Let’s have a Great Year. The Board of Directors voted in by the members is working very hard. The Board has already had two meetings to start your club in a positive direction for the coming year.

I am very fortunate to be working with these fine people. There are committees already in place to start working on the Shows, Pond Tour, and Policies and Procedures. This I feel will help with the efficient progress of your club. I would like to say “Thank You” to Jim Roberts for stepping in to help the Board as Past President. He has provided a tremendous amount of help to the North Florida Koi Club through the years. I also want to thank the nominating committee for a fine Board that they selected to be voted on by the Club members.

This Year is our club’s 20^th (Platinum) Anniversary. What a great feeling it is to know that for this long the club has been going on. I’m just glad to be part of keeping it going. This Board is going to be looking for members who want to take part in helping to keep us moving ahead. We will be asking for volunteers to help. Let’s not forget whose club this is. It’s yours! We know that your time is valuable and even if you cannot find your way to volunteer for some club activity, please don’t shy away from the club. Now, I’m not saying that it’s going to be all work and no fun. After all, this is supposed to be FUN for all of us. I just hope that we all can get involved and in some way contribute to this club’s future.

In February of 1982 a local PBS gardening program featured a garden with a koi pond. Responses were fielded by the PBS station as those who didn’t see the broadcast heard about it from those that knew the various pond owners. A meeting was scheduled to get together the people interested and out of that came the first meeting.

Most attending that first meeting were having some success with koi ponds, as well as a large measure of failures. A common bond was forged immediately. Dues were established primarily to pay for postage and cards to announce the next meeting.

The second meeting was at the home of our first president: John Laurensen. John had kept koi as far back as 1975, while I had been keeping koi since 1978. John Lockerman.

The last few months have been harrowing for some of our members. One of the stimulating aspects of our hobby is the changing requirements of our ponds and fish. Fortunately, Martha & I have had a fairly relaxing and satisfying winter so far, pond wise. However, as I think back over the past several years, there have been challenges for us and our fish! Now is the time to get prepared for possible problems. Some of the things you might want to think about and be prepared for are as follows:

1. What if your only air pump stops working? Depending on several factors such as fish density, you could begin losing fish in only a matter of hours. It is expensive to have spares for everything but an extra air pump is relatively cheap and really a necessity. If you are already using two pumps for your pond then you would still have a back up when one stops working.

2. What if you had to do a major water change? Do you keep enough dechlorinator on hand to change your entire pond's water if needed? Or, what if you forgot and left the water running during a regular water change and over-filled your pond with regular chlorinated tap water? Yes, it is a very good idea to use a water timer, etc. But, sooner or later you will lose track of time or forget and leave the house with the water running, or fall asleep. Believe me, I know. So always be prepared to make a major water change and have spare dechlorinator on hand.

3. What will you do when a fish gets sick? Do you keep a hospital tank ready to go so you can treat most problems successfully? You can buy a 150 gal. Rubbermaid tub, a small pump, filter, and heater for under $200. This is really cheap insurance and can save you it's initial cost many times over.

4. Do you have written specific directions for anyone taking care of your pond while away from home? For example could they reset a tripped breaker for your ponds air or water pumps? Would they know what to do if a major problem occurred? Ask someone who knows your pond to act as a backup for your house sitter. Be sure they know how to clean your leaf traps, etc. Also, never ever make any significant changes to your pond just prior to leaving town.

5. Read and learn about diseases before they happen to your Fish. Attend lectures. The club library is a great way to start. There are several excellent books and the fish disease video by Dr. Johnson is fantastic.