An unnamed wentletrap shell found locally was named for Jose Leal, the curator director for the Bailey Matthews Shell Museum on Sanibel. The shell was named Epitonium Leali.
The Sanibel-Captiva Shell Club’s November 2024 meeting will feature Dr. Jose’ Leal, curator and science director of the Bailey-Matthews National Shell Museum and the editor of The Nautilus, a scientific journal about mollusks.
Dr. Leal will present “Greater Than Ever Before: The New Great Hall of Shells at the Bailey-Matthews National Shell Museum and Aquarium,” an account of the work being done towards the renovation of the National Shell Museum’s main exhibits area. The new Great Hall of Shells will display thousands of specimens from all over the world, expanded exhibits of shells in human history and culture, and new educational exhibits about conservation and protecting the environment. With a unified and elegant design by Matter Practice of New York City, this project is the capstone of the Museum’s multi-year rebuild from the impact of Hurricane Ian. It will be one of the largest and finest exhibits of shells in the world.
The meeting will take place on Sunday, November 10th at the Sanibel Recreation Center, 3880 Sanibel-Captiva Road on Sanibel. A silent auction begins at 1:30 PM in the Osprey Room, and the meeting begins at 2 PM in the Pelican Room. Club members will receive a Zoom link for the meeting by email, in case they cannot attend in person. This meeting is open to the public, and free of charge. There is plenty of free parking available.
The Sanibel-Captiva Shell Club awards grants from the proceeds of its annual shell show. Grants are given towards education and research in the fields of conchology and malacology, as well as for conservation and water quality projects, primarily in Southwest Florida. For more information about the annual shell show, or to join the club, please visit the shell club’s website at http://sanibelshellclub.com.
