April 2010

MASNA Speaks
Is your club or society a member of MASNA? Do you have guest speakers at your meetings or events? Do you have a speaker in mind?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, have you considered the MASNA Speaks program?

This is a valuable benefit to MASNA member societies and we would not want your club to miss out. For more details visit the MASNA Speaks page.

501(c)(3) Status Update
As many of you know we had filed for our 501(c)(3) Non-Profit Status prior to MACNA XXI. We had hoped to get it approved and reveal the news during the annual meeting. We have continued to work with the IRS and on 3/06/2010 our status was approved with an effective date of 9/08/2009.

We are now officially recognized as a public charity under code section 509(a)(2).

Please update your profile
We are asking that all members take a moment to check or update their profile on the MASNA site. MASNA delegates or Member Societies should always maintain complete contact information in their profiles. This will assist us in gettting information and materials to you or your organization when an email or contact is invalid.

View our Privacy Policy.

To update or check your profile, login to MASNA, select Public Area, Update Profile, then click on Manage Profile

Greetings from the behind the glass
April? Check. Spring? Check. Time for a change? You bet! Let's start with a renewed focus. A year ago I said we were going to 'reboot' MASNA. I believe we have done that, of course we are by no means finished. I also talked about our 'core focus' and how we can work towards being a great organization. While we still have some hurdles to clear, we have accomplished many of our goals and continue to move forward. However this alone does not make a great organization. It is our membership and your participation, dedication and willingness to take an active role in MASNA that will help to make us a great organization.

Lets get back to the basics. Last year I asked if I could call upon you, the membership, to assist us in reaching our goal of being a great organization. Today is that call. I want to hear from you. Tell me how we are doing, what can we do different? What can we do better? More importantly I want to hear your ideas on how can we can be a great organization? You can reach me at president@masna.org.

With that said here are just a few items we are considering. We would like to start an Advisory Committee. This committee will help to develop programs and external partnerships to further our goals and shape the future of MASNA. Lets have some fun and a few contests as a way for our membership to win MACNA tickets or other items. Let's bring back the MASNA calendar. Last year we had a lot of requests for this, and it is some thing we need to do. These are just a sampling of ideas. We will hold off on the others until we hear from the membership. So let your fingers do the talking!

Thank you for your continued support!

Steve Allen
MASNA President

MASNA Scholarship
Are you seeking a degree in the Marine Science field? Let the Marine Aquarium Societies of North America help with the MASNA Scholarship.

• What is the MASNA Scholarship you ask? It is a $2500 scholarship for a full-time undergraduate who will be seeking a degree in a marine science field.
• How do I apply? Visit the Scholarship Page on the MASNA website to download the application.
• When is the deadline to apply? July 1, 2010 so don't delay!
• When will the scholarship be awarded? September 4, 2010 during the banquet of MASNA's Marine Aquarium Conference of North America (MACNA) XXII in Orlando, FL.

Please pass this information on to anyone you know who might be interested.

MASNA Live!
Scott Fellman joins us for an open discussion on ideas for cool and different types of aquarium setups, biotope systems, and aquascaping. 

Much of Scott's life centers around tweaking his protein skimmer, scraping algae, cleaning up spills, or figuring out how to unglue his fingers. He has been keeping marine aquariums since he was 12 years old, and during that time, he has maintained all sorts of aquariums, fish bowls, plastic boxes, and just about anything that can hold water. HIs passions are aquascaping and marine biotope aquariums. 

Scott has mentored fellow hobbyists since 2002 on Bob Fenner's WetWebMedia.com site, and was Co-Editor of WWM's Conscientious Aquarist online magazine for a couple of years. He served as president of the Marine Aquarium Society of Los Angeles County, in 2006. He has written a number of articles for Freshwater and Marine Aquarium Magazine, Ultramarine UK, Marine Fish and Reef USA Annual, 'C' Journal, and other online venues, such as Reef Builders, where he writes a weekly blog on a variety of reef-related topics.

Scheduled Time:
Date: Wed, April 21, 2010
Time: 9:00 PM EDT

How to participate:
Call in:
Dial: (724) 444-7444
Enter: 74311 # (Call ID)
Enter: 1 # or your PIN

Facebook user? You can join this Call directly through the TalkShoe Community Calling Facebook application.

MASNA Live is the third Wednesday of each month. Past sessions can be viewed on the MASNA Live page. If you have comments or questions you can email the show at MASNALive@masna.org or you can post in the MASNA Live! forums.

Aquarist of the Year nominations
For 15 years MASNA has awarded an individual who is considered to have made an outstanding contribution to the marine aquarium hobby. This person is selected by MASNA members from around the world. It is a MASNA/MACNA tradition and it is that time of year again. The nominations are open. Please take a moment to cast your nomination on the ballot form.

Consider this form a "write in vote", each entry will be tallied and the person with the most entries will be selected as the next Aquarist of the Year. The nomination process will be open until August 1, 2010.

MACNA XXII, Are you going?
Don't miss the premier national marine aquarium conference dedicated to saltwater aquarium keepers. There will be seminars, manufactures, workshops, distributors, authors, and much more. What else could an reef geek ask for? How about an open bar and buffet reception. Discounted Disney World© tickets. And to top it all off $99/night at the worlds largest Marriot Resort and Spa!

What are you waiting for? September 3 - 5 Orlando Florida. Visit http://www.MACNA2010.com for more details.

In the News
Coral disease in Hawaii: Rapid response team investigates coral disease outbreak in Kaneohe Bay, O'ahu
ScienceDaily.com posted on April 02, 2010 13:03
An outbreak of a disease called Montipora White syndrome was found in Kaneohe Bay, O'ahu within the last month prompting an interagency response team composed of scientists and students to document the extent, spread and potential causes of the disease. [Read More...]

Fish Service Proposes Coral Protections
CORAL.org posted on April 01, 2010 19:41
Washington, D.C. - The National Marine Fisheries Service plans to ban possession of coral and use of fishing gear known to damage coral formations in what is thought to be the largest distribution of pristine deepwater coral ecosystems in the world, according to a proposed rule. [Read More...]

State House Panel Kills Bill Banning Sale of Shark Fins
CORAL.org posted on April 01, 2010 17:32
Honolulu, HI - A state House committee has deferred legislation that would have prohibited the harvesting, possession, distribution and sale of shark fins. Rep. Jon Riki Karamatsu, House Judiciary Committee chairman, deferred Senate Bill 2169 yesterday, effectively killing it for this legislative session. State law currently prohibits shark finning, Karamatsu said, adding that all interested groups should negotiate changes to the existing law. [Read More ...]

For more news and updates you may have missed visit our In the News page.

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