We are looking for some advice. Say a pairing was found to the Old
Woman iron meteorite. What would be the best course of action?
1.) Donate it to the BLM Desert Discovery Center.
2.) Donate it to the Smithsonian.
3.) Withhold it from the BLM.
4.) Try to prove a point by taking the BLM to court
and risk loosing.
5.) Keep it and not say a word.
6.) Announce it the press and see what happens.
7.) None of the above.
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Wednesday, March 24, 2004 4:30
PM
Subject: [meteorite-list] The "Old Woman"
Meteorite, updates III, IV, and V ;-)
A few times over the years I've posted bits and pieces regarding the saga
of the "Old Woman", the wonderful large (2,750 kg!) IIAB iron meteorite from
the mountains of San Bernardino County, which has had a colorful legal
history, and which has mostly recently resided at the Desert
Discovery Center in Barstow, CA.
Every time I would drive through the Mojave desert to-or-from Las Vegas
or wherever, I would stop and check up on it, usually speaking with either a
very sweet, older woman or her son, the two of whom seemed to be
single-handedly (and on an essentially volunteer-basis) trying to keep the
Center afloat. They both expressed unconcealed frustration at
getting the cooperation, funding, and staffing necessary to keep the
Center going. A few visits ago, the woman had died, and her
son's frustration level had greatly increased, to the point where he was
pacing and muttering and seemed really quite agitated at the subject of
dealing with (according to him) the bureaucracy and noncooperation of the
BLM.
On my next trip some months later, the Center's doors
were padlocked, no operating hours were posted, and the surrounding area
had clearly not even been swept up recently. Looking through the glass,
I could see that the meteorite was still within, but obviously no attention
was being paid to the building.
In a pleasantly-surprising reversal, when I just stopped
by yesterday afternoon, the Center was not only open, but the displays
had been updated and spruced up considerably. Schoolchildren's
posters and drawings of the meteorite adorned the walls. I wandered
around for a while and never did run into anyone who appeared to be in
charge of the premises, perhaps it was a moment when they
were "in the back" at lunch or something.
So this is the view from an "outsider"....I'm wondering if anyone has any
news from within, about the status of the building, the meteorite, or who's
now running the show, regarding this California treasure.
Bob V.? (You've been the Old Woman "Answer-Man" for
these posts in the past....;-)
Gregory
J. Gregory Wilson
2118 Wilshire
Blvd. #918
Santa Monica, CA 90403
