Report alleges misconduct in collection of artifacts

An investigation of the Burke Museum's fossil collection has led to claims of ethical lapses and poor record-keeping by John Rensberger, a retired professor of earth and space sciences who collected the bulk of the museum's fossils.

A panel of scientists appointed to review Rensberger's work and the museum's conduct issued a report to the UW administration earlier this month recommending a comprehensive review of information pertaining to Rensberger's findings.

Included in the report is an allegation that Rensberger routinely collected fossils without permits. Rensberger gathered thousands of the museum's fossils in a period of more than 35 years of work in Oregon, Wyoming and Montana. Permits weren't needed to collect fossils during the early years of Rensberger's career, but permit requirements have been well-established since the 1980s.

Besides collecting fossils without a permit, the report states that no time or place of discovery was recorded for many of Rensberger's finds. Fossils are only significant to paleontologists in terms of location with regards to other fossils.

Crowley's complaint was issued in 2003, and the first allegation of misconduct in fossil collection at the Burke was made in 1989, but this month's report marks the start of the official UW investigation.