Shea Oniiru wrote,

> In areas where shelling can be easily done, competition can kill a shell
club experience for a potential new member.  If local shells have become
scarce, or most of the active shellers in a club are also selling shells,
sometimes they can become very competitive.   They don’t want to take new
members shelling, nor do they want new members to find out where the local
shells can be found.  If you’re not an active sheller, you can be greeted
warmly as a new customer.  However if you’re an active sheller, you may be
given the cold shoulder as an invader into their turf.  What fun is that?

I agree. In the long run, of course, such divisive clubs tend to fall apart
on their own, but the process can be destructive, and the situation may seem
hopeless. But cooperative people are not helpless against competitive
people. They do have to be more creative.

Start a new club with a new rule: Everything collected on field trips is
pooled at the end of the day and divided into even lots by a member chosen
at random. Members then draw straws for the lots. Under this rule, it
becomes advantageous for the most experienced collectors to share their
knowledge. The most competitive personalities probably won't join the club.

Good luck. It won't be easy.

Andy

Andrew K. Rindsberg
Geological Survey of Alabama

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