With 40 years of experience in the field, both for recreation and profit, (I collected commercially back in the 70's, & 80's, now just do it for relaxation), I've seen many changes, both in the environment and laws. Most States now charge for permite to collect. More for commercial than recreation. Habitat is shrinking, leaving all of us fewer areas to see the animals we are looking for. We all do this...(at least most of us, sans the rattlesnake roundup a-holes) because of our passion for these unique creatures. We all have this common ground and want to fight an argument proclaiming who is right or wrong. It sucks. I'll quit my ramble and get to the point. WHY, do both groups continue to collect like they will never visit the area again, leaving stones or whatever not placed back, bark stripped like they are collecting for a mulch garden, hidey holes gassed so nothing can live there, land tresspassed on so more restrictions are placed on us all, abandoned shacks with walls torn down better than a demolition crew, etc....? I think we all need to show a bit more of professionalism when in the field. What do you think?
Bob
"let know man say you were there before him"
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Recreation vs. Commercial..what's missed
Replies (2)
Amen herpdoc!
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Todd Hughes
We've actually written that into our constitution, see resolution 3. (We plan to amend resolution 3 to include guidelines for "responsible use of locality information on the internet", and possibly one other item we are discussing:
Resolution 3: HCU establishes the following ethical collection standards: (a) methods of take should limit impact on natural habitats (replace all cover objects, do not tear apart rocks or logs, do not use chemicals, etc); (b) catch and release coupled with limited take for personal use (for study or captive-breeding purposes) is encouraged
(c) collecting practices should minimize risk to the animal in question from inadvertent damage or stress
(d) collecting practices should minimize risk to the collector, either from the animal (e.g. Venomous species), the habitat (e.g. Dangerous cliffs), or other humans (e.g. Other motorists)
(e) collecting practices should respect landowner rights, including but not limited to securing permission for land entry and the packing out of all personal trash
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