ACA News
Editor: Alan R. De Angelo
Contact: [email protected]
Autumn Greetings and Salutations!
Fall has finally arrived in the MidWest. Cool evening temperatures make it hard to get up in the morning and the cloudy, rainy skies sure don’t help, either. But, if you relish the change of seasons like I do, and the paintbrush of color that has splashed our trees, then once you drag your keister out of bed, you are happy to be looking out at the miracle of Autumn. Beautiful!
On to business …
The ACA is joining PIJAC. It is about time. I mentioned last month how the hobby is under fire from the fringe groups that are attacking all pet-related interests and PIJAC is at the forefront of preserving our rights and our hobby. So, the ACA needed to join PIJAC. pijac.org
Now, the ACA, as a 501.c.3, cannot lobby for anything but we can be a member of PIJAC and still maintain our status. So, while I cannot tell you to write your congressmen/women (hint, hint), I can ask you to support an effort that is helping to educate people world-wide about the good the aquarium hobby does and the sustainable resource aquarium fishes are. You see, the ACA is an organization that supports Conservation, Research and Education. But, while we have the Loiselle and the Jordan Funds to partially take care of the Conservation and Research projects, we have no vehicle for funding education projects.
As you may recall, these Funds are set up so they only spend the interest earned to preserve our capital so we can continue funding projects in the future. It would be too easy to blow through these funds, leaving us nothing. That is why the ACA formed a coalition of other donors to fund the Madagascar Reintroduction Project mentioned last month.
We need your help again! The ACA BOT has decided to help fund another cooperative project. The Rio Negro Sustainable Fisheries Education Project has the goal of educating folks on just what occurs in the tropical fish industry, focusing on Project Piaba, the conservation of the rainforest by the tropical fish industry providing an income for natives instead of those requiring slash and burn techniques of destruction. The average person has no idea about this and the POSITIVE EFFECT the hobby has on the rain forest. It will also attempt to explain our attempts at conserving the gene pools of rare and endangered species through Species Maintenance Programs and the ACA CARES program.
The project is being co-sponsored by Segrest Farms, Aqueon, Brasseler and a few others, too. We are in good company.
So, here’s the deal. The ACA would like to provide $4,500 to the effort. Your BOT has already voted to provide $1,500. This leaves us a balance of $3,000 to fund-raise.
Rewind to last month’s ACA NEWS. I proposed and the BOT had the great wisdom to approve a new membership structure and a place where we can receive donations. This was to allow the ACA to have more flexibility and have a means to raise funds to support projects such as this one. Go to acadonations.weebly.com to make a donation for this project, to the ACA General Fund, the Loiselle Fund or the Jordan Fund. You can also Join the ACA or become a Life Member here too.
Now, so you know how strongly I feel about the Rio Negro Sustainable Fisheries Project, I am personally donating $250 to it. BUT with that $250, I am also upgrading my Life Member status to the newly formed Endowment Member status. That leaves us only $2,750 to raise. I know other members that have stated they will be contributing, as well.
If you can only donate $5 or $10, it will help. Your personal donations, of any amount, are tax deductible. You may want to approach your local club and mention this project to them. If your club wishes to donate, they can do so at the donation site, too. If you wish to raise your Life Membership status, you can also do that by donating to the cause. (Please inform our Treasurer, Tim Hovanec ([email protected]), any BOT member or me, that you are earmarking your Life Membership upgrade towards the Rio Negro Project.)
Remember, all donations are tax deductible. Let’s get this done.
Thank you in advance for your generosity and support.
Show Sanctioning
ACA Show Sanctioning Program
and
ACA Patrick Mahoney Award
ACA Best Cichlid in Show Medallion
Be sure to register your cichlid entries in the following upcoming ACA Sanctioned Shows to be eligible for the ACA Best Cichlid in Show Medallion and a chance at winning the annual ACA Patrick Mahoney Award!
Federation of Texas Aquarium Societies 2017
October 20-22, 2017
Hilton NASA Clear Lake, Houston, TX
Aquatic Experience 2017
November 3-5, 2017
Schaumburg Convention Center, Chicago, IL
Ohio Cichlid Association Extravaganza
November 17-19, 2017
Holiday Inn, Strongsville, OH
Northeast Council of Aquarium Societies/New England Cichlid Association Cichlid Show
March 16-18, 2018
Sheraton Hartford South Hotel, Rocky Hill, CT
Does your club have a show coming up?
To participate in the ACA Show Sanctioning Program, please contact Claudia Dickinson at ivyrose@optonline to receive your ACA Show Sanctioning medallion. Participating shows can be either all-species or cichlid-only events. If you have any questions, Claudia is glad to help!
I am looking forward to seeing the final results of the elections next month. If you have not yet voted, what are you waiting for?
As always, don’t forget about our beloved Editor, Daryl Hutchins, who is always looking for content to put in BB. We pay market rates, too!
Lastly, I hope to see many of you at the Aquatic Experience in November. I’m sure that Daryl will be putting the promo in here somewhere. The ACA is sponsoring an all-Cichlid Show again this year.
Thanks again for your support and generosity. Until next month,
Alan
The American Cichlid Association Fish Competition takes place on November 3-5, 2017 as part of the Aquatic Experience, Chicago show, held at The Renaissance Schaumburg Convention Center Hotel, 1551 N Thoreau Dr, Schaumburg, Illinois 60173. All exhibit entries MUST be set up on Thursday, November 2, 2017 between 8 am and 8 pm only. Judging Friday night 9 pm.
The AE will be hosting another ACA-sanctioned Cichlid Show like it did last year. The deadline for entries is October 19, 2017 at 8 PM (EST)
$10/entry — Cash awards are as follows:
$500 Grand Prize
$100 Reserve Best of Show
$40 Best of Class 25 Classes will be available.
Go to the following link to enter:
aquaticexperience.org/fish-competitions/
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BB submissions pay (or funds can be directed to Conservation/Research projects in your name)! Authors/photographers please contact the Editor at [email protected] for details.
You do not need to be an ACA member to submit material for publication.
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.
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New Membership Structure:
$35 Annual ACA Membership.
Life Memberships — build your membership levels incrementally and move up in rank. All memberships above the basic Life Membership will be published annually in an ACA publication to recognize your contributions to Conservation, Research and Education.
$1000 LIFE Membership — all current Life Memberships still honored, no increase in dues. This and all higher-level memberships receive a Life Membership to the ACA.
Higher levels of donation/membership:
$1250 Patron Member;
$1500 Endowment Member;
$1750 Benefactor Member;
$2000 Conservation Member;
$2500 Legacy Member;
Chairman’s Circle (individual donations of $5000+)
You can also include the ACA in your estate plan as several members have already done. Please visit the link below.
General Donations
You can also donate smaller or larger increments, make personal or corporate donations, etc at the link below. It is only by your support that the ACA can maintain its leadership in Cichlid Conservation, Research and Education. Remember, it is tax deductible. Please find out more at the link below:
👶 👱 👴 Life Memberships/Donations
You can very easily give your friends/family an ACA Gift Membership, bringing them all the benefits attendant thereto. A lasting gift that has flow-on beneficial effects via the ACA’s research and conservation programs, etc.
To organise an ACA Gift Membership, please:
1) Send payment(s) of $35 per gift membership to the ACA PayPal account at [email protected].
2) Send an email to ACA Treasurer, Tim Hovanec, at [email protected] with a CC to ACA Membership Coordinator, Claudia Dickinson ([email protected]), stating that you have just sent money for a gift membership/s and the names and email addresses of the recipients.
3) Each ACA Gift Membership recipient will then receive an ACA Gift Member email with a copy to the gift-giver, followed by email welcome letters from the ACA and CRC.
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ACA BI-MONTHLY PHOTO CONTEST
Goto: cichlid.org > Community > Photo contest.
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LOCAL CLUB EVENTS
Send your cichlid-related news/events to the AN Editor at [email protected] and we will be happy to spread the word for you. Allow six weeks lead time. Thank you.
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EDIT YOUR MEMBERSHIP DETAILS
Check/edit your ACA Contact Details yourself when you move or change your e-mail address. It’s so simple … try it.
Go to cichlidae.com and click your username in the Welcome Panel
Log-in
Select the Edit Tab and make changes
Click Save
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NOW AVAILABLE FROM BB BACK ISSUES
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Support the ACA by shopping at AmazonSmile
Simply go to smile.amazon.com, choose the American Cichlid Association as your charity and Amazon will donate 0.5% of each purchase to the ACA!
It’s easy and basically free money. Please help spread the word.
