[dennis]

Hello all,

If you are reading I assume you know where western Mass is I am trying to start a local Aquatic Plant Society/club in the area. This is in the very early stages, mainly in my head, but I don't want to go to the first meeting alone. I plan on posting fliers adn any other free media I can access once I figure out a better plan. I could use help with it, and same as the real reason for the club, would love to meet other folks like myself.

As I stated, this is in the very early stages and there are still many things left to do. A meeting place and time is first and for most on the agenda. I can provide my home for this or there are plenty of coffee shops, church and VFW basements, etc that i feel finding a location to have meetings would not be hard. Times are very open for me except wed evening. Monday evenings would be great. Weekends are definite possibilities as are any evening the rest of the week. I was thinking that meets could happen once every month but this, like everything else, is not etched in stone.

My hope, once this gets rolling, is that we can participate in many things. Plant swaps, group buys, field trips, auctions etc. Possibilities for local discounts from LFS', CO2 supply and there are many discounts that exhist for not-for-profit groups Plus, and most importantly, camaraderie and a local support group for this wonderful hobby

Please, email me or PM if interested. If you know anyone my area please tell them also. Travel is certainly possible, within reason of course. What is an hour drive once a month.

 

[dennis]

Jim,

Good luck with your quest! Have you made any progress? So far I have only been able to dig up 2 other members, although they are definatly quality people. Both are very experienced hobbiests with plant club backgrounds. I feel fortunate that I have such wondeful and helpful people at my side with this. I hope you find the same

Unfortunatly DC is a little closer to me than you. To be truely fair we would have to meet up in northern N.Carolina

 

[dennis]

Hey Mike,

How ya been? As of right now there are 3 members. Myself, a fellow in Central Ct. and a lady form north Ct about 45mins from me. The three of us are still busy trying to lay the groundwork, design fliers adn locate potential members. The lady, Penny, is a graphic designer and just mailed me the first copies of our awesome flier for distribution. As things develop I will try to post here and update my website as necessary.

There is currently one other member of APC, also in Boston area, who expressed interest and was even willing to travel. Please Mike, don't take that as a jab, I am mearly saying there might be a possibility for car-pooling. Sadly for me, at this point my idea of finding/starting a local club has turned into me traveling an hour Cest la vie

Anyway, if you would like me to keep you updated as to developments in this club, I will be happy to. I am planning on starting an email update once enough members make it worthwhile.

Sincerely,

 

[dennis]

Well folks,

Things are starting to take off a bit. So far there are only 3 official members and if you did not notice, our name has changed to the New England Aquatic Plant Society (NEAPS) Our hope now is to make this a regional society of aquatic plant enthusiasts. One specific change in our plans is that we will distribute the meetings around our individual areas. That way, we will get to see new places and at some point, it will be in your area. To date or official members are Penny Crowley, Bailin Shaw and myself. Penny is a wonderful lady from northern Connecticut who also happens to be a talented graphic artist. Our fliers and web page pdf are all her doing. Bailin Shaw am sure many of you will remember as being on of last years AGA judges. He also helped start up the Dallas-Fort Worth plant society and another in Ok. City. We are very fortunate to have someone as seasoned and knowledgeable in our area. Their loss will definitely be our gain And myself, well you all know me.

Our first meeting has been decided. Saturday, October 30th at 10:30 am in the Barnes&Noble in Enfield Conn. I do realize this is rater short notice and do apologize but its that time of year All are welcome to attend, this will be somewhat of an informal meet, more of a getting to know each other and trying to lay out the groundwork for our club. Also, we will each be bringing some plants for swap/trading so bring something along too Please contact me by either pm or rather email if interested. I will send out directions to all who need them.

Hope to see you there

 

[dennis]

Sorry this is lame but *BUMP*

 

[dennis]

Please come!!!!! There will be a plant swap :twisted:

 

[dennis]

Sorry! Once again my fingers were faster than my brain. I am bad at that. I do apologize.

Folks, meet Penny, our wonderfully talanted aquatic plant entusiest and designer of our beautiful fliers and brochures. Nice to finally see you here APC will only benifit from your experience.

Also, when time permits, an update as to the previous meeting and concerning the next one, on Dec. 11th, will come.

 

[dennis]

Well folks,

Its that time again. Get ready for the second meeting of the New England Aquatic Plant Society. We have several new members since our last meeting. Grand total of official members is now 7 with 5 more interested in joining, or willing to attend one meeting before they commit. There should be 6-7 at this meeting. I am not sure why to wait, but to each their own

We will be taking orders for the official NEAPS Tshirt with a wonderfully designed logo by member/artist Penny. Fliers are have been going up all over the place. One of our members is the owner of Fish Frenzy, a nice new little store in West Springfield, Mass. so a field trip to visit his store will happen after the meeting. A few of us will also visit Point Blank Paintball after that(about 1 block away) to get some CO2 tanks filled and possibly discuss possibilities for smaller setups.

I will be bringing some plants for trade and possibly some unwanted equipment also. I believe some others will do the same.

Any and all are welcome. The meeting will once again be held at the Barnes and Noble, on Hazzard Ave, Enfield Ct. That is a reasonably central location for many of us, and will suffice until we begin a rotating meeting place.

Thats all for now. I hope to see some of you there. Email or PM me for more information. Happy Holidays!

 

[dennis]

Correct

I will have an overview of the last meeting and an update for the next one out soon, both here and at our email list.

Stay tuned!!!!!

 

[dennis]

Happy holidays! Hope the times find you well.

Well, we just had our 2nd meeting of the New England Aquatic Plant Society. What a great time and wonderful experience. It is so nice to meet with fellow hobbyists to share ideas experiences and plants. It is so nice to be around like minded people to share such a terrific interest. It certainly is worth the time and effort to organize a local club.

Aside from the typical plant discussions, many club issues were discussed at this meeting. We have purchased a domain name, www.ne-aquaticplants.com that will be up and running once we get hosting. It will be a good way to start the new year right. Currently our biggest hindrance in organization is funding. As we are a new organization we are not yet charging dues for membership. This is a nice way to entice people to check us out but it leaves the coffers rather bare. We are compensating for this though by funding through Aquabid plant and equipment auctions and official NEAPS Tshirts, available for $15. Please contact me if interested.

We will are also searching for sponsorship from various aquatic supply companies and local fish stores for club auctions and Aquabid auctions. We will be moving our meeting location to a different location in Enfield Ct as the Barnes and Noble is nice, but not necessarily conducive to club meetings. We are currently researching local libraries and museums, if anyone has any suggestions feel free to contact me.

A planted tank and aquascaping demonstration is being planned for use in local fish stores, libraries and schools. We are discussing membership so the various fish and plant clubs and are searching for a NEAPS forum host. We have setup and email list through Yahoo. Go here, http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NE-Aquaticplants to join.

Now, on to the new business. We are about half way to the funds we need for web hosting and I am designing and working on the actual pages for when we have the space.
Our next meeting will be Jan, 15th 2005, at 10:30 am. If there is any change I will post back here and send out emails aswell. Once again it will be at the Barnes and Noble in Enfield Ct but soon we plan on having a new meeting place. There will of course be some plant trading, plenty of lively discussion and information will certainly be abundant.
This meeting will also mark our first actual plant discussion topic: Suitable Plants for the New Aquarium, their use, care and Latin names. That last bit is a joke but so many of us can recognize the names but our solitary internet plant lives tend to keep us from hearing the pronunciations Please think about plants you have found to fit this topic and feel free to bring some if you wish

Can't wait to see you there!! Please, email me if you plan on attending, and post this anywhere people might see it

Regards,
Dennis Dietz,
New England Aquatic Plant Society