Peggy Williams wrote,
"None of the factors you cited for potential extinctions include individual
collectors (who are often the ones who find the new species); however, much
of the legislation to "protect" the environment is aimed at or impacts the
individual collector. If no one is allowed to collect in an area, so no one
does, how will we ever know what is there? Scientists haven't the resources
to do all the research; amateurs are needed to help with field observations
and to bring "new" species to scientists' attention."

Peggy, I don't understand why you are making the rather artificial
distinction between professionals and amateurs. I didn't. A mollusk neither
knows nor cares whether the person studying it has a doctoral degree. And I
listed several projects that individual collectors can engage in, with
varying degrees of impact on the environment. One of the persons I
mentioned is an amateur, one is a professional, and the third was an
amateur for long years before becoming a professional. I began doing
original research in high school. Every professional can remember being an
amateur if they want to.

As to legal matters, the preservation of natural environments is more
important than collecting. I have to admit that our lawmakers and
conservationists often don't know where to stop, as witness the recent flap
over exorbitant customs fees for legally imported shells. But I really like
the blanket proscription against collecting ANYTHING, even a pebble, in the
U.S. national parks. It's a pleasure to know that Yellowstone can still be
Yellowstone after millions of people have been there.

Yes, it does hamper the collection of field data. Photographs can
substitute for actual shells up to a point, but are not sufficient for
identification in many groups. The appropriate concept here is one of
balance. There should be areas like Yellowstone where collecting is
restricted to a few people whose results will be published and who are
collecting shells for a museum, not themselves; and other areas where
collecting is unrestricted if the mollusk population can withstand it.

Again, some of the things that people (or clubs) can do if they want to
make a difference:

Document the fauna of a specific area, such as a bay or island, without
overcollecting
Update the catalog of a museum collection in your area
Fill in the gaps of a local museum
Volunteer
Show local people the fauna that can be lost if beaches are replenished,
sewage outfalls are added, etc.
Document the effects of local environmental changes
Lead a field trip; give a talk; lead a workshop for kids; talk to a class;
display an exhibit
Keep people talking and thinking about shells
Look at old shells in new ways (UV fluorescence, microscopy, digital
camera, videotape, aquaria, etc.)
Study the behavior of living mollusks (surprisingly little is known, but
we're going to need this information badly to help species recover someday)
Really look at your shells and enjoy them (don't forget to smell the
"roses")

And most importantly

If you find something new, don't hide it. It isn't science if it can't be
communicated. That means publishing the information or at least putting it
on public record, if only on a museum label. What is true for amateurs is
also true for professionals.

Andrew K. Rindsberg
Geological Survey of Alabama