[Nhcoll-l] childhood collecting and taxonomy

[Catherine Early (she/her)]

Hi all,

Thank you for the helpful discussion, and for your patience while I
finished the grant proposal that sparked this question. I didn't receive
any peer-reviewed citations on this topic, which points to an idea for
another potential project, and the books and stories that were shared lend
support to future exploration of the idea being merited. It's also good to
hear about efforts being made in other states to change the laws so they
still protect species while also encouraging future naturalists. Even if
the laws are rarely enforced against people who aren't poaching, I would
rather change the law to be more reasonable in that regard than to leave
enforcement up to individuals, who all carry their own biases and whose
biases influence the degree of enforcement. This continues to be a
supportive community and useful resource that I deeply appreciate!

Best,
Catherine


Catherine M. Early, PhD

*she/her/hers*

Barbara Brown Chair of Ornithology

cearly at smm.org

https://catherineearly.wixsite.com/home




We envision a world where everyone has the power to use science to make
lives better,
and we are committed to using STEM as a tool to advocate for justice and
equity.


On Wed, Oct 25, 2023 at 1:42 PM Susan Gallagher <sugal at ptd.net> wrote:

> Dr. Early,
>
> This is an interesting topic! Please share any replies or info received
> off-list.
>
> Not a taxonomist here, but a naturalist and environmental educator.
> Anecdotally--my interest in the natural world was instilled by a father
> with a collecting spirit. He inspired and encouraged my childhood
> collections of every kind of natural history item you can imagine.
>
> As an adult now working with kids, it irks me to no end when I have to
> tell them they're technically not allowed to take home a feather, or even a
> leaf or rock found in a state park. It does give a good opportunity to talk
> about "leave no trace" ethics and all that, but I remember how precious a
> small piece of quartz or a dead dragonfly was to me when I was young, and
> how those things instilled such curiosity.
>
> Having something to touch, even if I can't or don't collect it, still
> feels very important to me. So, somewhat tangential to your question,
> attached is a paper I found that suggests "biofacts", aka touchable things,
> can be an important tool for educators in encouraging a conservation
> mindset--one reason why I'm a big fan of the standard nature center "touch
> table".
>
> Susan
>
> --
> ***********************************************
> Susan Gallagher, Chief Naturalist
> Carbon County Environmental Education Center
> 151 East White Bear Drive
> Summit Hill, PA  18250
> sugal at ptd.netwww.carboneec.org
>
>
> On 10/25/2023 12:38 PM, Catherine Early (she/her) wrote:
>
> Hi all,
>
> I've heard at least one taxonomist say that privately collecting organisms
> as a child was an important entree to becoming a taxonomist as an adult,
> and that hyper-restrictive collecting laws may stymy development of future
> taxonomists. As an example of a hyper-restrictive collecting law, in the
> state of Minnesota, individuals over the age of 16 cannot collect shells of
> freshwater mussels that are already dead unless they possess a fishing
> license. This is a long shot, but is there any museum education literature
> to support this connection between collecting as a child and becoming a
> taxonomist as an adult? Thanks!
>
> Best,
> Catherine
>
>
> Catherine M. Early, PhD
>
> *she/her/hers*
>
> Barbara Brown Chair of Ornithology
>
> cearly at smm.org
>
> https://catherineearly.wixsite.com/home
>
>
>
>
> We envision a world where everyone has the power to use science to make
> lives better,
> and we are committed to using STEM as a tool to advocate for justice and
> equity.
>
>
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