Hi Everyone,
This is in reply to Lyle’s request for information on COA membership; it is basically $25/year for domestic memberships (this includes bulk mailing of four issues of American Conchologist. Please find more relevant info at http://www.conchologistsofamerica.org/join/. (Membership is a bargain if you consider the high quality of American Conchologist, if nothing else.)
This thread has been very enlightening to me, showing interesting and diverse points of view regarding the convention and, most of all, the bourse. I am sure the COA board will take all these comments and suggestions very seriously when choosing venues for upcoming conventions and refining the logistics of the bourse. For those not acquainted with the bourse, it is a show in itself; nowhere else can one see so many of the latest finds and rare specimens under one roof. Of course we want to encourage you to buy at the bourse, but even if you don’t, you’ll enjoy the camaraderie and the visual impact at the bourse.
And, yes, as mentioned by Tom Eichorst in his earlier message, the COA grants program (which draws mostly from convention revenues and shell club funds) is very well-established within the academic community as a means of support for graduate students and young researchers in Malacology, in the USA and abroad. (I can attest to that, having received three COA grant awards, between 1989 and 1995.)
Become a member, go the convention, stay at the convention venue, support COA!
José H. Leal, VP, COA
________________________________________________________
José H. Leal, Ph.D., Director and Curator
The Bailey-Matthews Shell Museum
Editor, The Nautilus
www.shellmuseum.org
3075 Sanibel-Captiva Road
Sanibel, FL 33957 USA
(239)395-2233
fax (239)395-6706
Please consider the environment before printing this e-mail
________________________________________
From: Conchologists List [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Lyle Therriault
Sent: Tuesday, July 27, 2010 8:29 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: [CONCH-L] COA Conventions
My posting to this subject came a few days later from when I actually wrote it, and I wanted to comment again on a few things.
I believe everyone who has responded to this thread has made some valid points. Florida, it seems, is a hub for shell collectors. Therefore, it only makes sense to have a convention here as opposed to other various locations. Since I live in NC, it is feasible for me to drive down there not only to attend shows, but to meet and see a lot of people who are close to this area.
Also, would it be possible for someone to perform some demographic work concerning such? It would make sense to at literally no cost other than a few hours of someones time. I suspect the internet could provide most of this data.
All this talk has made me finally want to join COA. Where do I send my dues to?
And finally....regarding the auctions, I think if this were to work the shells would have to be things we couldnt normally find online on those websites which many of us peruse almost daily. I also believe such auctions need to be kept in a realm to where the material offered is actually affordable, not auctions where every specimen is super rare and costs thousands of dollars. I also liked Marcus's ideas.
I also would think that somewhere there would be a willing school that could let use of their gym or other facilities to host a convention and still be open to the public for all to enjoy. Has anyone ever tried this approach? It would be beneficial to both parties
Sincerely, Lyle
-----Original Message-----
From: Ellen Bulger
Sent: Jul 27, 2010 6:26 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: [CONCH-L] COA Conventions
I come at it from a natural history angle, rather than a pure collector's point of view. I'm often as intrigued by the organisms on the shell as by the shell itself. And I am often very interested in damaged shells that have repaired themselves. That's some life history there. And drilled shells with holes from octopus or snail predation, are pretty neat too. These kinds of damage give us clues about how these animals are surviving (or not!). Jim Cordy gave me a couple of lovely little helmets on our last trip that he pulled out of an octopus midden. The shells are pretty close to perfect. But when I spot the tiny holes (and you have to look very hard to see them) and am not troubled by the damage they represent. I respond like any eight-year-old kid with a pulse. I think WAY COOL OCTOPUS DAMAGE! And it's all I can do to resist taking a couple of laps around the room in utter excitement. Damage? Nah! That's value added, IMO.
But I like Xenos, those unusual animals that attach odds and ends. X. conchliophora, which is what I have been able to self collect, rarely attach the pretty little selection of intact shells that some of the Indo-Pacific spp. do. They mostly attach bits of rubble. But again, that gives you some history, some information. And I'm more interested in satisfying my curiosity than the glory. I am sure I am not alone in this. You don't have to be a nerd or an artsy type to see the beauty of imperfection. You just have to have lived a little.
On Tue, Jul 27, 2010 at 5:38 PM, Martin H. Eastburn <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
What surprised me was no one wanted a somewhat rare shell (location rare)
that had any calcium or worm growth or even coral. I would think a professional
would take it as they would from a adventure trip and clean it as they would do
and not use chemicals that they would not.
Yes it is work, but there is glory also. I was just wrong, they wanted oiled
and show ready shells. That had and still has me puzzled.
Martin
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