Dear Shell Friends,
 
After a few months of passive lurking, it's time to emerge from my shell to
make a few announcements.  <chuckle>
 
First, I will be unsubscribing from Conch-L within a few days.  No, it
isn't flying pigs.  It's the too-busy-email-pileup syndrome.  I'm sure many
of you have experienced it.  It's become a chronic problem since other
interests and my Army life have been crowding out shells for the moment.
So after the latest read-fest of 190 messages, I must cry, "Stop the
madness!" and bow out for a while.
 
Oh yes, I also wanted to mention that I got married last month, for the
first and last time.  I waited until the ripe old age of 27 to take the
plunge -- boy, am I glad I didn't marry the previous candidates.
(Looooosers!)  Rob is a SCUBA instructor and a wonderful husband; 10-15
years down the line, we plan to start our own dive shop in Jacksonville,
Florida.
 
For the next few years, though, I'm sticking with the Army.  So here is the
next bit of news:  the Army approved my request to transfer to Honduras.  I
leave in November for my yearlong tour.  That is a lot of time to go
shelling! I will be able to go diving and/or shelling every other weekend
or so.
 
I wish to contact, through the Conch-L community, a researcher who would
like to collaborate on a project I've been visualizing for the year in
Honduras.  I envision an in-depth field survey of molluscan life in the
local waters -- naturally the geographic scope will need to be limited but
will set boundaries upon closer study.
 
I will do the on-site work -- collecting and preservation of animal tissue
(with shells intact), and logging detailed field observations of habitat,
animal behavior, and precise locality using GPS.  I'm not a bad artist so
may contribute occasional sketches.  I need a partner to whom I can send
the data and all preserved material for curation, analysis, final
identification, and at the year's end, publication of our completed survey
results.
 
I have some field experience in archaeology, so have an appreciation for
detailed record-keeping and obscure minutiae, etc.  Best of all, I'll do
the dirty work so my colleague(s) would only have to worry with the
think-work.  We'll be in immediate contact via email, as necessary.
 
Would prefer partner(s) who are either academics or have established
"expert" credentials such as Paul Monfils, Doug Shelton, et al.  Having a
connection to a sympathetic museum which could accept the lots of specimens
would be a big plus.
 
This could be a fine opportunity to make a publishable malacological
contribution.  If any of you know of someone who might be interested in
collaborating on this, please pass it along.  I would be happy to discuss
the concept in greater detail by private phone or email.
 
I will certainly have an email address in Honduras so this isn't goodbye
forever.  (And I am not leaving until November, anyway.)  It's been great
meeting so many other mollusc enthusiasts and researchers!  Conch-L is a
true resource -- certainly the healthiest list of which I've ever been a
member, and we can all be proud since we have collectively made Conch-L
what it is.
 
Best wishes to you all,
 
 
Jenny Cline (formerly Scarboro)
401 S. Twin Creek Dr #9C
Killeen, TX 76543 USA
email [log in to unmask]