Individual Assignment: Memorandum

 MEMORANDUM 

To: Adrienne Adams, Speaker and Head of the New York City Council 
From: Yesenia Rangel Sosa, Undergraduate Student at the City College of New York 
Date: September, 10, 2024 
Subject: Stopping the Private Sale of Fossils in New York

 

I would like to bring to your attention the private sale of fossils in New York and how it is urgent that we put an end to these purchases. This is a growing market that gets more dangerous as it expands.

In 2022, a commercial paleontologist named Jason Cooper discovered a Stegosaurus fossil named “Apex” in Colorado. A commercial paleontologist digs up fossils and sells them to anyone interested. In 2024, the auction house Sotheby's auctioned off “Apex” for $44.6 million. According to the New York Times, it was sold to a billionaire and private collector, Kenneth Griffin. The auction house said Kenneth Griffin plans to “explore loaning the specimen to a U.S. institution.” However, there is a very high chance that the specimen will not be inspected by paleontologists. Additionally, Jim Kirkland, a paleontologist, saw photographs of the specimen and said it could be scientifically valuable because of its completeness. With specimens like “Apex” in private hands, we lose scientific knowledge that could further our understanding of life on Earth.

I would like to propose a bill to ban the sale of fossils to private collectors or, alternatively, the specimens be examined before they are sold. Each time a fossil gets sold to a private collector, we lose valuable and useful scientific information. This does not allow us to display specimens to society, more specifically younger generations, who would like to learn about prehistoric life. Furthermore, please refer to the New York Times article attached to read more about other specimens that have been purchased. It is critical for specimens, such as “Apex,” to be available to the public to be examined, and keep our youth interested in science. Banning the private sale of fossils will be extremely beneficial to our knowledge of prehistoric life and the future of the science field.

Thank you so much for your time and consideration. If you have any further questions about any of this information, please contact me at: yeseniars2019@gmail.com. I look forward to hearing back from you soon and furthering our understanding of life on Earth.

Attachments: https://www.nytimes.com/2024/07/17/arts/design/stegosaurus-auction-44-million.html

Weblink: New York Times article discussing “Apex” and other specimens being sold off.