Kim hit several nails directly on their heads with his call for US
(ie, organized, active collectors) to start fighting back, before the
last beach is closed to shelliing, and owing a collection is a Fedeal
offence!!   I must admit, i thought the COA was already quite active
with lobbying, at least on the state level, and local clubs certainly
sposor educational programs about conchology.  However, it seems we are
not being heeded.  A question was asked "Don't politicians read?"  Well,
the DO read letters- especially handwritten ones which are obviously not
"form letters".   A few good letters (or a few dozen!!) can cause many
polititians to reconsider their position, or at least check out some of
the references to research and such, included in the letters.
    I agree with Kim that an ORGANIZED, active resitance to the current
tendancy of legislators to view collecting bans as an easy, cheap way of
appeasing environmentalists who haven't done their homework, while doing
very little to diminish the still-accelerating rate of habitat
destruction and degredation which is the true cause of virtually  all
population declines worldwide (and often, as with this "beach
renourishment" misadventure, actively and severely damaging habitats
themselves!!!).  This may sound like a cop-out, but i will ACTIVELY
support anyone who wishes to take up the ball and get the campaign
going.   Vive la resitance!!! (once it gets properly born, ie!!)
 
Resisting the death of Conchology,
 
Ross M.