James Cheshire wrote,
"I would probably go to the Bahamas, too, but of course I can't afford it.
But in case the Bahamas ban shell collecting, I have ten barges loaded with
rocks, and I will just find a shallow area and dump the rocks. 'Poof!' My
own private island!!"

Well, James, when I was about your age, I read about a man planning to do
just that, only the shoal was off the coast of southern California and he
was going to call the new island Abalonia. The shoal was supposedly just
outside the territorial limit of the United States, which was then defined
as only 3 miles offshore. I never learned whether this news item was an
urban legend or a real event, but in any case it can't be done anymore, as
the limit is now, what, 200 miles offshore? The only unclaimed areas are in
very deep water.

I suppose you could still plan an underwater community, or live on a boat.

To get to more practical matters, the Bahamas, unlike most of the other
places that are discussed on Conch-L, are not very far from the United
States, and some of the best parts are inexpensive. When you are a bit
older, you'll be able to sign up for courses at the San Salvador Field
Station, which has its own dormitories. Some colleges subsidize trips to
the Bahamas for their students. As a college student, if you're still
interested then, you will be able to apply for grants to travel and work on
shells. So you have a lot to look forward to.

Also, the saying goes that the best place to find shells is sometimes a
museum drawer. You know that some of the world's top experts on freshwater
mollusks, and some of the largest collections, are in Columbus, Ohio. Why
not give them a call and see if you can get a tour of the facilities (maybe
together with the local shell club)? Of course, you don't want to waste
their time, since they have their work to do, and if you call during the
busy time of the year you may have to wait, but many curators are pleased
to run occasional tours for groups, especially if their salary is paid from
public taxes. It doesn't hurt to ask, and you can learn a lot about shell
collecting in an hour by seeing a professional lab.

Andrew K. Rindsberg
Geological Survey of Alabama