[NHCOLL-L:3569] RE: NPS specimen ownership

[Roberta Faul-Zeitler]

I am curious whether anyone has contacted the Natural Science Collections
Alliance to ask their board to address this situation. 

Here is the link to the Board list:

http://www.nscalliance.org/about/board.asp

There are representative from 10 of the largest natural history museums on
the NSCA Board.

Bobbie Faul-Zeitler





-----Original Message-----
From: owner-nhcoll-l at lists.yale.edu [mailto:owner-nhcoll-l at lists.yale.edu]
On Behalf Of Anita F. Cholewa
Sent: Tuesday, September 11, 2007 8:56 AM
To: nat hist listserv
Subject: [NHCOLL-L:3568] NPS specimen ownership


I've already run into a snag with this NPS policy.
It is my understanding that their "ownership" starts with the year 1983 
when the law (36 CFR 2.5 -if there's a different law reference I'd 
appreciate it) was passed, so that anything (biological specimens 
anyway) collected before that year is not to be considered federal property.
However, I've just received a request from a Park regarding specimens 
that had been collected in the 1970s and even much earlier, that they 
are claiming as their property. 
Can the date of "ownership" be clarified please?

Anita
__________
Anita F. Cholewa, Ph.D.
Curator of the herbarium
Bell Museum of Natural History
University of Minnesota
1445 Gortner Ave
ST PAUL MN 55108-1095