Nature Exchange - SN Guidelines

Guidelines will vary depending on institution and geographical location.
The following guidelines were established for Science North.

Nature Exchange's Goal

The Nature Exchange encourages people of all ages to appreciate nature and to learn about the biological and physical components of their environment, through observation, background research and responsible collecting.

Our goal is to entice the trader to start a collection and to encourage him or her to research their trading items. We never allow ourselves to be caught up by the value of points being equal to money. If the Nature Exchange lost 100,000 points today it would not have to close up shop tomorrow. The trader's positive experience and learning is always the priority.

Use each trade to help the visitor learn something new. If the trader has improperly pinned an insect, show them how to do it correctly. If the trader has brought in an endangered species that he bought as a tourist, educate him, or if she has collected 100 seashells instead of 10 talk to her about conservation and good collecting habits.

The following procedures outline the general guidelines of the Nature Exchange. Remember these procedures are only guidelines, not rules. Each trade is a unique situation and should be treated individually. When in doubt, trade in - help the trader have a positive experience. Remember an item traded in does not necessarily have to be traded out. If the item cannot be accepted, it is our responsibility to ensure that the trader receives information points for his work, even if we must create that work for the trader.

These guidelines serve two purposes:

For staff: they provide written support when dealing with a trader. They allow staff to explain why Science North does not want to accept particular items, removing the responsibility from you.
For Science North: they help establish consistency in the way we interact with traders, decreasing the variety of possible answers given to a trader based on personal opinions.

General House Rules:

As a general rule, the Nature Exchange only trades items from nature, such as rocks, fossils, cleaned animal skeletons, preserved insect skeletons, feathers, pine cones, shells, etc.
The Nature Exchange will not accept bird nests or eggs, stuffed animals or pelts (taxidermy products), decomposing animal remains, live animals, animal parts (like tails, wings, feet), dead caterpillars, dead invertebrates, feces, preserved specimens in chemicals or objects of historical value (like arrowheads). We cannot accept natural items that are considered endangered or threatened.
The Nature Exchange prefers to receive only one or two samples of each specimen. We set trading of one type of item to a maximum of 10 specimens. Remember...you can get as many points for ten pine cone and some information as you would for 10 pine cones!
Traders may only spend points from their own accounts. If they have been given permission to spend points from the account of a sibling or a friend, they must have a letter of authorization from the donor account holder.
Nature Exchange staff will award points only to items they have seen. We cannot "quote" points for an item that we have not been able to inspect.
With traders below the age of 13, we reserve the right to hold (not trade out) a 'questionable' item for 24 hours until we can telephone an adult to confirm permission to trade in an item. This may apply to specimens of considerable commercial value (like gold samples) or an item that is clearly numbered as a part of a collection of unknown origin.
We do not hold or put on layaway any items at the Nature Exchange. The system required to manage this service is too complicated for our staffing levels.
We do take the names of traders and their telephone numbers if they are looking for a special specimen and would like us to contact them when it is traded in. This information is posted for all Nature Exchange staff to review.

Animals:

Items such as bones and shells will be accepted for trade only if they have been thoroughly cleaned.
Antlers are tradable, however, naturally shed antlers are awarded more points since they are less common and undamaged.
Antlers from a hunted animal are more common and the condition of the antler is damaged when sawed off.
Invertebrates with preserved exoskeletons are accepted. The staff member should stress the guideline of collecting only one or two samples of each species.
Turtle shells from non-endangered/threatened species are tradable. They are comparable to finding a conch shell on a beach.
Seahorses and seastars are an exception to the trading of dead animals. Since they are rarely traded in, and are normally found washed up on the beach, they are acceptable.

Rocks and Minerals:

Slag and nickel matte can only be traded in once, and the points are awarded according to the information, not towards the item itself. Both of these items are considered "unnatural" and are by-products of our mining industry.

Rocks and Minerals which have been polished mechanically by a rock tumbler, lapping plate or lapidary machine can be traded in. They are comparable to samples that become naturally highly polished by the action of water and sand. Specimens that have been engraved (eg; with initials or drawings) or carved by hand (soapstone carvings) are not traded in.

General Ethical Issues:

Jewelry and art work such as a shell necklace, carved cowry shell or polished rock pendant, etc., are accepted but have a low point value. They are perceived as natural items that have been altered or damaged. Items such as necklaces can be taken apart and traded as individual pieces.
Items that can be associated with a religious legend such as a sand dollar or a sailcat fish, can be traded. However, it is suggested that staff should not give legend information unless the visitor requests it. Make it clear to the visitor that legends are only stories and not your opinion about the importance of the object.
Items collected within the building or on the Science North site cannot be traded in. Staff are encouraged to give points for information about the item in question. Use the opportunity for a learning experience about conservation. If we encouraged our 200,000 visitors to the Science North site to collect an item from nature, we wouldn't have much of our natural environment left! Collecting in such a small environment is much too concentrated.