Fwd:HELP! INPUT NEEDED for NPS CURATORIAL REGULATIONS!

[Chuck Parker]

The note below, originally addressed to people who have a research interest in
the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, should be of interest to anyone who has
ever worked in a National Park or worked with specimens collected in a National
Park.  If you have a problem with current NPS regulations regarding collections
and specimen ownership and would like to help influence changes to those
regulations, please respond directly to Keith Langdon at Keith_Langdon at nps.gov

Chuck


____________________Forward Header_____________________
Subject:    HELP!  INPUT NEEDED for NPS CURATORIAL REGULATIONS!
Author: GRSM_Research_Permits at nps.gov (GRSM Research Permits)
Date:       2/23/2001 10:14 AM


Dear Smokies Researcher:

IMPORTANT!  We need your input!

As we accelerate our progress on the All Taxa Biodiversity Inventory (ATBI) here
at Great Smoky Mountains National Park, we are facing increased problems with
deposition of specimens.  This message is especially for those scientists who
have some curatorial responsibilities, so PLEASE FORWARD TO YOUR COLLECTIONS
MANAGER, if you do not have those responsibilities, AND to managers at other
institutions you normally deposit at .  We are seeking written comments in the
next several of weeks from institutions regarding a revision of the U.S.
National Park Service's (NPS) policy on ownership of specimens that were
collected in NPS areas.

BACKGROUND
For most of its history the NPS had fairly liberal policies regarding the
collection of specimens on its lands.  These were made much more restrictive in
1984 in reaction to a very mixed record of getting information back from
researchers.  These 1984 regulations only allowed the "long-term loan" of
specimens to non-NPS museums, as opposed to the informal donations that had
occurred up to that time.  There were other restrictions imposed as well, both
regulatory (legal/enforceable) and policy rules related to curation.  These
restrictions currently include having official NPS labels on specimens, and
museums being subject to an inventory of randomly selected specimens.  The NPS
Museum Handbook states that during these inventories..."you will check the
physical location, condition, and documentation for objects in the collection."
Since the specimens would be on "indefinite" loan, inventory of randomly
selected specimens could be required each year and is coordinated by each park's
curator.

As discussed for the last several years at the ATBI's scientific gatherings at
the Smokies, these regulations have hurt the NPS's ability to attract scientists
to work in all its parks and has required burdensome and non-productive efforts
for both park staff and our partnering scientists.  As many of our partners have
told us, having these regulations is a distinct dis-incentive to ever work in
any NPS area, and inhibits traditions between bona fide museums and in
scientific collaboration in general.

CURRENT SITUATION
In response, our Washington office has drafted a good revision that will address
most of the concerns. For instance, it would allow local park managers to
"convey" specimens to museums.  And since the specimens would no longer belong
to the government, its curatorial regulations would not be applicable.  But now
our solicitors are concerned about the legality of giving away federal property
and especially about the precedent that it may set for other groups that are
pressing us for the right to collect.  These concerns are REAL, but they will be
decided in the national political arena once the regulatory revision "box" is
opened.

MY QUESTIONS TO YOU:

 - Knowing the ramifications of accepting specimens from the Smokies (above, and
other NPS parks), would your institution accept such specimens on "indefinite"
loan?

- Would your institution agree to accept specimens on "indefinite" loan if the
curatorial rules were relaxed, OR does your museum have to have clear ownership?

I would really appreciate an articulation of your institution's policies and
your candid comments/suggestions, as our Washington office will be taking up
this specific issue in the next few weeks and deciding how to fix it.  I would
like very much to have your written comments so they can be included in the
decision-making process.  Please include the name, title, and institution of the
respondent(s).  A separate e-mail, fax, or postal letter would be fine.

Thank you so much!

Keith Langdon, Inventory and Monitoring Coordinator
Great Smoky Mountains National Park
1314 Cherokee Orchard Road
Gatlinburg, TN 37738    USA

Keith_Langdon at nps.gov
FAX: 865-430-4753