Just when you thought that Peanut Island was '"doomed"" due to the
recent construction, we would like to inform you that through the
auspices of Phil Poland (Clearwater - FL W. Coast) and Marlo Krisberg
(Merritt Island - FL E. coast) that the Peanut Island Mollusk Checklist
has grown significantly within the past month.  There were four
new species added last evening alone due to Marlo's recent visit
(now a total of 495 species and we expect that to go to 500 any day
now). Every time that Phil goes, he too finds something new which
has not been recorded previously.  These guys (not youngsters by
any means) are what really counts in the realm of molluscan studies
- along with their mentor - Dr. Harry Lee.

http://home.sprynet.com/~wfrank/peanut.htm

Bill Frank
1865 Debutante Dr.
Jacksonville, FL 32246-8645
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~~~~~~~~~
Visit the Jacksonville Shell Club Home Page at:
http://home.sprynet.com/~wfrank/jacksonv.htm

----- Original Message -----
From: "Peggy Williams" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Monday, June 05, 2000 10:47 AM
Subject: Peanut Island in Florida


> Dear all,
>
> This report came from Ellie Lahn, who visited what used to be one of the
> best intertidal shelling spots on the East coast of Florida last Saturday.
> How sad...
>
>
> You might be interested to hear about the Miami Club's trip to Peanut
Island
> yesterday. Palm Beach County has gentrified the island. The perimeter is
now
> a public park, with paved pathways lamposts, bathrooms, showers, an
office,
> fenced campsites ($16.50/night), and picnic tables surrounded by planted
and
> propped-up palm trees. They have mowed the middle of the hill that was
> formerly covered with Australian pines, so there's no shade facing the
flat.
> They've installed a boat dock and a pier, where the water taxis and
> everybody else in the world docks their boats, and boats can anchor all
> along the flat and motor through the channel all the time.
>
> The shelling was poor. The olives disappeared off the flat years ago, and
I
> think the stuff under the rocks on the east side too -- but now what used
to
> be an abundant colony of fighting conchs has virtually disappeared. We
each
> found one or two live ones and several dead ones. The water was clear and
> made for good swimming (along with half the world and their kids and dogs)
>
> It seems to me that the county in installing all that construction has
done
> more to wipe out a colony of shells than anything a few humans could do.
>
> Peggy