Starting a Collection
STARTING A COLLECTION
Many people have collections of things that are important to them. Some people like to collect coins, stamps, baseball cards, or movie posters. Some people collect autographs of famous people. And some people even like to collect cars or works of art.
Anybody can start a collection, especially a collection of things from nature. It's easy, and it's fun. All you have to do is find something natural, learn about it, and save it! The important thing to remember with a collection is variety. If you had 500 of the exact same coin, that wouldn't be a very interesting collection. Instead, you would want to collect 500 coins that are all different. It's the same with objects you may find in nature. Don't collect too many of the same thing; collect one or maybe two, and then leave the rest for others to enjoy (and maybe collect)
Collecting objects from nature is a bit different from other kinds of collecting. You'll want to be careful not to disturb any living things, destroy any natural habitats, or leave any sign that you were ever there.
Before you collect any object you find in nature, ask yourself these questions:
- Are there plenty of these items around, or am I taking the only one?
- Am I destroying something just to take it home with me, or is it already dead?
- Am I taking away an animal's source of food or shelter?
- Am I damaging a standing plant or tree?
- Can the object I'm collecting be preserved, or will it rot or dry up?
Just because you can't (or shouldn't) take an object from nature doesn't mean you can't add it to your collection. You can draw pictures of objects you see in nature (remember to note the time, date, and location on the picture). If you bring nature drawings or journals into the Nature Exchange, you can get information points for your efforts.
Another way to collect a nature object, such as an animal track, is to create a plaster cast of it. Download this PDF file with instructions for creating plaster casts of objects. You can bring the plaster casts that you create to the Nature Exchange to receive points for them.
