ACA News June 2017, Volume 3, #6

Volume 3, #6 June 2017

Editor: Alan R. De Angelo ACANEWSLTR@gmail.com

Greetings and Salutations!

The Convention is right around the corner. If you have not made your arrangements yet … what are you waiting for? I've attended numerous Conventions and have always had a great time. If you have never attended a Convention … what are you waiting for? I hope to see you there. Visit convention.cichlid.org for more information.

Guess what? If you volunteer your time and effort to the ACA, you get to really be involved in the organization, get to meet a great many people and have a wonderful rewarding experience. If you arrive at the Convention early and have nothing to do, just go to the showroom and ask any of the staff members if you could help out. I'm sure that they could use a hand at a number of tasks and would welcome your participation.

Just remember that if you are volunteering for the ACA, no matter how long you volunteer for, you are doing it solely for the ACA. Not for any other company or manufacturer. At a Convention, you are helping the host club, too.

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BB Back Issues Archive A big Thank You to our esteemed BB Editor who is not only taking on that task but is restoring all past issues of BB and putting them on the ACA website. This is an enormous job, and Daryl is spending countless hours working on it, for a pittance. Daryl's dedication is an outstanding example of how people tirelessly get involved with the ACA. If you get a chance, send Daryl a sign of appreciation for his efforts. He would never ask for it himself.

Also, we will be having five more current issues of BB (288292) in printed form at the Convention. Thanks to our friends at Zoo Med who are printing these for us. They will also be available at BB Back Issues on-line. Â

Buntbarsche Bulletin Send your articles and photos to our beloved BB Editor, Daryl, for inclusion in the Buntbarsche Bulletin. The ACA is paying market rates for your submissions, too. I have seen several people on-line that are fabulous authors and photographers who may not be aware of the remuneration scheme. You do

not need to be an ACA member to write for BB either. So, if you know someone with a talent for writing, tell them about the ACA. Â

Elections I have heard several times that the same people are involved in the running of the ACA as BOT members. However, if new people do not run for office so what can we do? There will be six vacant positions on the BOT this year so now is the chance for new blood to be injected into the ACA. Young or old, Tanganyika or Malawi, you can run for an ACA BOT position and help the organization with your talents.

Send a short bio to Daryl Hutchins my Election Co-Chair at webslave@cichlids.org.au Since I am BOT Chair this year, I am not involved in the electoral process. Â

đ&#x;?° Eletists Something has been bothering me for a while and let me address it now. Every so often you hear the complaint that the ACA is an elitist organization. Okay. Nice statement. But when asked what they mean by that word, elitist, there is no reply.

When I go to a Convention, which is the only actual place you could tell what type of people are in the ACA, I see a wide range of individuals, from scientists to gearheads, all talking

together, laughing together, sitting together and having a good time. There are no segregations, no special sections reserved for anyone or any type of person, just a rather large group of different people united by this strange obsession with cichlids.

If you are at the Convention and feel left out, go to the hospitality suite and sit with a group at any table. I am sure that they will make you feel welcome. Or, walk into the fish room and talk with anyone looking at your favorite fish. It's all right there for you. Or, you can do what I did in Cincinnati, I sat at a random table at night and introduced myself and had Erwin Gundrum, who I never met before, turn to me and say; "You unfriended me on FB." We had a good laugh at that. He was playing some game that was dominating my feed and I told him to please make it stop. By the way, he's back on the friend list!

Way back in 1971, I was a 16-year-old kid and when I attended my first Convention, it was a blast. I was welcomed with open arms by so many people, young, old, new hobbyists, famous guys, even "the" guys that you read about. So, like anything, it is what you make of it. Again, if you really want to fit in, get involved! Â

What does the ACA do? đ&#x;”Ž The question came up about the relevancy of the ACA. It's just a fish club, right?

Nope! The ACA is the only aquarium hobby organization that is involved in the funding of both research and conservation projects. The recent BB (292) had Wayne Leibel's report on past research projects. When you consider, that over the past 10 years, the ACA was an integral part of 36 University-level research projects, it's pretty impressive.

Also, on the conservation side, the ACA has funded the rehabilitation of the animal holding facility at the University of Antananarivo and the KIMFRI laboratory's aquarium room in

Kisumu. The ACA also continues to help fund, in conjunction with the Zoological Society of London, the conservation efforts of Guy Tam Hyok's captive breeding operation of Malagasy cichlids in Andapa. We also purchased an outboard motor for the Park Rangers at Lake Malawi National Park. ACA may also be contributing to the construction of a permanent Ranger's Station at the park to help protect that area from overfishing.

ACA is also involved with the Lake Victoria Species Survival Group and ACA CARES. I would need to go back and read past BB's to find other projects.

No other aquarium-related organization does anything like the above! Â

đ&#x;Œ‘ đ&#x;Œ“ đ&#x;Œ” đ&#x;Œ• State of The ACA The ACA is doing pretty well for itself. Membership continues to increase, new programs have been quite successful, and of course, our efforts in the research and conservation arenas continue. We are on the verge of incorporating several more new programs, too. All of this is accomplished by people who volunteer their time and effort on behalf of the organization. I want to take this opportunity to thank them all for their hard work. I would also like to thank our Sponsors, Advertisers, Vendors and other industry folks who are so generous with their time, product donations and funding. And, I would be remiss if I did not thank you, the members. You are all appreciated very much.

Unlike other Chairs, I have been in contact with you on a monthly basis, so there is not much more to say besides another big Thank You to everyone. Remember, this is not MY ACA, this is not a small group's ACA, nor is it any one person's ACA, it is all of ours. Each and every one of you should be proud of what the organization has accomplished with your help.

Have a great few weeks and I hope to see you all at the Convention in Novi! Â

Alan Â

************************************ Â 2017 ACA CONVENTION, Novi, MI The website is up and fully functional. You can now register for the convention and reserve your room online ...

REGISTRATION

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HOTEL BOOKING

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Go to the website for more information

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B B   N E W đ&#x;’˛đ&#x;’˛đ&#x;’˛đ&#x;’˛ BB submissions pay! If you are an author/photographer

please contact the Editor at webslave@cichlids.org.au for

details.

Rates are attractive, so please consider submitting your articles and photographs for publication in the Buntbarsche Bulletin.

NB: ACA does not assume copyright of images, neither are they added to a database without permission. In the event that we desire to re-use an image in other projects, permission would be sought and supplementary payment is guaranteed.

You do not need to be an ACA member to submit material for publication.

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ACA BI-MONTHLY PHOTO CONTEST Goto: cichlid.org > Community > Photo contest. Â

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Send your cichlid-related news/events to the AN Editor at

ACANEWSLTR@gmail.com and we will be happy to spread the word for you. Allow six weeks lead time. Thank you. Â

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