The question of where our new collectors are coming from has been ruminated over for more years than I can remember. It was Tucker Abbott who once said that this hobby [conchology] has waxed and wanned since a formal hobby has been in existence. And hobbies like shell collecting do tend to go through periods of disinterest.
The bigger question is what are we, the "senior" collectors, actively doing to bring in new and younger faces into the hobby. A shell Web site alone will not be able to compete with the new media available to young people today (Club Penguin for youngsters, MySpace and FaceBook for Tweens and Teens among hundreds of community sites and Blogs!).
Another influence is the growth of the virtual shell club on our desktops. In many cases the importance and interest in local shell clubs has all but evaporated. Many major shell clubs in the U.S. have stopped meeting and shut down due to dwindling numbers of members. Has the 24/7 shell club caused clubs to fold? Yes, it probably has had a major impact.
The Long Island Shell Club, the first shell club I joined when I was 17, was a great example of how young people were brought into the hobby on a regular basis. The club's activities and promotion to schools and libraries kept a steady flow of people under 30 coming into the club. Even with that kind of promotion to bring in young people, the club ended up "closing shop" after the club's core group retired and started to move out of the area. A number of the former members are now active members in clubs where they have retired. So the interest has shifted to new locations.
So what does this all mean? I believe the hobby is going through a phase where there are fewer means in which to actively interest young people in our hobby. The flow of new faces that came from the military has been dwindling through military base closings overseas, and those overseas in the military are now involved in fighting a real war away from the ocean. No influence there.
Schools "are" actively promoting conservation in the classroom. I know this from my daughters' classwork. Collecting for personal interest is not considered P.C. And yes, even 9/11 can be blamed, in a small way, for diverting interest away from extracurricular hobbies.
It is up to us to find ways to raise awareness about the beauty of the natural world and educate the public that smart, sensible collecting does not impact the environment. It gives further reason to preserve the environment in which our beloved shells inhabit.
Okay, time for me to step down off the soap box.
Rich
---- Original message ----
>Date: Mon, 4 Feb 2008 10:42:36 -0800
>From: Peter Egerton <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject: Re: [CONCH-L] Poll results
>To: [log in to unmask]
>
> Marcus,
>
> The longer a person has collected, the more likely
> they are to know of your site or CONCH-L and be in a
> position to take part in the poll. One should keep
> in mind that many people start a hobby such as shell
> collecting slowly, becoming more involved with it
> and developing resources and contacts after a few
> years. This would most likely explain the paucity of
> recently-started collections.
>
> Cheers,
> Peter
>
> At 07:35 AM 04/02/2008, you wrote:
>
> The results show that the last five years are
> catastrophic.
> Without them, the average percentage is of 7.5%
> each five years, for
> collectors <30y.
>
> What happened during these 5 years, which cut the
> flow of newcomers ?
>
> Hurricanes, global warming, twin towers remnant,
> new millenium, increasing
> poverty of the younger generations ?
> Any idea, List ?
>
> Olivier Caro
>
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> --
> Peter Egerton, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
>
>- - - - - - - Shell Collector & Website Designer - - - - -
> - - - - -
>
> Portfolio Website: www.peteregerton.ca
> Peter's Seashells Website: www
> .petersseashells.ca
> Email:
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