So I caught this clam last July…

Last July I was drifting for channel cats in front of Everts resort when I felt something odd, pulling in my line I found a smallish clam had closed up on my hook.

It was a clam that I hadn’t seen before, but then I’m sure there are many like that. I’m not particularly interested in catching them.

I snapped a couple of photos and went on my merry way. Once in front of a computer I started trying to match up the once I caught with the pictures. Looked like the endangered Winged Maple Leaf to me…but again I wasn’t sure.

I sent a note via email to a contact on the web page. It went to the US Fish and Wildlife service. Check the Date of the email….

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On Tue, Jul 17, 2012 at 3:18 PM, <Briank> wrote:

I believe I caught Winged Maple Leaf clam on Pool 4 two miles south of Lock and Dam #3.

I’m not good at clam ID but I did snap a couple photos.

Since they are endangered, I thought this might be important to you.

Let me know if you need further info.

Brian Klawitter
651-307-8326

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Couple days ago, I received a response….

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Date: Tue, Apr 9, 2013 at 11:30 AM
Subject: Re: Winged Maple Leaf Clam
To: brianK, Phil >, Tamara >

Thank you for your email. I apologize for the long delay in responding. Due to staff turn-over and an email system conversion, this email box was inaccessible to us until recently. I am forwarding your email within this office, to our Endangered Species biologists, for further consideration. Thank you for contacting us about this issue.

Katherine E
Administrative Support Assistant
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

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Crap happens right?

Today I received another email…

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Brian – Can you send me the photos?

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My reply…

Hi Phil, I’ve attached a photo of the clams I caught.
Do the Winged Maple Leaf clams have a slightly nutty taste?

(I hope Phil has a sense of humor. )

Them babies would be very endangered in my house

I thought it was funny.

Can’t wait for his reply.

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I thought it was funny.

Can’t wait for his reply.

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Oh I can’t see how making fun of a guys profession by wasting his time with a joke email would upset him.

BK, what happened to the dancing avatar? Much more becoming then this one.

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I thought it was funny.

Can’t wait for his reply.

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Oh I can’t see how making fun of a guys profession by wasting his time with a joke email would upset him.

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Actually, you wasted three peoples time if you look at who this was forwarded to.

I dont expect you’ll get a reply unless you know the dude personally. Even though it was a joke, Biologists at the FWS take their job seriously and probably don’t appreciate the bullchit. I know I wouldn’t. An apology and the real pics plus location would be the right thing to do…

“Free your mind, your azz will follow”

You are so right.

I shouldn’t have sent a note in last July. Ahhh 9 months ago.

Their time is worth more then mine?

You guys are so silly!

Lol I’m sure he didnt think it was funny.. but I did!

Seriously, you should send him the real picture and see what he thinks (if you still have it). Be cool to hear if it really is an endangered clam. All I have caught are the ugly brown ones.

I was planning on it, but if it’s not endangered, it might waste his time taking the 10 second to look at it.

I followed up with a email shortly after the first one letting him know I deleted it off my phone in Dec. Spent 20 minutes looking through Ido posts and FB to see if I happened to post it looking for Id. Only computer left is the one at the camper.

That’s the way it goes sometimes.

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I followed up with a email shortly after the first one letting him know I deleted it off my phone in Dec. Spent 20 minutes looking through Ido posts

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20 minutes? should take at least a month to go through all those posts!

Just looked in July and August. Ok, last part of July and first part of August.

Reply from Phil:

Yes, I do have a sense of humor. Thanks for checking for the photos. There is one species that is very similar to winged mapleleaf. It’s just called mapleleaf and it’s much more common. There’s probably a good chance that you found some of those.

Enjoy this nice spring weather.

Phil

There you go you stick in the muds!

I sent a link to this thread to my cousin who is a biologist with MN DNR and he had a good laugh. They’re human too and express emotion once in awhile. I actually saw him smile a time or two.

Still funny

Thanks BK and Phil also and everyone else.

Had you caught crabs instead of clams the response would have been much quicker….

Al

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Had you caught crabs instead of clams the response would have been much quicker….

Al

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The response being a frying pan to the face.

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I followed up with a email shortly after the first one letting him know I deleted it off my phone in Dec. Spent 20 minutes looking through Ido posts and FB to see if I happened to post it looking for Id. Only computer left is the one at the camper.

That’s the way it goes sometimes.

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…and had you said this in the original post, I wouldn’t have put on my a$$ hole badge and called you out. In fact, I would have found it pretty funny too. Originally, my perception was that you were jerking around someone trying to do their job for the sake of a few laughs-and justifying it because it took so long for them to answer the original request.

Alright then! All azzhole badges back in their holsters.

Found the photos on my computer down at Everts. Sent them in and here’s the response.

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Brian – Yes, confirmed with a couple of mussel experts – those are three-horn wartyback – http://www.nps.gov/miss/naturescience/musspagehorn.htm.

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Common mussel. Now that I look at it, anyone can see it’s a Three-Horn Wartyback.

Three-Horn Wartyback.

That would be a great name for a band.

Or a disease