Educational institutions were using Helix aspersa (the Brown Garden Snail) in educational programs for many years. New York State alone used many thousands of snails per year in classrooms. A recent change in regulations by USDA prohibits Helix aspersa in New York (and most other states) because that species is a serious agricultural pest. This prohibition leaves educational institutions scrambling to find other allowable species of snails to use in their educational programs. USDA has provided a list of potentially allowable snails for various states. Allowable snails in New York state include, among others, the native Mesodon thyroidus, and the European Cepaea nemoralis. Carolina Biological Supply is planning to raise native snails from eastern North America to supply schools, but apparently USDA is considering requiring permits to move even native species across state lines. Cepaea nemoralis is allowed in New York State because it is already established and is not known to be a serious agricultural pest, but this species wouldn't be able to cross state lines without a permit, according to USDA regulations. To avoid permitting difficulties, my colleague Abby Bergman, who runs a science education service in New York State, is looking for someone who would be interested in raising a large colony of Cepaea nemoralis in New York State, for profit. He already has over 60 snails collected locally and would like to get about 15,000 snails per year. If you live in New York State, and you'd like to raise snails for New York State school districts, on a for-profit basis, please contact Abby Bergman (914-248-2336; email: [log in to unmask]). Timothy A. Pearce, Ph.D., Asst. Curator & Head, Section of Mollusks Carnegie Museum of Natural History 4400 Forbes Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15213-4080, USA ph 412-622-1916; fax 412-622-8837 ***** Note New E-mail: [log in to unmask] ***** "The views, opinions, and judgments expressed in this message are solely those of the author. The message contents have not been reviewed or approved by Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh." ---------------------------------------------------------------------- [log in to unmask] - a forum for informal discussions on molluscs To leave this list, click on the following web link: http://listserv.uga.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=conch-l&A=1 Type your email address and name in the appropriate box and click leave the list. ----------------------------------------------------------------------