Special Sessions May 25th and 26th

Special Session I: Permitting Issues: How to comprehend, cope and comply

In the last decade, museums have seen a dramatic increase in permitting issues in relation to animals and animal products. The issues have gotten more numerous, noticeably complex, less forgiving for non-compliance, and at times, seemingly unfriendly towards collections and collection research and education. The resulting compliance to permitting laws and regulations has probably become the most consequential legal obligation of museums and educational institutions.

This session will examine different areas of permitting issues including:

• Why permitting issues have become more pressing world wide following the 1992 UN Convention on Biological Diversity, and how museums can respond.
• Overview of federal agencies in the US involved with permits and their requirements.
• Examination of the various international and US laws and regulations which require permits for the import and/or export of biological specimens of listed species.
• How laws to protect commerce animals are affecting museums, and how to comply with regulations not directly intended for museums.

Leonard P. Hirsch
Senior Policy Advisor
Office of International Relations
Smithsonian Institution
Washington, DC

Monica Farris
Senior Permit Biologist
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Division of Management Authority
Branch of Permits
Arlington, VA

Ellen Paul
Executive Director
The Ornithological Council
Chevy Chase, MD

Special Session II: Just What Do You Think You are Doing?

North American natural history museums are staffed by an aging workforce. How will the next generation of natural history collections care workers be trained? Who will train them? What should they be expected to know? Are the traditional methods of training sufficient? If not, what new training formats should be developed? A panel of speakers will present three aspects of this complex issue. The first speaker, Stephen L. Williams, will address traditional paths to professional development, the future role of museum studies programs, and the relationship between museums and museum studies programs. Catharine Hawks will evaluate the teaching of preventive conservation in new frameworks for course content and training opportunities. John Simmons will examine a week-long, intensive workshop on collections care and management offered to museum professionals and students in developing countries. An open discussion on the future training of museum collections care workers will follow.

John E. Simmons
Director, Museum Studies Program
University of Kansas
Lawrence, KS

Catherine Hawks
Private Conservator
2419 Barbour Road
Falls Church, VA

Stephen L. Williams
Assistant Professor
Department of Museum Studies
Baylor University
Waco, TX

Special Session III: Federally-associated collections

The interactions between Federal agencies and non-Federal repositories regarding natural history specimens from Federal lands can be, and often are, characterized by a certain amount of miscommunication, misunderstanding, and mistrust between the two groups. One way to address these obstacles is through better communication and direct feedback. This session will bring together representatives from the Department of Interior, National Park Service, and Bureau of Land Management as well as scientists who collect and curate specimens from Federal lands. The audience will learn about current legislation and regulations regarding collections from the Federal agency representatives and will hear how well the regulations work in practice and about some concerns from two museum-based scientists. The process, which can be complex, includes applying for a collecting permit on Federal lands, signing repository agreements or other paperwork, acquiring Federal accession and catalog numbers for specimens, and completing annual inventories for the specimens.

This session will be of interest to a broad spectrum of professionals including Federal and non-Federal managers, scientists, collection managers, and museum directors.

Ronald C. Wilson
Interior Museum Program Manager
Department of Interior Museum Program
Washington, DC

Carolyn McClellan
Cultural Heritage and Paleontological Resources and Tribal Consultation Division Chief
Bureau of Land Management
Washington, DC

Greg McDonald
Senior Natural History Curator
National Park Service, Museum Management Program
Fort Collins, CO

Eric Scott
Curator of Paleontology
San Bernardino County Museum
Redlands, CA

James L. Patton
Emeritus Professor and Curator of Mammals
Museum of Vertebrate Zoology
University of California
Berkeley, CA