Draft #2

["Karen Randall" <krandall@world.std.com>]

OK folks, here's draft #2, incorporating David's good ideas, and trying to
think of areas where we specifically need help.  Should we expand on this
list?  Any other changes any of you see?

Karen

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Dear local aquatic plant club members and members of the APD,

As most of you know, the Aquatic Gardeners Association was started by a very
small core group of people.  Over the past 10 years, interest in the planted
aquarium hobby has grown tremendously, as has our membership.  We have
brought new people into the management team, and the organization has
benefitted greatly from their participation and enthusiastic help.  But that
core group has remained too small to do the types of projects we would very
much like to see happen within the AGA.

We have a good magazine, and web site.  Our book store has been a reliable
source of hard-to-find information on aquatic gardening.   In the last year
we have branched out into new areas.  Under the leadership of James
Purchase, we hosted the first Internet based Aquascaping Showcase and
Contest.  Then Charlene Nash pulled off a tremendous feat, and organized the
first conference ever on North American soil to focus solely on planted
aquariums.  Both of these events were resounding successes are being
repeated this year.

We want very much to continue to serve our membership in new and innovative
ways.  But it takes a lot of dedicated people to make things happen,
particularly in an organization as geographically diverse as ours.  We need
a team of people who can help manage the direction of the AGA in coming
years, do the work that needs to be done, and plan for an orderly turn-over
of those people.  In spite of the best laid plans of mice and men, that
hasn't happened yet.

One of the  goals for AGA is to find a way that we can interface better with
local groups.   Since, at the same time, we need to broaden the management
base of the AGA, what better way than to ask all of you directly for your
help and support?  You are the people who are the most interested in this
hobby, and have the most to gain from a strong, active Aquatic Gardeners
Association.

THIS IS A CALL FOR YOUR HELP AND INPUT.  We would like to have people from
all over the world NOT JUST AS MEMBERS, BUT ALSO involved in AGA management.
We want the AGA to get to a point where it's very survival is not
dependent on a dedicated, but too small group of people.  The more people we
get to step forward and help in small ways, the less any one person will
feel the burden.

The more input we have from local groups, the more we will know what those
members want and need from AGA. Please contact us if you would be willing to
become part of the management team of the Aquatic Gardeners Association.  We
can use help with the magazine, and we urgently need help with both the
Convention and the Aquascaping Showcase.  In particular, we need people to
solicit donations for both, and vendors to participate in the Convention. In
addition, we would like to have you ideas and help on outreach to smaller
organizations, and perhaps educational programs for local clubs.

Thank you in advance for your support!

Sincerely,

The AGA Steering Committee:

Erik Olson
David Lass
Dorothy Reimer
Neil Frank
Karen Randall



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