Cock Goblin Research & Safety Council
Volunteer archive and public bulletin office · Bethlehem, Pa.
Membership pays for storage, sleeves, postage and the quarterly bulletin. It confers no authority of any kind. Not police, not wildlife, not right of entry. It is also not permission to go looking for anything. We put that first because we have had to say it to people who were surprised.
Dues, renewals and field-qualification questions go to [email protected]. You do not need to be a member to report a sighting, and most of the people in the archive never were.
| Class | Dues | What it gets you |
|---|---|---|
| Corresponding | $24 / year | Quarterly bulletin, chapter notices, open lectures. You may send us historical material and help with transcription, which is where most of the real work happens. |
| Field | $42 / year | Eligible for chapter training and supervised watches once you have completed the methods course and signed the conduct acknowledgement. |
| Student / archive volunteer | None | Enrolled students and approved preservation volunteers. Field eligibility requires exactly the same training as everybody else; there is no shortcut in it. |
Two hours. Witness separation, preserving originals, site notes, and the difference between what you saw and what you concluded. Most of it is about the last one.
Culverts, roadways, abandoned structures, weather, animals, other people's property. There is a written screen at the end and you must pass it before you attend a watch. Nobody has ever been waved through this and nobody will be.
With a qualified chapter lead. No baiting, no playback, no pursuit, no trapping, no entering anything, and nothing placed on the ground to see what happens to it.
Field status lapses annually. Renewing means updating your emergency contact and confirming you have read the current protocols, which do change.
Lehigh Valley: second Thursday, monthly.
Delaware Valley: first Tuesday, monthly.
Wyoming Valley: six times a year.
Northwestern New Jersey: quarterly.
Venues rotate between libraries, municipal rooms and members' houses. Restricted case material is never discussed at a public session, and members who have forgotten this have been stopped mid-sentence more than once. Coordinators and current standing are in the chapter directory.
Members do not present unresolved reports as settled zoology. Members do not approach witnesses outside an assigned review. Members do not disclose private locations, and members do not use the Council's name to get through a gate that would otherwise be shut to them.
Suspension of field status, or termination. Both have happened.
Applications go to the nearest active chapter, which will be slower than you expect. Before orientation, read Circular 12-C and Scientific Objections, in that order, and the second one properly. Anyone who joins expecting the Council to confirm what they already believe tends not to renew.
Administrative questions are answered in the FAQ.
Dues and terms current for the 2026–27 year. Approved at the Annual Meeting, 15 March 2026.