During our season, presentations about shells or related nature topics are made by qualified experts, who show visuals and often display some of their "finds". They bring a breadth of knowledge and experience, so a question and answer session follows their program. Refreshments are served and there is an opportunity to interact with the speaker and other attendees. The presentations are free and the public is always welcome.

The club plans to hold seminars in January, February, and March 2023, in Rose Hall at the Marco Island Library, 210 S. Heathwood Drive.    

January 6, 2023-- 3:40  p.m.-- Tony Mauriello, a Florida naturalist, will speak about beachcombing and junonias.

February 3, 2023--3:00 p.m.--Our speaker, Kristine Zikmanis, is a PhD candidate at Florida International University working in the Marine Community and Behavioral Ecology Lab. She has served as the FIU-Rookery Bay Graduate Research Assistant and was then awarded the Margaret A. Davidson Fellowship through the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Her dissertation research is focused on understanding the impacts of altered freshwater flow on juvenile bull sharks in the Ten Thousand Islands.

Introduction to Sharks--The Rookery Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve serves as an important nursery area for many different shark species. Kristine  will guide attendees through what makes a shark, what species can be found in our area and why estuaries are important habitats for these species. She will also walk us through some interesting research that is being conducted on sharks in our own backyard!

March 3, 2023--3:00 p.m.-- Everything you want to know about Junonias--Rebecca Mensch will present a program on junonia shells. Rebecca  completed her B.S. in Marine Biology from Florida Institute of Technology. She completed her Master of Applied Science with Honors from Auckland University of Technology. Her master’s thesis was on the taxonomy of the deep-sea squid genus Chiroteuthis. Rebecca worked at the Bailey-Matthews National Shell Museum for the past 8.5 years as a Senior Marine Biologist, but unfortunately, was laid off after Hurricane Ian.