Pardon Me!  I dont want to be a spoil sport.  But one would think that
Sanibel, was the only spot in the world where one could collect shells.
 
Bruce
-----Original Message-----
From: Bobbi Cordy <[log in to unmask]>
To: [log in to unmask] <[log in to unmask]>
Date: Wednesday, December 02, 1998 4:27 PM
Subject: Re: Back to the Conservation Issue - Sanibel and tuna
 
 
>There have been many in FL who have gone to bat on this conservation
>issue.....especially the new laws in Sanibel, etc.        They were knocked
down
>before they could hardly say anything.
>
>As far as lobbying.....we will need LOTS  and LOTS of money and LOTS of
good
>attorneys....remember the tuna industry and tobacco industries have
millions!!!!
>
>ferreter wrote:
>
>> Maybe what we need is a legislative lobby, contact the tobacco lobby ,
they
>> can do anything. on the serious side , we do need a voice where it counts
,
>> any volunteers? . .
>> As for what i wrote last week , it was intended to get both view points
and
>> suggestions on "what can be done to help" but as usual it turned into a
>> fingerpointing and mud throwing event . Hey , I'm a BFT and it's easy to
hit
>> me with mud , now that we've settled down , the question still needs to
be
>> addressed , "What can be done to help ourselves and our hobby". When the
>> World Tuna fleet got flack and boycotts for the killing of Bi-catch
animals
>> like dolphins the Tuna industry began a highly visible campaign of
getting
>> divers in the water to free the trapped turtles and dolphins. the result
, a
>> label that states "dolphin safe" . this boosted sales beyond the
pre-boycott
>> levels. see there is a way for conservation to work but sometimes it does
>> take an effort. mark
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: Kim C. Hutsell <[log in to unmask]>
>> To: [log in to unmask] <[log in to unmask]>
>> Date: Wednesday, December 02, 1998 6:22 PM
>> Subject: Re: Back to the Conservation Issue - Sanibel
>>
>> >Just out of curiosity...why is it that the COA, the biggest mollusk
>> >oriented organization in the United States, is letting itself be
>> >legislated out of existance? I hear a lot about being blamed for
declines
>> >in molluscan populations, but nothing about an active defense? Do we
>> >really want to go the same way as fresh-water mussel collectors and bird
>> >egg collectors?
>> >
>> >Specimens and data in old collections can be informative and fascinating
>> >but only tells us about the past. These tell us little about the present
>> >state of our environment if we can't get out and take new samples to
>> >study it.
>> >
>> >We continually sit by and let ourselves and our activities be blamed for
>> >anything and everything. We talk amongst ourselves, get each other all
>> >worked up, pat each other on the back because we all recognize the
>> >problems and, then, let it go.  It reminds me of bitching about being in
>> >a bad marriage, but being too lazy to do anything about it.
>> >
>> >I get so frustrated with some of the attitudes I encounter, I can hardly
>> >stand it. Mostly it's people who believe that they can go on about their
>> >business...collecting responsibly, or studying their clades, or drawing
>> >their trees, or writing their articles, or dealing their shells...and
>> >hoping someone else take care of defending their (our)
>> >hobby/avocation/profession. When are we going to wake up and pull our
>> >heads out of the sand? There ISN'T anyone else! We're it! And if we
don't
>> >start standing up against bad legislation, we might as well start
hunting
>> >plastic seashells in our bath tubs!
>> >
>> >Kim Hutsell
>> >San Diego
>> >
>> >Bobbi Cordy wrote:
>> >>
>> >> I stated several times that one of the big problems in FL is the
>> >> renourishment of beaches where hundreds of shells and being pumped out
>> >> of the ocean onto the beaches....well here is what was in yesterdays
>> >> paper:
>> >>
>> >> "Panama City Beach - A renourishment project is providing beachcombers
>> >> with a bonanza of shells of all kinds and calibers.
>> >> In addition, dredges are bringing up gun shells expended during
military
>> >> training exercises in or over the Gulf of Mexico.
>> >> Beachcombers usually have to wait until low tides after storms to find
>> >> fresh seashells, but the dredging is providing them with relatively
>> >> untouched specimens in the sand being pumped from offshore to restore
>> >> severely eroded beaches.
>> >> The $21.5 million renourishment is about 40percent complete and on
>> >> schedule, said Rafael Castillo, a quality control official with Great
>> >> lakes Dredge and Dock Co. which has been doing the dredging work."
>> >> Florida Today, Tuesday, December 1, 1998.
>> >>
>> >> AND very soon the scientific shell collector will be told it is their
>> >> fault because the shells are gone.  What a crock!!!
>> >>
>> >> --
>> >> Jim and Bobbi Cordy
>> >> of Merritt Island, Florida.
>> >> Specializing in Self-Collected
>> >> Caribbean & Florida Shells
>> >
>
>--
>Jim and Bobbi Cordy
>of Merritt Island, Florida.
>Specializing in Self-Collected
>Caribbean & Florida Shells