My wife characterizes me as (among other things) "hard to buy for."   I don't want or need much of anything.  I have found this a genuine blessing through my entire life, except on those occasions when my family is desperately probing me for ideas on Christmas gifts.

The other day I happened to notice in the newspaper that one of our local retailers was advertizing hand-held GPS units for under $120.  It is amazing how reasonably-priced these things have become.  So I mentioned it to my wife, and she jumped in the car and sped off.  She may have divorced me.  But if she does return, it seems likely I'll find a GPS unit in my stocking come Christmas morning.

All of us should be recording latitude and longitude every time we make a collection.

Ultimately the FWGNA project aims to compile "dot maps" of the distribution of every freshwater gastropod population in North America.  To do this we will need to tap into the tremendous wealth of technology that has built up in the last 20 years under the broad title, "Geographic Information Systems."  Lat/Long coordinates hold the key.

Of course you can get such data from USGS topo maps.  There are on-line resources as well.  But what a time-saver to call up the satellites!  So do your family & friends a big favor.  Print a copy of this email, circle the subject line, and slap it on your refrigerator where Santa can see it.

Happy Holidays Everyone,
Rob

P.S. - Make sure the elves check your new machine for Y2K compliance!