For a closer look at the programs and institutions your support sustains, visit the Our Work section of our site.

Thank You for helping us protect what the world too often overlooks.

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Support Our Work

The Wagenknecht Society began not in a boardroom, but in disillusionment: when the promise of space exploration proved narrower than truth itself. What was once sold as limitless turned out to be bound by politics and convenience. Out of that collapse came a rediscovery—the ocean, overlooked and ordinary, is often the greatest frontier of all.

From hermit crabs dismissed as “wreckers,” to giant clams forgotten because they hold no profit, our work begins with what others abandon. Balance restored in a single aquarium grew into a mission: that overlooked lives matter, and that precision, persistence, and care can change the outcome.

The ocean is more than water—it is a living time capsule. It has borne witness to the rise and fall of kingdoms, colonies, and empires, and it will remain long after we are gone. The Society is committed to preserving not only species, but also the human relationship with the sea.

Why give?

  • For the World

    By a citizen of the world.

    Our founder’s roots cross borders: Spanish and Chinese ancestry, born in the Philippines, with a mind shaped in the United States. Her mother was educated in a German school and passed that discipline on, and today Angelica is engaged to a German. These threads of heritage and experience shape a worldview that is both local and global—grounded in place, yet open to the world.

    That perspective guides the Society’s work: building bridges across nations, supporting reef restoration, and funding research into overlooked species that sustain life far beyond any one shoreline.

  • For the Nation

    By one of its own.

    The Philippines holds some of the world’s richest yet most vulnerable marine ecosystems. But many of its species—especially hermit crabs, clams, and invertebrates—receive little to no attention, funding, or protection.

    Your support helps:

    1. Advance open-access research for local scientists who strive to support overlooked species

    2. Equip local educators and youth with conservation tools

    3. Document species at risk of disappearing unseen

    4. Restore coastal habitats vital to national food security and resilience

    Science moves forward when ordinary people believe that their country’s ecosystems deserve global respect.

  • For the Locals

    By a fifth-generation local.

    For the locals, by a fifth-generation local. This isn’t charity flown in from elsewhere—it’s continuity. Families like ours have lived beside these coasts for generations, and with that comes a responsibility to give back.

    We work alongside fishermen, families, and coastal communities to build education programs, create sustainable livelihoods, and share guardianship of the reefs. Because caring for the sea is not ownership—it’s trust. A trust to be lived, taught, and passed down for generations.

 FAQs

  • 1. The WSMCI Open Science Initiative

    WSMCI is building the world’s first open-access research archive dedicated to hermit crabs and other overlooked marine species.
    Contributions support:

    • open scientific data releases

    • specimen documentation

    • genetic and ecological observations

    • research accessibility for global scientists

    • public education on overlooked species

    This program ensures that rare, fragile knowledge does not disappear—and that future conservation efforts are grounded in evidence, not trends.

    2. Hermit Crab Shell & Habitat Support Programs

    Hermit crabs depend on discarded shells for survival, yet shell scarcity is a major threat in many coastal areas.
    Your contributions support:

    • the Hermit Crab Shell Airlift (redistribution of shells to areas of need)

    • habitat assessment

    • population documentation

    • ethical shell-sourcing initiatives

    • rehabilitation of degraded microhabitats

    Small species shape entire ecosystems. We work where others don’t.

    3. Local Coastal Communities (Philippines)

    Contributions fund:

    • coastal education programs

    • sustainable livelihood projects

    • youth science initiatives

    • reef and shoreline stewardship

    • workshops on ethical shell collection and marine waste reduction

    Lasting conservation begins with those who live beside the sea.

    4. The Bolinao Research Station & Marine Museum Project

    WSMCI is developing a research station and small marine museum in Bolinao—home to our founder’s ancestral coastline.
    This space will:

    • house field researchers

    • preserve marine specimens

    • document hermit crabs and overlooked species

    • serve as a public ecological education center

    • support sustainable, science-led ecotourism

    This is a long-term, legacy project dedicated to local science and community.

  • Conservation often favors charismatic megafauna—whales, dolphins, turtles—because they photograph well.
    But ecosystems rely on species that rarely make the news:

    • hermit crabs, who recycle shells and keep coasts alive

    • giant clams, who filter water and stabilize reefs

    • seagrasses, which oxygenate and anchor the sea

    Ignoring the small unravels the entire system that depends on a fine balance struck by nature.

  • We are modeled after historic scientific societies, not marketing-driven NGOs.
    That means:

    • accuracy over aesthetics

    • data over spectacle

    • open science over gatekeeping

    • long-term stewardship over short-term campaigns

    Angelica is a fifth-generation local of the primary region we serve, with family rooted beside these coasts for over a century. Our work is not parachute philanthropy—it’s continuity, responsibility, and homecoming. Our roots are literally in the sand—and that means our commitment isn’t temporary. It’s home, and it’s for the long haul.

  • We were formally incorporated in 2025, but our work began in 2022 when Angelica first began documenting hermit crab behavior and building what would become the first open hermit crab data repository in the world.

  • Our roots are Filipino, but our mission is global.


    We support conservation, scientific exchange, and open-access research worldwide, especially for species commonly unrecognized.

  • Not at this time. Until 501(c)(3) status and structured field programs are in place, the best way to help is through contributions and amplifying awareness.

  • Yes. We collaborate with scientists, universities, and coastal communities where shared values and ethical frameworks align. Each project undergoes independent scientific review and is grounded in local context and global research.

  • The WSMCI Open Science Portal is a free-access archive for marine and coastal data that focuses especially on hermit crabs and other overlooked species.


    By pioneering the first global hermit crab research repository, we ensure that both professionals and citizen scientists can contribute verified findings that strengthen conservation worldwide.

  • Before there was a jewelry line, there was a marine science blog. The jewelry business was born not as a separate pursuit, but as a bridge—a way to sustain the work and ultimately return its strength to science. What began in design now circles back to conservation.

  • Learn more by visiting: https://www.wagenknechtpress.com/