Welcome aboard, Nancy.  You'll get a great education on several of the topics you mentioned by doing
a search of the Conch-L archives, including a lot of perspectives on conservation.

I've been collecting around Florida for 20 years as have many Conch-Lers.  Ask away and we'll flood
you with advice and guidance.  If Conch-L is one thing, it's a place of lively, informative
discussion where ideas and differing points of view are welcome (and cherished).  I hope you will
become an active participant.

--
Marlo
Merritt Island, Florida
[log in to unmask]


Nancy Smith wrote:

> Greetings,
>
> As a new subscriber to Conch-L, I'd like to say hello to all and briefly
> introduce myself.  My name is Nancy Smith, I live in south Florida, a few
> miles west of Ft. Lauderdale where I am a self-employed medical
> transcriptionist with a great interest in photography, antiques and
> computers.
>
> My introduction to shells came when I was very young and my father brought
> back a hundred or so money cowries from his tour in the Philipines during
> WW2.   I was fascinated with them then, but have only recently adopted a
> more serious attitude towards collecting and learning about mollusks.   I'm
> a novice snorkeller as well, and it was during my first attempts at this
> that my interest in shells began to develop more fully, on a trip to the US
> and British Virgin Islands a few years ago, where I first discovered that
> fighting conchs do not like to be disturbed and that you can indeed scream
> through a snorkel underwater.  <lol>    Since then I have learned a bit
> more about taking live specimens and am not quite so alarmed at the
> inhabitants' reactions to humans taking a liking to them.  :)    Actually
> just this past weekend I took my first (intentional) live specimens of
> crown conchs, augers and periwinkles from a Gulf coast mud flat while
> exploring some mangroves at low tide.   I was quite proud of
> myself.   <tongue in cheek>   My favorites remain cowries although I don't
> restrict my collection solely to Cypraea.
>
> I know I'm a rank novice in here but I hope to learn a lot about all
> aspects of shells, their habitats, collecting, cleaning and conservation as
> well so please do be patient with all my inevitable questions.  :)
>
> Wishing you all a great day as it storms here in south Florida.  :)
> Nancy Smith