from small ones (apparent hundreds 
in the immediate area stuff like wood frogs), and do not 
collect from populations that are very limited (stuff like 
hellbenders, collard lizards, alligator snapping turtles that 
have limited ranges and populations as low as 50 in 
places).  The parties argue that these collections are useless, 
contending that long range data that could be gathered from 
the specimens does not show cause-effect and is therefore 
conjecture and unneeded.  
WHile they speak of prudent sampling, they are actually 
against any type of collecting.. as is apparent by their 
arguments (most of which have be left out for brevity).  I think 
the fact that they work on animals such as raptors and rare 
birds has put blinders on them. 

So my question is... How do I argue this point further.  I 
am getting sincerely tired of having to defend the 
methodologies and standards we use.  In fact, when we do kill we 
put them to sleep with sodium pent first!  I am getting very 
frustrated with the continual arguments that are thrown my 
way by people who refuse to take off their blinders and 
examine the situation as it really stands.  I think comparing 
a hawk population to a population of salamanders is no 
fairer than standardizing mosquito collections in the swamp 
based on those for salamanders.  They are apples and oranges.  
Any comments, pro or con would be appreciated. 

Malcolm McCallum
P.O. Box 847 
Environmental Sciences Ph.D. Program
State University, AR  72467
1-870-972-3177
mmccallu at astate.edu
"If a cluttered desk signs a cluttered mind, Of
  what, then, is an empty desk a sign? -Albert Einstein."

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=====
Bob Parcelles, Jr
Pinellas Park, FL
RJP Associates, C2M-BWPTi
rjparcelles at yahoo.com
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/naturepotpourri
"Change your thoughts and you change your world."
- Norman Vincent Peale

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