Western Section of TWS Service Project – Visalia, California

• Led by Cynthia and John Perrine

This is one part Service Project (recycled electronics) and one part “Museum of Outdated Technology”

Conference participants are invited to contribute to the project, bringing outdated wildlife technology to the conference. The item may be on display only, then returned to the owner. Or, owners may opt in for electronic recycling of the item to make room for conference schwag in their bags for their return home. Note: Individual technology items which have State or Federal agency identification tags will be returned to the submitter. 

Submissions include a photo of the object in use in the field, lab, or office, brief description, year(s) (or best guess using “circa”) of use, and today’s instrument that outdated the item.  Fill out this application if you are interested in bringing an item to display/recycle

Now the fun part! Volunteers will create a “Museum of Outdated Technology” in the exhibit hall. For nostalgia and fun, and also to build an awareness and appreciation of how far we’ve come! 

For Tuesday and Wednesday, the project will include an opportunity for a contest for who can accurately name the highest number of items, and also a vote for the viewer’s “best” item on display, and also awards for the oldest and heaviest item. 

Starting on Thursday at lunch, stop by again for the great reveal of the true identity, complete with photos submitted of them in use, etc. On Friday, the electronics recycler will arrive to take the donated items away!

Imagine how many blackberries and palm pilots we could bring out of the woodwork?

How old can we go? We are talking field studies where carrying a giant Trimble GPS around was considered fantastic – anything for accurate data, right? But what can we find from the days before the electronic computer?

The underlying goal is to collect and recycle these items appropriately. This would be a fun walk down memory lane, and also a service to members.