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Code of Conduct for Canadian Collectors
Respecting the Earth Sciences
This code of conduct was written and adopted by the Gem & Mineral Federation of Canada with the intention of promoting the responsible collection, conservation and study of natural objects.
- Know and comply with all public law and local ordinances governing the excavating, collecting, removing and exporting of specimens.
- Enter and collect on private lands only with the consent of the owner and on public lands only with any necessary permits. Respect any occupiers privacy and carry proper identification. Leave all gates as you find them and do not interfere with livestock or equipment.
- Do not expose others or yourself to unnecessary injury. Use proper safety equipment and apparel. Do not undermine rock surfaces or collect alone in isolated areas.
- Avoid any unnecessary disturbance to the environment. Plants and animals may be inadvertantly displaced or destroyed through thoughtless action. Restore the collecting site to its original status by filling in any excavations and leaving it cleaner than you found it.
- Preserve sites for future generations by keeping collecting to a mininum unless the site is scheduled for destruction. Specimens should not be ruined by indiscriminate hammering or the use of inadequate equipment.
- Promptly catalogue, identify and preserve specimens collected, for your own knowledge and that of other collectors.
- Ensure that proper provision has been made for the ultimate disposition of your collections and notes to appropriate institutions or persons to preserve this Heritage for future generations.
- Report unique geological, palaeontological and mineralogical occurences, particularly vertebrate finds, to your nearest museum, university, or the Geological Survey of Canada.
- Immediately disclose to the appropriate authority, offences of public law relating to the Earth Sciences or the flagrant abuses of this Code committed by any collector.
- Foster public interest in geological sites and their wise use and conservation. This includes public leadership and education as to the intrinsic values of our rich Canadian Mineralogical and Palaeontological Heritage.
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