Ok this is for everyone that frequents MAAST.
I started in the world of marine aquaria about halfway through college and when I started, I did not know anything about or of MAAST, it is a great organization of knowledgeable individuals who enjoy the hobby and enjoy spreading their knowledge and experience with others. I started out with a 29 gallon tank with the worst economy equipment that I got ripped off on from a store in San Marcos (if you live there you know where I am talking about) then I found out about MAAST when I did it immediately started to pay off. Everyone on the site then and NOW was/are there to help others and to learn new things.
Recently I have noticed a change. I have only been a charter member for a year and before that, I was a web member. I do not know why a conflict has started between web and charter members. To the web members all I can say is that even though I have moved 200 miles away and will most likely never make it to another meeting, I will keep paying my dues. Why because the 25 bucks I give a year I owe big time because without MAAST I would have been hundreds of dollars in the hole through lost livestock and dishonest or unknowledgeable salespeople. On top of that, I even got a member discount. I will be honest and say that a lot of the time I shopped at aquadome before they were a sponsor; however, I did so because of their competitiveness with other retailers. MAAST is a great community, one that I am sure that you have gotten something for you do not have to pay dues it is up to you but I feel as though it is rewarding especially since I got to go to the zoo for a private party for free. And I do want to apologize about something which is that I am sorry that folks are pushy about the dues issue, I don’t know why you feel you don’t want to pay it that is your personal reason however keep in mind why most of us are here in the first place, and think the people are here to help you and maybe by asking you to join they are simply trying to help.
Charter Members- there are some things that we must do to keep this club running, first of all keep all of the good information coming I know that in the future I will need some more of it from someone. I know that some of us are and are not happy with the BOD and after reading through the bylaws I see one thing that is lacking which I will address.
In the bylaws in Article V, section 7 Which is the termination of a membership to the board there is only one way out and I propose another which is a two-thirds vote from all members in good standing to remove a member from the board. This only removes them from the board this will take care of some of the concerns listed above of the BOD’s sticking together.
Now BOD’s I have met some to all of you at some time at a meeting or I have seen you, I have also received advice that has saved my butt several times, this suggestion I have for the by laws is neither a threat nor a proposal for any of you to step down. In my opinion you are all doing a great job, as for improvements I can say that as a suggestion Steve (BigBird123) as the president, we need your leadership, not to say that you are not doing a good job, or that you are a bad person, but this thread should have been started by you, not Ace. I believe that major changes such as this should be your announcement that way as they say it “The Buck Stops Here”. With the suggestion to the by laws none of you should feel threatened by it whatsoever look at Aces poll when he was under fire I think majority spoke then and they will again if needed. I am thankful for the work you do and if I didn’t move I would have been gunning for your position because I believe in the mission of this club, and I am proud to be a member and to make fish store workers mad when I tell them about the site and that it would be crazy to put fish in the tank that they are buying that day.
As for MANCA, I think that if we could get a bid it would be an amazing event for MAAST, the publicity would really help the hobby locally and would allow MAAST to grow exponentially. How you ask (for those who are skeptical) when a trade show or event comes to town, I would expect some folks out of curiosity to join in and since they live here and get into the addictive hobby, they will join and MAAST will grow. The final thing I have to say is absolutely do not take this club for granted, I live in Bay City now with my tank, the nearest store or reef club is 100 mi away. I miss the meetings, I miss the friends, please try to recognize the common goal we all have, and instead of tearing things down let us try to fix it and make things better. Please follow my example and provide positive constructive criticism and RESPECTFUL suggestions.
Respectfully,
Chris Rugaard
-Chris
Natural Science Education Specialist
Matagorda Bay Nature Park
Lower Colorado River Authority
Detritus Happens
Web Member
Originally Posted by envy
misti does the shark ever catch the smiley face or does he at least reach land
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