March 2010 SOUTHWEST AREA KILLIFISH EVENT (SAKE)

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September 08, 2010, 12:37:15 PM

Welcome ARK members! Return to the main ARK page here.

The 12th annual Southwest Area Killifish Event (SAKE) is scheduled for Saturday, March 13, 2010 and promises to appeal to all aquarium hobbyists! Programs will address aquatic plants, killifishes, native fishes, and fishes from Peru. You will hear how to collect fish and how to keep and breed them. And there is no charge for admission!

LOCATION:
   Ramada Plaza Hotel Phoenix at Metro Center
   12027 North 28th Drive
   Cactus Road/I-17 Exit 209
   Phoenix, AZ 85029
   Phone: 602-548-6000
   1-866-610-6220
   http://www.ramadaplazaphx.com/

   Discounted room rate is $69.00. When you call, ask for the "rooms blocked under SAKE."

REGISTRATION:
There is no registration fee to attend SAKE. You can register at the door, however, we encourage you to "register" before the event. There may be some incentives offered at the event for those who register early. To register, please send an e-mail to azkillie@yahoo.com and include your name, hometown, and any aquarium club affiliation(s). When your registration has been processed, you will see your name listed below. Early registration requests must be sent before midnight on Friday.

SHIPPING:
If you are unable to attend, but want to ship fish to the Southwest Area Killifish Event, please use the linked auction registration form (http://www.aka.org/ark/sake.pdf) and advise David Riggs (e-mail: davidaeriggs@hotmail.com) of your shipment. Send to:

David Riggs
c/o TriVita, Inc.
16100 Greenway Hayden Loop
Suite 950 (Bldg. E)
Scottsdale, AZ 85260

Tel.: (480) 778-29

EVENT SPONSORS:
Click on this link to see the companies that are supporting the 2010 SAKE: http://ark.naturalaquariums.com/index.php?topic=460.0

SCHEDULE:
11:00 a.m. Set up begins
12 noon Doors open for attendees
12:30 Silent auction and fish sales begin (fish sales is new - we will offer some fish for immediate purchase)
12:45 1st Raffle Drawings
1:00 p.m. First program: "Aquarium Plants and Killies" by Rhonda Wilson
2:00 Break
2:30 2nd Raffle Drawings
2:45 p.m. Second program: "Collecting and Breeding Fishes of the Southeast U.S." by Ken Normandin (see below for his biography)
4:00 Break
4:30 Silent Auction ends!!! (Items will be distributed later)
4:30 3rd Raffle Drawings
5:00 p.m. Distribute items to Silent Auction winners and fish sales end
5:30 Dinner
7:00 p.m. Third program: "Altiplano to Amazon- Discovering Wild Peru" by Brian Perkins (see below for his biography)
8:00 Break
8:30 Raffle and Auction until completed

THE FOLLOWING PEOPLE HAVE "REGISTERED":
1. Allan Semeit....ARK, AKA...Phoenix, AZ
2. Gary Kukowski.....ARK, DWAS, ACA, AKA, ALA Treasurer...Glendale, AZ
3. Tara Launders.....ARK, DWAS...Peoria, AZ
4. Bruce Kauspedas.....AAPE, ARK, DWAS...Phoenix, AZ
5. Dave Padgett.....ARK...Tucson, AZ

6. Dan Pape.....ARK, AKA...Tucson, AZ
7. Ben Melesio.....ARK, AKA...Mesa, AZ
8. David Riggs.....ARK, DWAS, AKA, ALA...Phoenix, AZ
9. Dennis Mills.....AAPE, ARK, ALA...Phoenix, AZ
10. Sandy Binder.....SCKC, CAS, AKA Past Board of Trustees...Seal Beach, CA

11. Brian Perkins.....NWK, AKA....West Linn, Oregon
12. Rhonda Wilson.....AAPE, ARK, ALA Past Chairperson....Apache Junction, AZ
13. Ken Normandin.....SKS, AKA....Jacksonville, FL
14. Paul Heidrich.....ARK, AKA....Maricopa, AZ
15. Debbie Heidrich.....ARK....Maricopa, AZ

16. Ron Harlan.....SCKC, AKA, CAS, PCCA, BAKA, et. al.....Glendale, CA
17. John Kukowski.....ARK....Tempe, AZ
18. Joseph Meinholz.....DWAS, ACA....Prescott, AZ
19. Craig McGowan.....ARK, Glendale, AZ
20. Kristen Stewart.....ARK, DWAS...Chandler, AZ

21. Delores Melesio.....Mesa, AZ
22. Bill Mata.....Mesa, AZ
23. Cheyenne Melesio.....Mesa, AZ
24. Brianna Mata.....Mesa, AZ
25. Christopher Melesio.....Mesa, AZ

26. Cole Perkins.....West Linn, OR
27. Michael Harvey.....Mesa, AZ
28. Donna Rager....ARK, DWAS...Chandler, AZ
29. Chris Breitkreutz.....SCKC, CAS, AKA....North Edwards, CA
30. Kathleen Breitkreutz.....SCKC, CAS....North Edwards, CA

31. Mike Jones.....AAPE, DWAS....Glendale, AZ
32. Allen Wood.....COAS, CKC, ALA Chairman, Pueblo, CO
33. Linda Wood.....COAS, CKC, ALA....Pueblo, CO
34. Deborah Goodall.....AAPE, DWAS....Gilbert, AZ
35. Derek Tang....ARK, DWAS. VSKC....Chandler, AZ

36. Mike Mills.....SCKC, AKA....Agoura Hills, CA
37. Dan Brown....ARK, DWAS....Mesa, AZ
38. Bill Maynard.....AAPE....Phoenix, AZ
39. Luis Ramos.....AAPE....Mesa, AZ
40. Greg Sage.....ALA Past Chairman....Denver, CO

41. Laura Sage.....ALA....Denver, CO
42. Will White.....ARK....Prescott Valley, AZ
43. Kelly Anderson.....ARK....Prescott Valley, AZ
44. Gloria George.....Prescott Valley, AZ
45. Thomas Nelford.....AAPE....Scottsdale, AZ

46. Matthew Van Slyke.....DWAS....Tempe, AZ
47. Tana Bachand.....Tempe, AZ
48. Bryan LaFollette.....AAPE....Buckeye, AZ
49. Nye Larsen.....AAPE....Mesa, AZ
50. Katie Andresen-Larsen.....AAPE....Mesa, AZ

51. Jim Rae.....SCKC, AKA....Corona, CA
52. Joe Clayton.....DWAS....Phoenix, AZ
53. Vikki Clayton.....DWAS....Phoenix, AZ
54. John DiSanto.....AAPE, DWAS....Scottsdale, AZ
55. Scott Jacobson.....Payson, AZ

56. Kristian Downs.....CAS....Long Beach, CA
57. Louree Carter.....AAPE, DWAS....Phoenix, AZ
58. Steven Martz.....AAPE....Phoenix, AZ
59. Crispino Ramos.....AAPE....Phoenix, AZ
60. Savannah Grise.....Phoenix, AZ

61. Scott Gustafson.....DWAS
62. Kristen Jorgensen.....DWAS

*************************************

AAPE = Arizona Aquatic Plant Enthusiasts
ACA = American Cichlid Association
AKA = American Killifish Association
ALA = American Livebearers Association
ARK = Arizona Rivulin Keepers
BAKA = San Francisco Bay Area Killifish Association
CAS = Coast Aquarium Society (Southern CA)
CKC = Colorado Killie Club
COAS = Colorado Aquarium Society
DWAS = Dry Wash Aquarium Society (Phoenix, AZ)
GSAS = Great Salt Lake Aquarium Society
MAS = Missouri Aquarium Society
NACOU = Nature Aquarium Club of Utah (aquatic plant club)
NWK = Northwest Killie Club
PCCA = Pacific Coast Cichlid Association
SCKC = Southern California Killi Club
SFAS = San Francisco Aquarium Society
SKS = Suncoast Killifish Society
SVAS = Silicon Valley Aquarium Society
VSKC = Valley of the Sun Koi Club

From an early age, I have been fascinated with nature, science and biology. My father had a fishroom when I was growing up in the San Jose, California area, in the late fifties, sixties, and seventies, so I was imprinted with fish keeping right from the start. I credit my brother Stephen for getting me away from the red swordtails that I was raising by the hundreds - and interesting me in Killifish.

I joined the American Killifish Association the first time in 1973, and have been a member off and on since then. After getting my degree in Forestry from the University of Washington in 1983, I have traveled widely, always in search of that out of the way place filled with nature's riches. Over the years, I have kept, bred, and raised representatives of nearly every major group of fish from Gobies to Guppies!

My current residence is in the Portland, Oregon, area. I am an active member of Northwest Killies (NWK) and have helped organize and run several West Coast Weekends and the 2009 AKA Convention.

My first collecting trip to Peru was in 2005. I was looking to collect Rivulus, Moema and Aphyolebias species. Today, four years later, realizing my passion for everything the Amazon basin has to offer, I am currently owner of WildPeru, Inc. a custom expedition outfitter and jungle tourism business based in the southern Peruvian department of Madre de Dios.

Check Brian's website at http://www.wildperu.net

Ever since I was a kid, I can remember that there always at least one aquarium in the house. When I was about 10 and living with my grandparents in Blackstone, Massachusetts, my uncle (who was still living at home?.) was keeping and breeding show guppies in several (I think it was around 20 or so) aquariums. That was my first real exposure to breeding tropical fish and it snowballed from there. Also, during this time, I also developed a passion for exploring the local streams and ponds in search of whatever "critters" I could find. I think you know where this is heading...

Fast-forward about 15 years to 1984?. I am now in the U.S. Navy stationed in San Diego, CA, and, at a local killifish show at the exhibition halls at Balboa Park, I get my first introduction to killies. I was absolutely in awe of just about every fish I saw and I had to find out more. I contacted the local San Diego club as advertised at the show and attended my first killifish meeting with the likes of Monty Lehman, John Pitcairn, Russ Feilzer, and other names I can?t remember. However, this was to be a short foray into the killie hobby since family and military obligations took precedence.

After some life changes and a military transfer to Jacksonville, FL, in 1992, I once again started looking for killifish contacts. By chance I was referred to and contacted Mark Rodriguez in Tampa, FL. I made the trip to his house and after he showed me around his "fish room" (actually in his living room) we spoke for a few hours about killies. I left there with several pairs of killies (blue gularis and others), as well as contact information for the AKA. At this time I also renewed my love for tromping through the waterways in search of my own "wild fish."

Currently, I maintain approximately 300 tanks, mostly filled with my favorite genus, Rivulus, of which I maintain about 70 species/locations. I also still enjoy going on collecting trips, most notably a trip to Panama in January, 2006 and again in 2008. During these trips I was privileged to be a part of a group of dedicated hobbyists assisting the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI) with a research project to determine the geographic ranges of several Rivulus species as well as a few livebearer species. I have also been privileged to be able to assist several scientific institutions by providing living and preserved samples for genetic research. I have had the honor of being invited to speak on my favorite genus at several local club shows and have been a speaker at two AKA national conventions. I am a former chairman of the Rivulus sub-committee of the AKA's Killifish Conservation Committee and I have been honored by the AKA as Killifish Hobbyist of the Year for 2000.