I received my copy last weekend, so I've almost had time to memorize it...maybe not quite, but I have actually read every page already.  I love the fact that multiple images are shown for the variable species, and I think the scheme for coding historical records vs. recent records is an excellent idea.  There's a lot of info to digest, and I found all of it interesting.  With such a fantastic collector's reference, it made me a bit sad to read that only those with a scientific permit can collect any mussels, at all, presumably dead or alive, in the entire state of Ohio.  I understand the reasoning behind such regulations, but I hope that making them untouchable doesn't insulate the next generations of potential KSC's and GTW's from becoming fascinated with unionids.  There's power in numbers, and when the number of interested indivuals is large, it's a lot easier to accomplish things like protecting and restoring habitat and preventing mass mortality events.  If I hadn't held !
!
a lot of mussels in my own hands, and had the chance to examine them and wonder about them, I doubt I'd have ever attempted to learn their names, or probably even bought the new and excellent book, "The Freshwater Mussels of Ohio."

My congrat's, too, and thanks for a great addition to my library.



Don

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