Hi ...
 
this is a message for COA members (or non-COAs who subscribe to Conch-l)
within a day-trip/weekend driving distance to Washington DC, or plan to be
in the area sometime this fall or winter. My apologies to others on this list.
 
The Smithsonian has a marvelous mollusk collection. Unfortunately, much of
it is closed to the public. If the museum allows it, I'd like to try
to organize a tour for COA members to visit the collection and the library
sometime this fall or winter. Therefore, I need to know the following:
1. are you interested?
2. are there any blackout dates when trying to schedule the tour? Weekdays
   would be inconvenient for most of us, so it would have to be on a Saturday.
3. Any specific shell specimens, or books/journals you'd like to view while
   there? (Naturally, we will be unable to see every single shell they have
   but if there are special requests, they may be able to set it aside.)
 
Hopefully, after the tour, we could wander around the museum (you have to
see the giant squid!), and later go out for a meal or drink.
 
Please drop me a note with your answers to these 3 questions. If you know any
COA members without email access, please pass this message along to them. They
can call me at 410-338-4412 (w) or 410-377-2619 (h).
 
I've not contacted the Smithsonian about this yet. I first want to gauge
the response to see if there are enough people interested to warrant the
effort. By the way, I have seen their collection during an Associates tour
several years ago. It is marvelous!
 
cheers,
        Shireen
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Shireen Gonzaga, Data Analyst, WFPC2 group, Space Telescope Science Institute
3700 San Martin Dr., Baltimore, MD 21218, USA.
office tel.#: 410-338-4412, e-mail: [log in to unmask]