Tag: Shell Club

SHELL OF THE MONTH – NOVEMBER 2011

Conus bengalensis, Okutani,1968
“The Bengal Cone”
trawled by fisherman 100m
muddy sand bottom with rubble
Andaman Sea, off Phuket, Thailand 2010
One has to wonder where this shell was hiding for so long as it was not known until 1968. The Bengal Cone is a member of the group of textile cones, which many consider the most beautiful of all shells. It is very similar to Conus gloriamaris and possibly confused. It is large, elongate, glossy and of course tented. There are two populations of Conus bengalensis. The first is from its namesake location, India’s Bay of Bengal. The other is from the Andaman Sea off the coast of Thailand. The Andaman Sea populations tend to have an elongated tapering spire giving the shell an elegant appearance. Our shell of the month is just such a specimen. The India populations commonly have a compressed spire and sometimes slightly concave sides. As with most large cone shells, growth comes in spurts resulting in growth lines running the length of the shell. Looking closely at this specimen one can see where where growth stopped and started. Many specimens have ugly scars where breaks in the shell has healed, not this one. Our specimen is about 93mm is length making it average in size, fully adult and with a mature thick lip. It would sell for $50-70 at retail. Larger specimens can easily bring double the price.

WAREHOUSE CLEAN-UP PARTY, SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 5

Mark Saturday, November 5th as the date when we will all gather at the Shell Club warehouse to get it organized for the upcoming Shell Show season.  Plan on arriving about 9:30 AM and for those not familiar as to the location of the warehouse in Pompano please call Nancy Galdo at 305-531-0036 for directions.  Bring some water and snacks if you desire.  We will go out to lunch after we have finished.  The more there are the faster we will get done!

NOAA CORAL REEF CONSERVATION LOOKING FOR SUPPORT STAFF

The NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program is hiring five (5) Regional Management Support staff for one-year positions in American Samoa, Florida, Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and Puerto Rico. While these are not fellowship appointments, the work assignment for these positions might be of interest to those looking for opportunities to work in coral reef areas. Each position has a different set of responsibilities, though all relate to coral reef conservation.

The hiring process is being handled by a contracting company; all questions related to the positions, recruitment and timeline should be directed to them. These positions are listed at: http://www.oakmgmt.com/careers.html

The recruitment process is open now and closes October 24, 2011, with work to begin January 2012. Any questions regarding the recruitment process, salary, benefits, timeline, etc, should be sent directly to the company identified in the link above who is handling this process – their contact information, detailed job descriptions (listed as NOAA NOS) and application procedures are outlined there.

BLOWING ROCKS PRESERVE FIELD TRIP

BLOWING ROCKS PRESERVE – October 15th, 2011, starting at 9:00 AM

The park is located at 574 South Beach Road in Hobe Sound.  The phone number for the park is 561-843-3793.  The cost is $2.00 per person at the gate (cash only).  Please call Doug Fisher at 561-843-3793 to let him know if you are attending.  You can also go online for more information to: www.nature.org/ourinitiatives/…/blowing-rocks-preserve.xml

Plan on bringing your own picnic lunch and plenty of water and sunscreen.  There is good snorkling but NO LIVE SHELL COLLECTING – dead shells only.  Drive time from Pompano is about 1hour, 20 minutes.

Coming from the south using I-95: go north on I-95, take Jupiter exit 87A (Indiantown Road), continue east on Indiantown Road to US 1.  Turn north (left) on US 1 to Jupiter inlet.  Immediately after crossing the bridge turn right on S. Beach Road (CR707).  Drive 2 miles and look for preserve sign on right.  Parking is ½ mile ahead (both sides of road)

OCTOBER PROGRAM

The Program Title is “Secrets of the Lake Worth Lagoon“. Carole Marshall has been studying mollusks for 45 years. She has given many shell programs throughout this time to Conchologists of America, American Malacologists Society, Texas and Clearwater  Shellers’ Jamborees and many shell clubs throughout the United States. Most recently she has given this program at the  Green Cay Nature Center and the Pratt Whitney Retirees Group.

As a docent at the John F. Kennedy Cold War Museum on Peanut Island Florida, she spent her spare time combing the beaches and was encouraged to study the Peanut Island Mollusks. She is presently writing a book on the Seashells of Peanut Island.  As another docent, she got to know the rich history of Peanut Island and the Lake Worth Lagoon, along with the flora and fauna and she will share it with you.

Carole is a past president and program chairman of both the Broward Shell Club and the now defunct Palm Beach County Shell Club. She was also president of the Treasure Coast Shell Club. Her most lasting accomplishment was testifying before the Fish and Wildlife Conservation department at many committee hearings.  There was a movement to abolish shell collecting in Manatee County and through her efforts she rallied several other shell clubs to testify on behalf of shell collecting. Shelling is still allowed in that county. She also testified on behalf of shell collectors during the NOAA hearings during the Florida Keys Sanctuary hearings traveling to Silver Springs Maryland and Marathon, Florida to testify.

MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT

Hello everyone!

I’d like to take this opportunity to say just a few things.  First of all, a HUGE THANK YOU to Bob Pace for all of his hard work and dedication as our outgoing President.  A special Thank You to Alice for her support too!  Second, I want to tell you how much I am looking forward to the upcoming year.   We have a wonderful organization that includes all levels of interest from beginning to more scientific collectors as well as lots of arts & craft folks.  There is something for everyone.

The Board (thank you all for continuing on in your positions from last year!) and I are very interested in hearing your comments and suggestions and look forward to working together to continue the growth of the Club.   If you would like to volunteer to help with any aspect of the Club, please contact me or any Board member.

We will have lots of exciting activities this year beyond our monthly meetings, including a field trip to Sanibel Island to visit the Bailey Matthews Shell Museum, an overnight trip to Gainesville for a visit to the Florida Museum of Natural History which will include a behind the scenes tour with the curator, the annual collecting/picnic trip to the Keys as well as the Shell Show in January.  As you can see, we will be very busy!  I hope each one of you will become more involved in YOUR club!

– LINDA