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