Approximately 400 species of mollusks thrive in Sanibel's shallow waters, and their shells wash onto the beaches in great number. Sanibel's shoreline geography and water circulation during winter cold fronts make it one of the best shelling beaches in the United States. The island's abundance of shells led to the creation of a national museum. In her will, island resident Charlene McMurphy established a fund for the creation of a shell museum, which was placed in the care of the Sanibel-Captiva Shell Club from 1984 to 1986 until a foundation was formed. In 1987, the foundation gained the support of world-renowned malacologist R. Tucker Abbott, and two years later the Bailey family donated land for a museum. Fundraising received a major boost when shell collector and television star Raymond Burr agreed to be honorary chairman. In 1991, former shell shop proprietor Elsie Malone gave her inventory of duplicate shell specimens for use in school kits, and those kits have been distributed around the world ever since. The museum opened to the public in 1995, with Anne Morrow Lindbergh among the guests. In 1997, the museum assumed ownership of The Nautilus, a journal first published in 1886, and it was accredited by the American Alliance of Museums in 2010.