Dear Paul and all,

What a great topic. Yes, it's a problem all right. The Guam Shell Club
almost folded in the mid 90's. We have difficulty getting members and
getting members to volunteer as an officer. We are a small group. So putting
together auctions, outings or shows, as in the past, is very difficult.

And it is hard to promote a club when its practices are often scorned upon.
For instance, a local TV show about diving (produced by a local dive stores)
had a recent episode state that shell populations have declined on Guam due
to over collecting. While there is arguably some truth to this, overall I
believe the comment was misleading. And it steers away potentially
interested local divers and naturalists from our hobby.

Doom and gloom? Nope. Our small group does have fun and shell clubs do still
serve a purpose. I see this thread has already stirred up some ideas. I'll
be thinking through these while reviving the topic with our members. Perhaps
we can get somewhere with this.

Cheers,
Bob
www.guamshellclub.org

-----Original Message-----
From: Conchologists List [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Paul
Callomon
Sent: Monday, December 19, 2005 11:13 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Decline of shell clubs


Dear all,

Are shell clubs in decline? Anecdotal evidence tends to suggest so. I have
yet to talk to a fellow club president here in the USA who does not lament
falling membership and gradual natural attrition. Recruiting new members
seems a particular problem, and one has to wonder whether this is because
clubs aren't reaching people or because the kind of young person who would
join a shell club is no longer to be found. There are any number of theories
about this, but it might not hurt to air a few more. So: is there a problem?
And if so, can it be solved?

PC.

Paul Callomon
Collections Manager
Malacology, Invertebrate Paleontology and General Invertebrates Department
of Malacology Academy of Natural Sciences 1900 Parkway, Philadelphia PA
19103-1195, USA Tel 215-405-5096 Fax 215-299-1170 Secretary, American
Malacological Society On the web at www.malacological.org

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