my major interest is trying to under- 

 stand what molluscan fauna is present 

 in North Carolina waters and in what 

 environmental conditions it occurs." 



The small collection at the institute 

 grew over the years with species 

 brought in by commercial fishermen, 

 friends and colleagues of Porter's. 

 Drawers, shelves and boxes of shells 

 were numbered, catalogued and filed, 

 and the assistant professor was named 

 curator of invertebrates. Porter es- 

 timates that he now has between 

 100,000 to 200,000 shells (many still in 

 boxes) with over 1300 different species 

 from around the world. In this vast 

 assemblage are 735 species native to 

 North Carolina, including marine, 

 freshwater and land mollusks. 



According to Porter, a seashell is the 

 recorded history of the living mollusk. 

 "You can tell something of under what 

 conditions it's living," he explains, 

 "whether it's recent-living or it's been 

 buried for some time. You can get an 

 idea of what type of environment if 



you have live shells, such as the 

 northern or southern fauna. 



"The reason we have this collec- 

 tion," he continues, "is it serves as a 

 base for any people doing studies. Also, 

 the collection serves as a repository of 

 identified material collected from 

 specific locations throughout the 

 state." 



Porter believes that an accurate 

 record of the flora and fauna of an area 

 can define the ecosystem. Currently, 

 Porter is using this idea to define Lake 

 Waccamaw. As consultant on the 

 molluscan fauna of this area for the 

 Bureau of Land Management, he has 

 discovered some new species. "We 

 have in Lake Waccamaw itself," he 

 says, "at least five different kinds of 

 mollusks that occur nowhere else in 

 the world. The most common, a 

 freshwater mussel called the Wac- 

 camaw Lance, occurs in densities of 

 forty to sixty per square meter at 

 times. You can hardly walk in parts of 

 the lake without cutting your feet." 



The exceptional environment in the 

 lake area comes from its isolation from 

 other water systems, Porter says. 

 When the Carolina bays were split off, 

 lakes like Waccamaw became com- 

 pletely enclosed. "Consequently, the 

 forms that have gotten into the lake 

 have had a long time to develop and 

 become different species. The whole 

 Lake Waccamaw and Waccamaw 

 River area is a small estuary. And, it's 

 just a real interesting and special 

 environment." 



Porter doesn't confine his interest in 

 mollusks and seashells to this office in 

 the institute. He and his wife Pinky, 

 also an avid shell collector, are charter 

 members of the North Carolina Shell 

 Club, at whose meetings he often lec- 

 tures. Vacations frequently take them 

 to places where the shelling is good. 

 Porter has also co-authored the state's 

 only seashell guide book, Seashells 

 common to North Carolina, which 

 is published by the UNC Sea Grant 

 College Program. 



Field trips, displays and special events 



If you are interested in learning 

 more about mollusks and shells, there 

 are several places in North Carolina 

 that offer activities suitable for all 

 ages. This summer when you're 

 vacationing at the coast, take the op- 

 portunity to learn something new 

 about some of its oldest inhabitants. 



The Hampton Mariners Museum in 

 Beaufort has the largest collection of 

 North Carolina shells on display in the 

 state. Saltwater aquariums also house 

 many live mollusks with other marine 

 animals in natural habitats. In addi- 

 tion, the museum sponsors field trips, 

 lectures, films, demonstrations and 

 other activities year-round. All ac- 

 tivities are listed in the calendar which 

 is published every four months. 



A popular educational experience at 

 the museum is the Summer Science 

 School for students entering fourth 

 through eighth grades. Organized like 

 field trips, courses range in subject 

 matter from fish and fishing to elemen- 

 tal oceanography. Pinky Porter will be 

 teaching a course on collecting and 

 identifying seashells this summer. 



For more information on the 



museum and its activities, write 

 Hampton Mariners Museum, 120 Tur- 

 ner Street, Beaufort, N.C. 28516, or 

 call (919) 728-7317. Museum mem- 

 berships are available. 



Live mollusks in saltwater 

 aquariums are also on display at the 

 North Carolina Marine Resources 

 Centers at Roanoke Island, Bogue 

 Banks and Fort Fisher. This summer, 

 seashells will be the theme at the Fort 

 Fisher Center, with programs ranging 

 from shell stitchery to collecting and 

 identifying shells. Shells will also be 

 featured at Bogue Banks in several 

 films, field trips and demonstrations. 

 All three centers have staff on hand to 

 identify and answer questions about 

 any shell brought in. For more specific 

 information on activities, contact each 

 center: Marine Resources Cen- 

 ter/Roanoke Island, P.O. Box 967, 

 Manteo, N.C. 27954, or call (919) 473- 

 3493; Marine Resources Center/Bogue 

 Banks, Atlantic Beach, N.C. 28512, or 

 call (919) 726-0121; Marine Resources 

 Center/Fort Fisher, General Delivery, 

 Kure Beach, N.C. 28449, or call (919) 

 458-8257. 



One of the state's finest shelling 

 areas is Cape Lookout National 

 Seashore. Park Naturalist Ted Ameen 

 has four regular programs this sum- 

 mer: "lighthouse history talk," 

 "wilderness hike," "exploring the 

 national seashore" and "fish with a 

 ranger." Shelling will be included on 

 some of the walks. Cape Lookout is ac- 

 cessible only by boat or the summer 

 ferry service. For a ferry schedule and 

 more information, write Cape Lookout 

 National Seashore, P. O. Box 690, 

 Beaufort, N.C. 28516, or call (919) 

 728-2121. 



And, if you would like to meet other 

 shell collectors, the North Carolina 

 Shell Club has over 400 members. 

 Membership dues are $5 for adults and 

 fifty cents for students. In addition to 

 scheduled meetings and activities, the 

 club sponsors a biannual shell show. 

 This year's event will be held October 

 22-24 at Independence Mall in 

 Wilmington. For more information, 

 write the North Carolina Shell Club, 

 Inc., Carolyn Smith, Recording 

 Secretary, 5300 Fair Oak Road, 

 Durham, N.C. 27712. 



