Based upon a poll of the American Public conducted by MKTG, Inc., a major polling service located in East Islip, New York, American's believe that:
- - fossils on public lands are public heritage and belong to everyone;
(87% yes, 12% no)
- - fossil finds should be reported to appropriate scientists;
(97% yes, 2% no)
- - fossils should be collected by a museum or university;
(91% yes, 7% no)
- - there should be a law against selling fossils;
(80% yes, 17% no)
- - there should be a law against taking fossils out of the US;
(81% yes, 13% no)
- - it's OK for someone to buy and sell rare, scientifically important fossils;
(34% yes, 61% no)
- - all fossils (private or public land) should be the property of a public institution;
(64% yes, 32% no)
- - if laws are created to restrict the collection of fossils on public lands, only people with appropriate skills for doing so, and with a permit, should be allowed to do so and all fossils that they find should go into museums or universities prepared to protect them;
(88% yes, 9% no)
- - fossils should be allowed for sale like any other commodity;
(33% yes, 60% no)
- - 4% of the participants of this poll indicated that they collect fossils.
This poll was commissioned by
The Dinosaur Society
in cooperation with
The Society of Vertebrate Paleontology (SVP).
"If dinosaurs are for kids, kids should be able to see dinosaurs. If public lands are open to commercial collecting, new discoveries will never be seen in public museums."Steve Gittleman
President of The Dinosaur Society
"The American public wants to see fossils in museums, not lost to private collections. Fossils on public lands should not be removed from the public domain. Our national heritage is not for sale."
David Krause
Past President of The Society of Vertebrate Paleontology
"The escalating commercial market for fossils has led to the rape of our public lands. This increasing threat will limit our abilities to further understand and interpret the history of life."
Vincent L. Santucci
Paleontologist
SAFE (Save America's Fossils for Everyone) is an organization dedicated to preserving America's fossils for the public domain, and to promote educational and intellectual enjoyment of this nonrenewable resource. For more information write to: SAFE, Peabody Museum of Natural History, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138.
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