The Poll: another response

From
Date
>On  2 Feb 96, Anne Weil wrote:
>> And what about thesis 
>>work; will you be able to send a graduate student out to map an area 
>>without fear of arrest, unless he/she has the proper permit?
>
>Why would a graduate student (as opposed to anyone else) not want a permit?
>I have done a lot of my field work as a graduate student in a National Park
>-- WITH a permit, and WITH the enthusiastic support of (not to mention
>occasional useful tips from) Park staff.  Are you suggesting that graduate
>students should be sneaking around?  It is my impression that (a) it would
>be foolish from a safety point of view to do geological or paleontological
>work on federal land without letting the management know you are there, and
>(b) the people responsible for the area often know it well enough to provide
>real help for a field project.
>Anne Weil




>Anne,
>Am I suggesting that graduate students should be sneaking around? Are 
>you serious? To enlighten you, most theses are done outside national 
>park boundaries. Most fossils collected during thesis work are 
>invertebrates, not vertebrates, and permits for these are rarely 
>required, which was my whole point. Of course a graduate student 
>should take advantage of local expertise. Of course a graduate 
>student should let authorities know he/she is working in the area. 
>But why should a graduate student, working in an area that contains 
>only invertebrate fossils, want a change in the status quo -- that 
>is, no permitting almost everywhere?
>
>Why don't you take some time and seriously address my main concerns, 
>instead of trying to discredit my arguments with nit-picking 
>criticism that isn't even valid?
>
>Larry
>
>