Museum In Trouble Urgent And Yes This Will Make You Sick.

[jason longboard]

I'm not going to go into this too deep just yet since I am spent and still too angry at the moment and dont want to say things I normally wouldn't.

We have got a big problem. I took my mother to the museum Sat, to show her the shark tooth hill specimens which included tons of meg teeth, tons of huge makos, several complete whale skulls and some skeleton. Giant turtle skulls, a full skeleton of the Miocene seal and an extra skull. Lots of whale bones and other great stuff you would just love and made this place what it is.

Guess what, I walked into a room with at least 10 empty display cases. The owner who could not possibly need this much money, took it all back and is going to auction it all off in December. I wish I could explain to you guys how it felt to walk in and see the seal especially, gone, I know you guys can imagine how we feel after being in possession of this stuff for so many years for it to go to an auction to God knows where.

If in any way, you guys can help. Need I say more. You guys, all of it, is gone. All but some mako teeth. They are starting a fund raiser to try and buy back whatever they can.

Please see this link, and then if anyone wants any info I can contact the museum if you dont want to. I would love to assist if I can since I can go there any time and am friends with the workers.

http://www.turnto23.com/news/24705395/detail.html

Edited August 23, 2010 by jason longboard

[jason longboard]

Here is the link to the museum.

http://www.sharktoothhill.org/

[Nandomas]

Thanks to post. It is very sad the hear that.

I shared the link on my fb wall with more of 3.000 fans/friends hoping to help

Edited August 23, 2010 by Fossili Veraci

[Terry Dactyll]

Very sorry to hear this..... you would hope the government would step in and make the guy an offer before they get to auction.... the cost would be a drop in the ocean to them....

[bear-dog]

Sad to hear the bad news .Bad things are happening to museums everywhere now.Clemson,S.C. is another.

Have a check in the mail now,hope my part helps. Also telling my friends about this.

Edited August 23, 2010 by bear-dog

[LeeCreek2thHntr]

I heard that when I went there.... so sad for such a lovely museum to disappear.

[jason longboard]

Sad to hear the bad news .Bad things are happening to museums everywhere now.Clemson,S.C. is another.

Have a check in the mail now,hope my part helps. Also telling my friends about this.

Thank you so much. Im trying to think of ways to reach more ppl. These forums are a good way. Any more ideas welcome.

Jason

[FossilForKids]

There is waaaaayyyy more to this than you know. When Bob died so did any cohesiveness or accountability in that museum. Additionally the courts may be involved with this. That museum has been mismanaged for years and was only held together by Bob. Jess and some others know the whole story much better than I do but there's definitely 2 sides to the story.

[jason longboard]

There is waaaaayyyy more to this than you know. When Bob died so did any cohesiveness or accountability in that museum. Additionally the courts may be involved with this. That museum has been mismanaged for years and was only held together by Bob. Jess and some others know the whole story much better than I do but there's definitely 2 sides to the story.

Well I was wondering that as well, though I have only known the ppl at the museum for a short while, they all seem so kind and appear to care very much for what they have in the building.However the guys I talk to the most were all friends with Bob.

Either way I cant imagine it being more important for these things to get spread out around the world to top bidders rather than stay in the museum in the town they were found.

Any thoughts?

[Auspex]

Unless someone (or group) steps up and buys them for the Museum, there's not much to be done; the owner is within his rights. I assume everyone here believes that private ownership of fossils is generally a good thing?

[FossilForKids]

Well I was wondering that as well, though I have only known the ppl at the museum for a short while, they all seem so kind and appear to care very much for what they have in the building.However the guys I talk to the most were all friends with Bob.

Either way I cant imagine it being more important for these things to get spread out around the world to top bidders rather than stay in the museum in the town they were found.

Any thoughts?

Don't get me wrong Jason.....Bob's incredible legacy should stay together for the world to see but it just wasn't going to happened at Buena Vista. Many items of his have.....shall we say.....disappeared especially after his death. If I have the money I am going to do my best to get at least 3 special items if they are for sale.

John

[jason longboard]

Unless someone (or group) steps up and buys them for the Museum, there's not much to be done; the owner is within his rights. I assume everyone here believes that private ownership of fossils is generally a good thing?

Private ownership is great, its just the fact of separating all the items to all over the place that this museum was based on and who the owner of the items wanted the stuff to be together at. I guess its hard for us because the museum is about 10 miles from the dig sites, and we bring stuff their to compare and study, and it just seems outrages to me to split it all up.I understand some things may have gone on, I just still think it really stinks.

Edited September 2, 2010 by jason longboard

[jason longboard]

Don't get me wrong Jason.....Bob's incredible legacy should stay together for the world to see but it just wasn't going to happened at Buena Vista. Many items of his have.....shall we say.....disappeared especially after his death. If I have the money I am going to do my best to get at least 3 special items if they are for sale.

John

Well, I dont know what to say. It cant be all of them, up to no good.

[FossilForKids]

Well, I dont know what to say. It cant be all of them, up to no good.

You're right. Many people worked hard and did good work there but the leadership left alot to be desired. Additionally I just don't think that Bakersfield as a whole showed enough consistent interest in the museum.

[jason longboard]

You're right. Many people worked hard and did good work there but the leadership left alot to be desired. Additionally I just don't think that Bakersfield as a whole showed enough consistent interest in the museum.

I never knew how big inside it was, and most ppl I know havnt heard of it, just not good advertising. The kids love this stuff, they did a pretty good job with the kid zones and such, really need to get the word out for school kids. I dont know whats going to happen but I sure would like to have it all together, it was just a nice gathering point. We will see I guess.

[FossilForKids]

I never knew how big inside it was, and most ppl I know havnt heard of it, just not good advertising. The kids love this stuff, they did a pretty good job with the kid zones and such, really need to get the word out for school kids. I dont know whats going to happen but I sure would like to have it all together, it was just a nice gathering point. We will see I guess.

If you go to this thread it can be used as a reference for some common STH fossils

http://www.thefossilforum.com/index.php/topic/11579-sharktooth-hill-virtual-museum/page__hl__%2Bvirtual+%2Bmuseum

[siteseer]

You're right about that, John. Bob was the spiritual leader and rainmaker at that museum. He not only collected those fossils across many blazing summers and chilling winters, he also paid to have many specimens prepared. He gave many free presentations in the local schools, knowing you have to get kids excited because they'll tell their parents and relatives about the "shark tooth man" and the museum they want to see. He asked for help from friends and he was the kind of guy who would never ask for help for himself. He let people dig on his land for free, asking only that they visit the museum. He pumped his own money into getting it started and then again when the museum moved into a larger building. He was not a rich man either. He lived simply but busted it full-time and overtime for his wife and family and had an incredible drive to dig for fossils. In his 60's he was out-digging people half and a third his age and that certainly includes me.

There hasn't been anyone to lead the charge for the museum since Bob's passing. It's a small museum struggling for its existence. It hasn't done a great job of advertising itself. It's website started out great but there was a personality conflict and a really talented person left. The site went stagnant for a while. You can thank FF member isurus90064 for its recent revamp and he offered to do a lot more years ago but no one got back to him on that.

As you indicated, there have been other complications in the wake of Bob's passing some of which is in print. I don't know the details of the auctionhouse pack-up about two weeks ago. I've been on the road on business. I know some very important fossils were not loaded on the truck (the bird and land mammal material) even though some of those specimens would probably sell for good money with a phone call.

There is waaaaayyyy more to this than you know. When Bob died so did any cohesiveness or accountability in that museum. Additionally the courts may be involved with this. That museum has been mismanaged for years and was only held together by Bob. Jess and some others know the whole story much better than I do but there's definitely 2 sides to the story.

[isurus90064]

Thanks Siteseer for that very well put and justified description of what really happened.

I'd like to add that while the museum had someone who helped raise funds to keep the museum operational Bob not only put some of his own money into it, he also helped with the fund raising efforts that ultimately helped keep the doors open.

Another fact is that it was not a cheap endeavor to maintain the quarries in a 'digable' state. Periodically Bob had to have bulldozers in there to make sure that there was no overburden to remove for anyone coming in to collect whether that was a group of Buena Vista museum volunteers, a university, an individual scientist, or the general public which had many opportunities to dig in designated areas of Bob's land. Over the years many of the folks associated with the museum had a chance to accumulate beautiful personal collections as well, much of that was a direct result of Bob's generosity. I suggested to the museum that this may be a good time to have everyone associated with the museum chip in and put all or part of their personal collections on loan and on display at the museum. This could replenish many of the display cases that are currently empty. Of course it's very difficult to replace a fossil such as 'happy', but the museum started the process to raise funds so they can potentially regain some of the fossils that they've had on loan for so long.

While it is convenient and somewhat understandable to criticize the change in status quo of the museum I'll keep my criticism to myself and keep this posting positive.

Rather than mourn the move of this collection it would be infinitely more helpful if you would honor Bob Ernst' naturalist legacy by donating to the museum fund to acquire some of these fossils.

[isurus90064]

Also, thanks FFK for your comments and your Virtual Museum reference.

[jason longboard]

Thanks Siteseer for that very well put and justified description of what really happened.

I'd like to add that while the museum had someone who helped raise funds to keep the museum operational Bob not only put some of his own money into it, he also helped with the fund raising efforts that ultimately helped keep the doors open.

Another fact is that it was not a cheap endeavor to maintain the quarries in a 'digable' state. Periodically Bob had to have bulldozers in there to make sure that there was no overburden to remove for anyone coming in to collect whether that was a group of Buena Vista museum volunteers, a university, an individual scientist, or the general public which had many opportunities to dig in designated areas of Bob's land. Over the years many of the folks associated with the museum had a chance to accumulate beautiful personal collections as well, much of that was a direct result of Bob's generosity. I suggested to the museum that this may be a good time to have everyone associated with the museum chip in and put all or part of their personal collections on loan and on display at the museum. This could replenish many of the display cases that are currently empty. Of course it's very difficult to replace a fossil such as 'happy', but the museum started the process to raise funds so they can potentially regain some of the fossils that they've had on loan for so long.

While it is convenient and somewhat understandable to criticize the change in status quo of the museum I'll keep my criticism to myself and keep this posting positive.

Rather than mourn the move of this collection it would be infinitely more helpful if you would honor Bob Ernst' naturalist legacy by donating to the museum fund to acquire some of these fossils.

Ok,Im a well rounded understanding caring yet suspicious kind of guy. I knew in my heart and without knowing the Ernst family that their had to be 2 sides of this story for I think one of the most important things to do in life is place yourself in everyone's shoes the best you can.

As understanding as I am of some of these actions, and trust me I know what type of things can go on, I like your last statement, I would like to see some of this come back, and not end up 10,000 miles from the land it was found and the museum he put so much effort into. I personally before this happened had only joined the place a short time ago. Ive been trying to think of ways to get more ppl in and working at schools, I thought field trips and so on. I just feel like just when I find this little gem that could need some work, it gets cut in half, so yeah, I would love to see some stuff come back.

Edited September 2, 2010 by jason longboard

[jason longboard]

Another write up on this from my town. My link

[tracer]

my opinion - if something is mine, then it's mine. if i loan it to you, then it's still mine. thank me profusely for the loan when you return my property to me.

[jason longboard]

my opinion - if something is mine, then it's mine. if i loan it to you, then it's still mine. thank me profusely for the loan when you return my property to me.

Well, I think the separation of feelings here is since it meant the world to the man who passed away, who from what I can gather wanted it to be as much the museums or the fossil community's to share together and I would imagine keep together as a whole, that it would be honored. I guess Im just old school for a 35 year old.

My father didnt expect to die 7 years ago in a motor bike crash. He had no will yet. My father did everything in the world he could do for my sister and I. Us not getting a dime other than some of his clothing and some things like his keyboard and tennis rackets and such. My stepmother kept every penny of the house sale and everything else. I was jobless and an emotional mess, yet got no offer for a cent. Im just saying, when someone dies, and you know darn well what they would have wanted, cowboy up.

Thats just me though, so not trying to offend anyone.

Jason

[tracer]

tj, if you're reading this you better be nice to your mom, cuz if i kick off, it's all hers. good luck getting what you want from her, son.

[siteseer]

I understand your angle on this and it is a similar situation as Bob also died without a will. He thought he was going to live longer too. It led to a complication different from your experience though.

Yes, Bob would've wanted the collection to kept together but you don't know his devotion to his wife. As you read in the article for which you provided a link, Mary is suffering some financial hardship partly due to her medical problem and partly due to a legal bill that grew over the past three-plus years. The last thing Bob would've wanted and I mean THE last thing, was for her to worry about money or anything.

I met Bob and Mary around the time they got married in 1993. He had gone through some tough times prior but Mary changed his life. They moved into a new house. He started taking better care of himself. He was finding levels of happiness beyond what fossils could bring him and I believe the changes he made did extend his life at least a few - maybe several years - so we can all thank Mary for that.

Since its beginning, Bob understood the museum's future was uncertain. He knew that despite all his willpower and effort the museum could still fail. Bakersfield might not be a big enough city to support one more museum and it might not be big/flashy enough to attract crowds from two hours away (the L.A. area) or farther. He made it clear that the fossils were only on loan to the museum (he had at least one sign on a wall and numerous labels stating so) to avoid a situation where possession of the specimens was left in question in case it did close down.

I understand how people feel about the loss of the fossils. It was a great display and some of them are unique and undocumented. I hope at least some of the specimens find their way back but forgive me if I also hope Mary makes enough money to cover her bills. She truly mourned the loss of Bob and dealt with various uncertainties, only recently starting to move on with her life. If you knew how nice a person she is, and how hard she fell and how she had to field calls from vultures right after, you might have a different opinion.

Well, I think the separation of feelings here is since it meant the world to the man who passed away, who from what I can gather wanted it to be as much the museums or the fossil community's to share together and I would imagine keep together as a whole, that it would be honored. I guess Im just old school for a 35 year old.

My father didnt expect to die 7 years ago in a motor bike crash. He had no will yet. My father did everything in the world he could do for my sister and I. Us not getting a dime other than some of his clothing and some things like his keyboard and tennis rackets and such. My stepmother kept every penny of the house sale and everything else. I was jobless and an emotional mess, yet got no offer for a cent. Im just saying, when someone dies, and you know darn well what they would have wanted, cowboy up.

Thats just me though, so not trying to offend anyone.

Jason

Edited August 29, 2010 by siteseer