Jim and Bobbi and all,
Maybe shells are less interesting to the new crowd because they are static.
The collection, you know, just sits there without moving or changing color.
Field trips and websites may engage the interest of those who need more
stimulation. Observation of animals' activities in aquaria can take up odd
moments of even a busy person's day; maybe COA should say more about how to
set up and maintain aquaria for observing mollusks. Aquariums. Whatever.
They are certainly popping up everywhere, aren't they? We really don't know
a lot about molluscan behavior and any amateur could make new discoveries.
Amateurs should also be encouraged to look in their own back yards.
Landsnails are present almost everywhere but how many of us know which
species live in the neighborhood? What do they eat, what are their habits,
and what, if anything, happens to them after the town sprays for mosquitoes?
This is a hands-on activity that might entice some new collectors and
observers.
Conservationist groups seem to be doing rather well these days. If you look
at the website for NABA, the North American Butterfly Association, you'll
find that each associated local club has an opportunity to post a webpage.
Field trips are posted, especially the annual July 4 Count that is
coordinated across the country, which, like the Audubon Society's Christmas
Count for birds, allows any amateur the opportunity to participate in an
important scientific activity -- one that has even been used to track the
effects of global warming in Britain. These people don't collect specimens
anymore than Audubon members collect birds, but they do go on at length
about observation techniques (binoculars, cameras) and they collect
photographs as vouchers. Maybe COA could take a peek at how other societies
conduct business.
Cheers,
Andy
Andrew K. Rindsberg
Geological Survey of Alabama
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