Collection of Specimens for Research

Your collecting permit outlines your curatorial responsibilities as the collector (see below). If you collect specimens that are to be permanently retained--regardless of where they are kept--those specimens must be accessioned and cataloged into the National Park Service's Automated National Catalog System (ANCS++) and must bear the National Park Service (NPS) labels containing NPS accession and catalog numbers.

Before you begin collecting:

Call the Padre Island National Seashore's Curator's office at (361) 949-8068 to obtain an accession number for your collection. This number must appear on all reports, field notes, and correspondence relating to your collection, and on the label of each specimen collected. Specimens may not leave the park until they are accessioned.

When you are finished collecting:

1) Call the Curator's office and obtain a block of catalog numbers for the specimens that will be permanently retained. When you call, have the following information ready:

a) Your permit number;

b) Dates collecting began and ended;

c) Number of specimens collected (estimates are acceptable for large collections);

d) The name of the institution in which the specimens will be curated, and the name and title of the individual, who will be responsible for the specimens.

2) The Curator's office will send you (or the individual responsible for cataloging your collection):

a) Cataloging instructions, blank and sample worksheets (if needed), and, at the request of the cataloger, a copy of the ANCS+ software, to allow direct entry of data. ANCS+ is a Windows-based, user-friendly program based on a commercial product called Re:discovery.

b) NPS specimen labels and instructions for their completion. If you are using ANCS+, NPS labels can be generated electronically. Labels should be printed on archival quality (acid-free) paper or Tyvek using permanent ink. All labels MUST contain Padre Island National Seashore (PAIS) accession and catalog numbers in permanent ink, in this format: PAIS-1234 (for the accession number); PAIS 99999 (for the catalog number). Note that the hyphen is necessary to distinguish the accession number from the catalog number. The accession number must appear on all reports, correspondence, and original field records pertaining to your collection. Catalog numbers should be cited in your final report when referencing individual specimens.

3) If the specimen is to be removed from the park and kept in a permanent collection, an NPS Outgoing Loan Agreement form, to be signed by the individual responsible for the loan (all specimens, as well as their derivatives and byproducts, remain the property of the United States). NPS policy requires that long-term loans be renewed every ten years.

4) You must submit:

a) Any specimens that are to be permanently retained, along with your labels and associated documentation, to the repository in which they are to be curated. Specimens that are to be consumed in the course of research need not be cataloged.

b) Copies of all your field records (notes, maps, recordings, etc.) to the PAIS Resource Management Specialist's office at the address below, within a year of the final date of collecting. Please copy notes, maps, and other written or printed matter onto acid-free paper. This requirement is a safeguard, in case original materials are accidentally destroyed or lost in the future. Original field records must be retained permanently in association with the collection.

5) Within a year of the final date of collecting, at least one of the following must be submitted to the PAIS Curator's office:

a) Completed NPS cataloging worksheets and/or an electronic copy of your ANCS+ database;

b) A printout of your institution's catalog records, including fields showing PAIS accession and catalog numbers;

c) An electronic copy of catalog records created using your institution's software (if it is compatible with ANCS+, which can import data from a variety of types of software programs) and a printout of the corresponding records.

If you find that you will have trouble meeting this deadline, call or write the Curator at the address below to make other arrangements.

Please feel free to contact the PAIS Curator’s office at any time in this process with any questions that may arise. We are here to help you comply with the terms of your permit and to make compliance as easy as possible, under current regulations.

Museum Curator

Padre Island National Seashore

PO Box 181300

Corpus Christi, TX 78480-1300

(361) 949-8068

E-mail: Phil_Slattery@nps.gov

Resource Management Specialist

Padre Island National Seashore

PO Box 181300

Corpus Christi, TX 78480-1300

(361) 949-8173 extension 223

E-mail: Darrell_Echols@nps.gov

The Curator's office is located in the Malaquite Visitor Center, 20402 Park Road 22, in Padre Island National Seashore, Corpus Christi, TX 78418.