Just another thought!!
In Humboldt County, California, there is only one natural history
museum and it's very small. It contains a fairly nice display of most of
our local shells, a few birds and bees (not to be confused with my old sex
education class),and a beautiful fossil collection on display, from the
University. Now, once that you've seen that small museum, you probably
feel that there is nothing else left.
Two years ago we started a brand new shell club (Lost Coast Shell
Club... advertisement) and the objective for the club is to try to educate
the community to the molluscs, habitats, and protection of our local
shells. No we are not conservationists but are interested that people are
aware of what's in their area. As collectors we have put on several shell
displays in libraries, the Arcata Marsh Interpretive Center, the Humboldt
County Fair, have sponsored a shell identification day at the Arcata Museum
of Natural History and have sponsored a nice field trip to Crescent City to
viit an abalone farm. As it is difficult, but not impossible, to collect
in California we, as a club, felt that we had a responsibility to share our
ideas with the greater community. In the group there are no museum
curators, professional malacolgists no people with credentials. We are a
group that talks with young people in schools, hospitals and other
community organizations.
You ask, "but where does the funding come from?" There is no
funding, but things get done. No we are not a large group but one that has
an interest in educating of the beuty that we're surrounded with. (poor
English statement)
If the big organizations cannot do exhibits for us, maybe we should
do a few ourselves.
Dan
>Just a thought! I like that.
> How difficult, expensive, or time consuming can it be for a museum
>with an extensive collection to put out a few cases for people to see?
>Some of the logic issued may require museums to close to the public
>altogether and put up a sign: For Research Only. The public and the
>reasearchers can both be served at the same time in the same building.
>Their needs are NOT mutually exclusive. Bug and bird curators don't seem
>to have this problem. And in most cities with a shell collection, there
>is usually a shell club that would LOVE to aid, help, facilitate.
> Didn't Perry Mason once do The Case of the Decent Docent? Nah!
> Art
>
>"C. E. Pinkerton" wrote:
>
>> Greetings all,I normally just read all the mail and try not to put my
>> two cents worth on the line for all to judge my sanity....how
>> ever...heres a couple of thoughts that may be worth exploring. First,
>> this bit about the museums...I thoroughly agree with both sides of the
>> issue as has been beat to death herewith...my suggestion is trying to
>> establish some sort ofarrangement between museum and the local shell
>> clubs. For instance.....here in the D.C. area we have the wonderful
>> Smithsonian that everyone knows about. They have a docent system
>> whereby when visiting groups, (maybe even singles) put in a request
>> for a private showing, the museum has people they call on to come in
>> and conduct the tours.Not just for shells but for any special area. I
>> know that several of our club members from the now defunct National
>> Capitol Shell Club, worked with the museum on a volunteer
>> basis...Doesn't it sound reasonable that someone of a shell club could
>> be on tap to take visitors to desired areas for study or just to
>> look? Since moving away from the city I no longer know the exact
>> workings of their docent system but I think in almost any case some
>> kind of arrangement could be worked out between club and
>> museum...whether its our shell dept. or maybe dried birds.My other
>> feeble thought is just a reminesence of a childhood
>> experience....which I admit was more than a few days,weeks,years...yea
>> decades ago. We lived in a small Maryland town just outside of
>> Salisbury...and although by todays standards that would be just a
>> hours hop away, then...it was like going abroad...which I might add
>> did confuse my dear father one time when one of his parishoners
>> referred to going the 3 miles into Salisbury as "going
>> abroad".....Nevertheless on one such summers excursion my folks went
>> to Ocean City,and to the beach, with their good friends and children
>> and it was of course during jelly fish season.This good friend, whom I
>> never knew not to have a "Wad" of tobacco in his mouth, caught me when
>> I started dancing after coming into contact with some of the offending
>> creatures who had dragged across the back of both knees.....Yes he
>> caught me, finally, and turning me across his knees, spat tobacco
>> juice on the back of my legs...Yep...it works...I have ( when I used
>> to smoke and before I saw the light) been known to take cigarette
>> tobacco and moisten to put on a bee, wasp, or other stinging
>> critter...It helps, though I dont propose you go out and buy a pack of
>> cigarettes... Cheers to all......Mique
>
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>Just a thought! I like that.
><br> How difficult, expensive, or time consuming can
>it be for a museum with an extensive collection to put out a few cases
>for people to see? Some of the logic issued may require museums to close
>to the public altogether and put up a sign: <i>For Research Only</i>.
>The public and the reasearchers can both be served at the same time in
>the same building. Their needs are NOT mutually exclusive. Bug and bird
>curators don't seem to have this problem. And in most cities with a shell
>collection, there is usually a shell club that would LOVE to aid, help,
>facilitate.
><br> Didn't Perry Mason once do <i>The Case of the Decent
>Docent? </i>Nah!
><br> Art
><p>"C. E. Pinkerton" wrote:
><blockquote TYPE=CITE> <font color="#000000"><font size=-1>Greetings
>all,</font></font><font color="#000000"><font size=-1>I normally just read
>all the mail and try not to put my two cents worth on the line for all
>to judge my sanity....how ever...heres a couple of thoughts that may be
>worth exploring.</font></font> <font color="#000000"><font size=-1>First,
>this bit about the museums...I thoroughly agree with both sides of the
>issue as has been beat to death herewith...my suggestion is trying to establish
>some sort of</font></font><font color="#000000"><font size=-1>arrangement
>between museum and the local shell clubs. For instance.....here in
>the D.C. area we have the wonderful Smithsonian that everyone knows
>about.
>They have a docent system whereby when visiting groups, (maybe even singles)
>put in a request for a private showing, the museum has people they call
>on to come in and conduct the tours.</font></font><font
>color="#000000"><font size=-1>Not
>just for shells but for any special area. I know that several of
>our club members from the now defunct National Capitol Shell Club, worked
>with the museum on a volunteer basis...Doesn't it sound reasonable that
>someone of a shell club could be on tap to take visitors to desired
>areas for study or just to look? Since moving away from the city
>I no longer know the exact workings of their docent system but I think
>in almost any case some kind of arrangement could be worked out between
>club and museum...whether its our shell dept. or maybe dried
>birds.</font></font><font color="#000000"><font size=-1>My
>other feeble thought is just a reminesence of a childhood
>experience....which
>I admit was more than a few days,weeks,years...yea decades ago. We
>lived in a small Maryland town just outside of Salisbury...and although
>by todays standards that would be just a hours hop away, then...it was
>like going abroad...which I might add did confuse my dear father one time
>when one of his parishoners referred to going the 3 miles into Salisbury
>as "going abroad".....Nevertheless on one such summers excursion my folks
>went to Ocean City,and to the beach, with their good friends and children
>and it was of course during jelly fish season.</font></font><font
>color="#000000"><font size=-1>This
>good friend, whom I never knew not to have a "Wad" of tobacco in his mouth,
>caught me when I started dancing after coming into contact with some of
>the offending creatures who had dragged across the back of both knees.....Yes
>he caught me, finally, and turning me across his knees, spat tobacco juice
>on the back of my legs...Yep...it works...I have ( when I used to smoke
>and before I saw the light) been known to take cigarette tobacco and moisten
>to put on a bee, wasp, or other stinging critter...It helps, though I dont
>propose you go out and buy a pack of
>cigarettes...</font></font> <font color="#000000"><font
>size=-1>Cheers
>to all......Mique</font></font></blockquote>
>
></body>
></html>
Dan & Hiromi Yoshimoto
1164 Vista Dr.
Eureka, California
95503-6018
U.S.A.
e-mail: [log in to unmask]
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