49 replies to this topic

Has a date been set for the Florida convention?

[joshuapope2001]

Where in Florida is the convention?

Where in Florida is the convention?

Rumor has it in Tampa.

[Dustin]

It will be in the Tampa area in the late summer early fall. Details will be posted as they are firmed up.

[Drew]

The target weekend is the first weekend in October. As Dustin said, as plans are made firm we will release more information.

[mdwalt1]

It will be in the Tampa area in the late summer early fall. Details will be posted as they are firmed up.

I don't want to be a pest, but are there any udpates available?
Summer is starting and early fall is around the corner.
I'd like to begin weighing my travel options as soon as possible.
Thanks in advance.

[Drew]

Keep tuned here : http://nanfa.org/convention.shtml

[mdwalt1]

Thanks, Drew. That's very helpful. I'll keep tabs on things there.

[harryknaub]

Keep tuned here : http://nanfa.org/convention.shtml

I'll put it on my calender. Thanks Drew

Harry Knaub

[Casper]

More convention details coming soon!

Plus the convention logo & t-shirt design is in the works.

Im also working out the details for a FSU Marine Lab and Tates Hell adventure immediately after the convention. 3 days. Limited to 12 individuals. Staying at the marine lab's beach house. Exploring, snorkeling, seining the swamps, springs, rivers, sinkholes, lakes, ditchs, barrow pits and then some night wades for critters.

Check out your Summer 2006 American Currents for a review of a past adventure.

Casper

[Casper]

Hi everyone, i know most of you are eager to hear of the Florida Convention and Brian and Charlie have been working hard to develop the plans. Here is an abbreviated announcement so you can start making your travel plans. Soon Drew will post the complete announcement with additional details and ongoing updates to NANFA website, nanfa.org. This promises to be yet another great convention!

2009 NANFA Convention October 1 - 4 Tampa, Florida

The Central Florida Regional NANFA Chapter cordially invites you to attend the 2009 NANFA Convention to be held in sunny Tampa, Florida. NANFA is composed of a group of native fish enthusiasts from many different backgrounds and interests, including academia, school teachers, professional and amateur naturalists, government personnel, aquarium hobbyists, fishermen and most anyone with an interest in the study and preservation of our wonderful North American native fish fauna.

With the diverse landscape and varied ecosystems, including a variety of streams, rivers, wetlands, springs, swamps, lakes estuaries and bays, Florida is a great place to find and appreciate a variety of native fishes. We hope that you will join us for what promises to be an interesting, educational, fun, and well-attended convention. This will also be a great convention to bring along the family, since there is plenty to do in the Tampa Bay area and throughout the central Florida region.

Hotel:
This year’s convention will be held at the Clarion Hotel and Conference Center located in northeast Tampa. The Clarion Hotel is conveniently located within minutes of I-75 and the Tampa International Airport. The Hotel has offered the special room rate of $69.00/night for Convention attendees (approx. $77/night with taxes). This will include either a single King size bed, or two double beds for those who wish to share a room. The room rate includes a complimentary hot breakfast buffet served daily each morning. For other hotel amenities (including the kid’s pirate water park!), click on this link www.TampaClarion.com

Clarion Hotel and Conference Center
2701 E. Fowler Avenue
Tampa, FL 33612
813-971-4710

Convention Registration:
Registration cost is $65.00, which includes attendance at presentations, field trips (small transportation charge may apply), banquet, auction and other convention activities. Spouse and student registration is $50.00. Make checks payable to NANFA and send to: NANFA P.O. Box 1596 Milton, WA 98354-1596.

Convention Schedule:
Thursday, October 1
12:00 Noon – 5:00pm: Onsite Registration and Check-in (local collecting on your own - for those interested we will provide maps and location information)
5:00pm – 7:00pm: Dinner on your own
7:00pm – 10:00pm: Socializing in Hospitality Suite

Friday, October 2
9:00am – 5:00pm: Presentations (topics to be announced)
5:00pm – 7:00pm: Dinner on your own
7:00pm – 8:00pm: Culturing Live Foods Workshop
8:00pm – 10:00pm: Socializing in Hospitality Suite

Saturday, October 3
9:00am – 3:00pm: Local Field Trips
· Hillsborough River
· Myakka River
· Tampa Bay
· Bullfrog Creek and Alafia River
5:00pm – 6:00pm: Aquarium Photography Workshop
6:00pm – 7:30pm: Dinner Banquet and Announcements
7:30pm – 8:00pm: Presentation (to be announced)
8:00pm – 9:30pm: Auction
9:30pm – 11:00pm: Socializing in Hospitality Suite

Sunday, October 4
8:00am: Depart for Field Trips
· Santa Fe River
· Ocala National Forest
· Avon Park – Highlands County
· Wacissa Springs – Big Bend Area

Speakers and Workshops:
In consideration that this will be the first NANFA Convention held in the state of Florida, we will be highlighting Florida’s native fishes by inviting guest speakers that are either from our state or who will focus their presentation on Florida native fishes. With that said, we will also strive to provide a well-rounded and diverse mix of guest speakers, with representation by Academia as well as hobbyist-oriented presenters. We will also be offering some hands-on and educational workshops for the convention attendees.

Banquet:
In accordance with tradition, we will plan to have a Saturday evening Banquet for the attendees. The banquet will serve as an excellent opportunity for fellow NANFA members to chat and mingle as a prelude to the BOD announcements and auction. In order to inject some local culture and flavor – Tampa has a very strong Latin presence and has a long history of Cuban and Spanish influence - the Banquet will feature a buffet of Latin and Spanish dishes such as Ybor City Spanish Mojo Pork, Chicken Fricassee and Caribbean Jerk Mahi Mahi with Lime, Papaya & Mango. Of course, the buffet will include salad, potatoes, vegetables, dessert and tea & coffee.

Auction:
Also in accordance with the NANFA Convention standard, there will be a Saturday evening Auction following the Dinner Banquet and presentation. Auction items are acquired primarily through donations from NANFA members, vendors and businesses. There will be many unique and interesting items, such as collecting equipment, artwork, live foods, books and other surprises.

Collecting Trips:
Local native fish collecting trips are the highlight of any NANFA Convention. With a Florida convention, this will certainly be the case. We have a number of fish collecting opportunities within an easy drive of Tampa, and we will be taking these “local” excursions on Saturday so that everyone has plenty of time to get back to the hotel with their catch and clean up in time for the Saturday evening festivities. We will have aquaria (with established filters) available to house collected specimens following the Saturday field trips.

Our field trips scheduled for Sunday will include more remote locations, generally beyond a two hour drive from the hotel. So for those who will be driving to the Convention, you can get a head start on your trip back north and get a day of collecting in as well. For those who haven’t had enough adventure by Sunday afternoon, Casper Cox will be hosting a Sunday through Wednesday excursion to the FSU Marine Lab near the town of Carrabelle near the Tates Hell State Forest and the Apalachicola National Forest in the eastern Florida panhandle. This will be a limited space trip, so make sure you reserve your space early with Casper. prizma@aol.com

All field trips will have a limited capacity and will be on a first come, first served basis. Sign up sheets will be posted on Friday, so folks have time to study the different trip choices and pick up maps and information specific to each trip. Follow this link, http://mtfb.com/nanfa/ to see a description of each area and an example of what fishes you are likely to encounter at each of the selected trip destinations.

If you intend to collect fishes during the field trips, you will need to obtain a Florida fishing license from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC). These can be obtained from any local WalMart, sporting goods store, or by purchasing online from the FWC website at:
https://www3.wildlif...om/fl/start.php

To view the FWC fishing regulations and details regarding available license types and fees go to:
http://myfwc.com/Lic...ionalHF.htm#FWF

More details and updates will be posted soon to nanfa.org.

[Drew]

I forgot to post that I've posted this information on the NANFA website. Registration via Paypal available soon.

[Casper]

This year's shirt features a beautiful species unique to Florida,
Jordanella floridae, the American Flagfish and is illustrated by
Bart Gelesh and designed by Casper Cox.
The shirts are printed on heavy weight 100% cotton and
are dyed an appropriate Sunshine State chamois yellow.
They are $20 each for M, L, XL, 2XL or 3XL.
Shipping & handling is $5 per package no matter
how many shirts are ordered.

If you want your shirt asap make out a check to NANFA
and send it to me at...

Casper Cox / Prizam
1200 Dodds Avenue
Chattanooga, TN 37404

We decided to only print 100 as we still have convention shirts from...
MO 2006 ( XXL )
NC 2007 ( S, M & L )
TX 2008 ( S, M, L, XL, & XXL )
If you would like one of these past convention shirts i can include them in the package for just 10 bucks each but only til September 1.

Drew will eventually post to the NANFA website and setup paypal for orders, but if you want your shirt now and wish to take advantage of this temporary discounted past convention shirts, mail a check to me, and made out to NANFA by September 1st.

Be sure to include your
return address and size(s) needed.

These shirts really turned out nice. The printing is excellent, the colors vivid. A big "Thank You!" to Bart for his excellent work rendering the living Flagfish. You can see more of his work at Mudbug Studios...
http://www.mudbugstudio.com/index.html

VENTRAL

 NANFA-09-T-Shirt-Front.jpg   282.68KB   24 downloads

DORSAL

 NANFA-09-T-Shirt-Back.jpg   150.5KB   19 downloads

Edited by Casper Cox, 24 July 2009 - 10:17 AM.

[natureman187]

NICE. I want two!

[joshuapope2001]

I am in for two I will send out my check tomorrow

[Casper]

Greetings, i have packaged the first batch of shirts and will mail them out in the morning. The multiple orders are going out in priority boxes.

Also, i received my letter today, the mass mailing to all NANFA members regarding the 2009 NANFA Florida Convention details. These guys are doing a great job of preparing for our arrival, lots of neat activities, plans and speakers lined up. It should be one of the better gatherings and they have a lot of experience doing such events for their Killiefish Association. I plan on arriving early and prescouting sites for the Tates Hell / Tampa route, doing a bit of snorkeling in Ocala and then helping the Florida Crew with any last minute errands and setup.

Who is going amongst you?

Bob is gonna speak.
Our Texas, Michigan and Missouri hosts from past conventions.
Michael Wolfman.
Our long lost Steve Ellis is helping out, now being a Floridian himself.
Nick and Linda Zzzzz.
Our estemed Treasurer, Tom and his sweetheart.
Pierre.
Our own auctioneer Phil.
Fritz Bazzzzaley.
Gotta be more...

[Uland]

I received my mailing today as well Casper. I certainly expect to be there and ready to photo as many fish as I can.

[Michael Wolfe]

Michael Wolfman.

Yes sir, I already ordered my shirt... already mailed in my registration (and got a confirmation from Tom)! I can hardly wait!

Is there a link somewhere to sign up onlone??

[joshuapope2001]

Ok I am a little concerned that I recieve no mail from nanfa...no american currents and nothing about the convention....is there someone I should adress this with?