Category: Announcements

WAREHOUSE DAY!

SAVE THE DATE!! October 13th WAREHOUSE CLEANING DAY On Saturday. Broward Club members, we invite you to join us at our warehouse on Saturday, October 13 at 10am to clean out our warehouse in preparation for the upcoming shell show season. This annual event was attended by over a dozen people last year and most of us went out for lunch togetherwhen we finished. The location of the warehouse is 1610/20 SW 7th Avenue in Pompano Beach. Let us know at the October meeting if you plan to attend.

MAY IS REEF MONTH 2012

The Florida Department of Environmental Protection Coral Reef Conservation Program (FDEP CRCP) invites you to celebrate Reef Month 2012 by participating in one or more of four educational classes that will each be held during the month of May. Classes are FREE, and will be held at the Biscayne Bay Environmental Center (the FDEP CRCP office) located at 1277 NE 79th Street Causeway, Miami, FL 33138. Space is limited, so reserve your spot(s) early by RSVP’ing with your name and preferred classes to Coral@dep.state.fl.us. Please contact us if you would like us to hold one of these classes in your area in the future.

Click here to view the class descriptions and schedules. Feel free to download and share this PDF widely with your friends and colleagues. If the link does not display properly, you can also view the class descriptions and times below or email us to request a PDF.

PADI Project Aware:
6 – 9pm (Tuesday, May 8)

Description:
This is a formal, but fun, introduction for divers and non-divers alike to the plight of the world’s aquatic ecosystems. It is offered to anyone who wants to learn more about, and take responsibility for, marine and freshwater environments. Although diving and snorkeling offer the best avenues to appreciate the aquatic world, you do not have to be a diver to participate in this Project Aware presentation – it’s open to everyone. The only requirement is an interest in learning more about the 70% of the earth covered in water. A knowledge review will be administered at the end of the class and all participants will receive a resource CD-ROM of images from the course for future reference. A PADI certification for the Project Aware Specialty course will also be available for a fee of $20.00 to cover the cost of the materials, but will not be necessary for participation in this seminar.

Marine Invertebrate Identification:
6 – 9pm (Tuesday, May 15)

Description: The most common sea sponges, octocorals (soft corals), crustaceans, echinoderms and mollusks that you are likely to encounter while diving or snorkeling on southeast Florida’s coral reefs will be introduced in this course. A knowledge review will be administered at the end of the class and all participants will receive a resource CD-ROM of images from the course for future reference.

Stony Coral Identification:
6 – 9pm (Tuesday, May 22)

Description: This course will introduce you to thirty species of stony corals found offshore Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach and Martin counties. A knowledge review will be administered at the end of the class and all participants will receive a resource CD-ROM of images from the course for future reference.

REEF Fish Identification:
6 – 9pm (Tuesday, May 29)

Description: This is a beginner course that teaches the basics of “fish watching”, including how to identify 50 commonly sighted species in the tropical western Atlantic. All materials are provided. An evaluation will be conducted at the end of the training. Anyone scoring 80% or better and who goes on to complete two fish surveys can become an Experience Level 2 volunteer for the Reef Environmental Education Foundation (REEF). The REEF Fish Survey Project is a volunteer fish monitoring program that enables volunteer SCUBA divers and snorkelers to collect and report information on marine fish populations. The data are collected using a fun and easy standardized method, the Roving Diver Technique (RDT), and are housed in a publicly accessible database on REEF’s website. Data collected by REEF volunteers are used for public education and by a variety of resource management agencies and researchers. For more information on REEF, go to: http://www.REEF.org.

NOMINATONS FOR OFFICERS – 2012-2013

Yes, it is also that time again! The Nominating Committee consisting of Phyllis Diegel, Sally Marshall, Carolyn Harvey, Linda Zylman, alternate Heather Strawbridge and Chair, Sonny Ogden have met and present the following Slate of Officers for 2012-2013: President – Linda Sunderland Vice President – Sonny Ogden Treasurer – Ike Alvo Corresponding Sec. – Carolyn Harvey Recording Secretary – Alice Pace We will vote on this slate at the April meeting, but if you want to nominate anyone for one of the positions from the floor, it must be done with that nominee’s prior consent.

MEMBERSHIP DUES – LAST CALL! Heather says that renewal dues will be due by April 30th. PLEASE do not procrastinate and get then in now so I can get my records organized for the year ahead. PLEASE NOTE that all new members who have joined at and since the Shell Show do not have to renew at this time. Your membership will good until next year. The dues rates are at follows: Individual or Family (at one address) $18.00 Student (up to grade12) $5.00 International $20.00

CORAL REEF IDENTIFICATION CLASSES

The Florida Department of Environmental Protection Coral Reef Conservation Program (FDEP CRCP) invites you to celebrate Earth Month 2012 by participating in one or more of four educational classes that will each be held twice during the month of April. Classes are FREE, and will be held at the Biscayne Bay Environmental Center (the FDEP CRCP office) located at 1277 NE 79th Street Causeway, Miami, FL 33138. Space is limited, so reserve your spot(s) early by RSVP’ing with your name and preferred class time(s) to Coral@dep.state.fl.us.

REEF Fish Identification:
6 – 9pm (Tuesday, April 3) or 1 – 4pm (Thursday, April 5)
DESCRIPTION: This is a beginner course that teaches the basics of “fish watching”, including how to identify 50 commonly sighted species in the tropical western Atlantic. All materials are provided. An evaluation will be conducted at the end of the training. Anyone scoring 80% or better and who goes on to complete two fish surveys can become an Experience Level 2 volunteer for the Reef Environmental Education Foundation (REEF). The REEF Fish Survey Project is a volunteer fish monitoring program that enables volunteer SCUBA divers and snorkelers to collect and report information on marine fish populations. The data are collected using a fun and easy standardized method, the Roving Diver Technique (RDT), and are housed in a publicly accessible database on REEF’s website. Data collected by REEF volunteers are used for public education and by a variety of resource management agencies and researchers. For more information on REEF, go to: http://www.REEF.org.

Marine Invertebrate Identification:
6 – 9pm (Tuesday, April 10) or 1 – 4pm (Thursday, April 12)
DESCRIPTION: The most common sea sponges, octocorals (soft corals), crustaceans, echinoderms and mollusks that you are likely to encounter while diving or snorkeling on southeast Florida’s coral reefs will be introduced in this course. A knowledge review will be administered at the end of the class and all participants will receive a resource CD-ROM of images from the course for future reference.

PADI Project Aware:
6 – 9pm (Tuesday, April 17) or 1 – 4pm (Thursday, April 19)
DESCRIPTION:
This is a formal, but fun, introduction for divers and non-divers alike to the plight of the world’s aquatic ecosystems. It is offered to anyone who wants to learn more about, and take responsibility for, marine and freshwater environments. Although diving and snorkeling offer the best avenues to appreciate the aquatic world, you do not have to be a diver to participate in this Project Aware presentation – it’s open to everyone. The only requirement is an interest in learning more about the 70% of the earth covered in water. A knowledge review will be administered at the end of the class and all participants will receive a resource CD-ROM of images from the course for future reference. A PADI certification for the Project Aware Specialty course will also be available for a fee of $18.00 to cover the cost of the materials, but will not be necessary for participation in this seminar.

Stony Coral Identification:
6 – 9pm (Tuesday, April 24) or 1 – 4pm (Thursday, April 26)
DESCRIPTION: This course will introduce you to thirty species of stony corals found offshore Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach and Martin counties. A knowledge review will be administered at the end of the class and all participants will receive a resource CD-ROM of images from the course for future reference.

Coral+Reef+Identification+Classes+Earth+Month+2012

PANAMA CITY BEACH SHELL SHOW

The Gulf Coast Shell Club will be hosting the 15th Panama City Beach Shell Show – July 13 – 15, 2012. The show will be held at the Panama City Beach Senior Center – 423 Lyndall Lane in Panama City Beach.

Check the web page for a flyer with show information and an exhibitors entry form. Please share this with your viewers and/or post it on your web page.

The Gulf Coast Shell Club meets regularly on the second Tuesday of the month at 7 pm at the Lake Huntington Club House. Visitors are always welcome. For additional Information visit our web site at http://gulfcoastshellclub.weebly.com

PAUL CALLOMON TO BE SPEAKER AT FEBRUARY MEETING

At this month’s meeting, Wednesday, February 8, the Broward Shell club will be having a program given by Paul Callomon.  Paul Callomon is Collections Manager in the Department of Malacology at the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia. He is the author of two books and several papers focusing on the mollusks of Japan, where he lived for many years. His talk recalls collecting trips in various areas of the country, and especially the Amami Islands. This island group is not well known to travelers from outside Japan. Despite a long history of human settlement it still boasts some of the best surviving coral habitats in the northwestern Pacific region and a very rich molluscan fauna.

JANUARY MEETING PROGRAM BY DR. MARVIN GLICKSTEIN

Dr. Marvin Glickstein spent his working career as an engineer at Pratt Whitney where he patented several new cooling concepts for aircraft engines. As a hobby, he started SCUBA diving, when it was in its early stages. He also owned a boat he named the Lucky Stone which is his name Glickstein translated.

From SCUBA, he wanted to try his hand at dredging and with his close friend John Root, fitted his boat and dredged through the waters of the SE coast from Stuart to Key West and some near Ft. Myers, Florida.

Marvin was a prominent member of the Palm Beach County Shell Club, running field trips and holding several positions including President. He was also a founding member of the Palm Beach Aquarium Club.

Marvin has had several of the shells he dredged up named for himself and his wife Pat and also had several of his dredged shells later named as type specimens.
Marvin will talk about his experiences dredging and will describe some of the trials and experiences he had.

2011 HOLIDAY PARTY

Yes, it actually that time of year again. And the date will be our regular December meeting date which is December 14th.  The Fishers will have a sign-up sheet at the November meeting so you can let the committee know which of your delicious recipes you will honor us with.  The club will supply the meat as usual.  Also we will have the fun part – the gift exchange, and details on that will appear in the December issue.  Just remember to keep the cost under $20 and shell and shell related items are what the items should be, although food and wine are acceptable.  This is one the most fun activities the club has all year so do be a part of it!