| President |
| My job
responsibilities are to see that the club does what the presidency wants. I guess I also oversee
meetings, finances, and everything else, but I like to look at it as a helper
position which helps the rest of the club accomplish their goals. |
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Adam Blundell
Born and raised in
Centerville. Went to school at many places including projects at the U,
Weber, Boise State, Bermuda, Hawaii, San Diego. After joining the club, I
knew I wanted to work in Marine Biology so I geared my education that
way. I've been on the reef tour many many times. My wife's name is
Marzena, she works in Nursing at the U's Labor and Delivery unit. Her
favorite fish are tangs, which is why we have a tank full of them. My
favorite are wrasse, but we don't have any because we don't have any room (with
all them tangs). My favorite part of the club is the after dinner
meetings and the smaller gatherings where people can really sit around and
talk. I'm the first person to admit that this club owes its incredible
growth and production to Jake Pehrson, for all of his work with the website.
As president, I'm always pleased to see people helping out to make big projects
(like the Reef Tour) take place. I believe that the best thing about the
club is our ability to teach people about basic aquarium systems. I think many
people join our club confused and frustrated but then learn how simple their
aquariums can be.
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| Vice President |
| As Vice
President my primary job is to help the President accomplish his job.
I am also the Web Master. |
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Jake Pehrson
I have loved fish and animals my whole life. I setup my first
saltwater aquarium when I was 12 years old. As soon as I was
living on my own I filled my house with aquariums. I am an
entrepreneur at heart and after a couple of years I decided that I
wanted to start my own business selling corals. I setup
www.coralplanet.com and sold
corals out of my basement. After running Coral Planet for a few
years I decided to open a full line pet store. In 2002 I opened
The Pet Factory. Shortly after opening The Pet Factory my wife
Pepper became pregnant with our first daughter Natalie. The day
Natalie was born I decided to sell The Pet Factory so I could spend more
time at home with my family. I currently work in the computer
industry and still run the Coral Planet.
Besides fish and corals I also enjoy scuba diving, board and card games,
computers, electronics, traveling, and helping people start and run small
businesses. |
| Secretary |
| I write the notes that make the whole club read, I write the notes of corals and
special things, I write the notes that make the young girl reef aquarists cry, I
write the notes, I write the notes. |
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Steve Lopez
My reef aquarium was set up in the month of February of the year 2000. I am a
victim
of an aquarium jones. An aquarium jones is when you love aquariums so much you
are like a junky. My aquarium is like... an aquarium to me.
I enjoy taking long walks off of short piers although I don't do it as much as my
wife would like me to. I also like pina coladas and getting caught in the rain.
My favorite band is Led-Zeppelin. My dimensions are 45 - 25 - 35 and that's just
my head. My goal is to save the world and if I can only save part of it then I
would like it to be the natural reefs.
The picture taken of me here is while I was standing in a blizzard while wearing
white clothing. |
| Treasurer / Membership |
| The Treasurer... |
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Mark Peterson
Keeping track of expenditures on my first reef aquarium during 1993-94, I
was dismayed at the amount spent! It's embarrassing to admit that I have
seen scores of fish die in my aquariums. This may be the reason for my
enthusiastic participation in the WMAS; to help others keep livestock
alive.
A pioneering adaptation of my undergravel filtered tank to the Jaubert
plenum method later led to the use of Mangroves in one of the first Reverse
Daylight Photosynthesis (RDP) Refugia. My Ugly Green Haired Mermaid is
famous (see http://www.garf.org/ugly.html).
As one of the six founding members of the WMAS and Treasurer for its first
three years, I worked hard to build the WMAS. During two years as President,
I saw the club come out of poverty, ready for it's current huge success, at
the hands of the current Presidency, led by the energetic and capable Adam
Blundell.
Participating in the WMAS since it's founding in 1995, has allowed me the
opportunity to visit 100's of hobbyists homes. Learning from other hobbyists
has provided me a unique perspective about how tanks can flourish, even
under extraordinary conditions.
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| Librarian |
| The
librarian manages the clubs' collection of books, magazines and video
tapes. |
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David Daniel
I have had freshwater tanks for far too long and decided to take the
plunge into saltwater after being inspired by tanks from the 2002 reef
tour and the meeting with Julian Sprung as the guest speaker. I've had a
few small tanks set up for the last few years and have had success, due
in part to my participation in this club and reading everything I can
get my hands on. Librarian was an obvious fit for me because I am the
I.S. manager for a company that makes library automation software.
My other hobbies are poker, woodworking, and video games. |
| Newsletter |
|
I get to be the one to gather together articles, verify spelling and basic
formatting, then put them all together for general consumption in the
SeaStar. I will also be in charge of formatting the flyers and booklets for
Reef Tour 2004. Otherwise, I assist where able (cleaning up, crowd control, and
smiles). |
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Cortney Curran
I have always been a great lover of animals. When just a young
lad I began working with dogs for show obedience. In 2002, we thought we�d look
into a salt-water aquarium. After researching the internet (obviously not
enough) we had our own little salty tank of death. I stumbled onto WMAS in an
LFS that was advertising Julian Sprung. The meeting was great, and I was bummed
that I couldn�t go to the BBQ, so I paid my dues and as a result the success of
our tank has soared. |
| Public Relations / Marketing |
| I'm responsible for getting the word out for events like the Reef Tour and fostering positive relationships between our club and LFS, online suppliers, and anyone else that can help our members. I'm also in charge of coordinating our participation in the Festival of Trees event. |
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Diana Tabor
Compared to many of you, I�m a newcomer to reef
aquariums. I set up my first tank in
August 2003 (17 gallon) and my second in January 2004 (10 gallon). Both of these tanks are doing fabulous,
thanks to the help of fellow club members. I�ve always wanted to have a beautiful saltwater aquarium, but never thought
I could, because of the cost and maintenance required. After a dive trip to Belize in 2000, I
started to think more seriously about getting my own tank. The 2001 WMAS Reef Tour convinced me that
I could do this. I won my 17 gallon
tank from Tenecor in an online
contest, and it all grew from there. When I�m not mesmerized by my tank, I do
homework for my Master of Science and Technology
degree at the University of Utah, perform with the
Midnight Mirage Dance Company's Troupe Amara,
and work as an IT manager/developer. |
| Historian |
|
Historian... |
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Suzy Applegarth
Rob and I have had aquariums our whole lives. Isn't that weird
how 2 fish nerds find each other? Now, we share our obsession of
aquatic design (Although, I'm more into design, and he's more into
living creatures). We have 4 tanks now: a reef tank, a community tank,
and an aggressive tank. They are built into the wall and connected by a
big sump, so we only have to "tinker" with one system. We also have a
small specimen tank we are starting. We are looking for the perfect
"specimen" right now!
Rob and I have been WMAS fish nerds almost since it's conception. We
have met some really cool people and even some very famous authors.
Most of our corals are from the WMAS. All of our corals have been
shared with other club members and every fish store show tank in our
part of the valley. We have watched our club expand and change and
evolve into a very impressive group of wonderful friends! Thanks, WMAS!
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| Presidency Council |
| Council members are the
support staff for the president and the vice-president. |
 |
Jon Finch
By day I'm a chemical engineer
at a local oil refinery. By night I'm a husband and father of three. I've
always been fascinated by aquariums. My beginnings were with typical
freshwater fish, I quickly moved to cichlids and eventually to heavier
water :). My first reef tank was in the early 1990s. My current tank is a
125 gallon mixed reef. I really enjoy the DIY aspects of this hobby and
the science behind the scenes. As you can see from the number of my posts
here, I have an opinion on many topics, but don't take me too seriously, I
laugh at myself more then I care to admit (I'm laughing at this silly bio
right now). More then anything, the reason I'm here is to meet and talk
with others about this compulsive hobby. I've been a member of WMAS since
coming across this web page in March of 2003. |
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| Picture Goes Here |
Ryan Foote
Bio Text Goes Here |
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Shane Heil
I have owned marine aquariums for about 8-9 years now. I am into DIY and
saving money, but I have learned that one does not necessarily equal the
other. My current aquarium is 120 gallons. I enjoy keeping a variety of
different coral varieties. Although tanks loaded with only SPS corals can be
stunning, my personal preference is a mixture of many types.
I have a large family, 1 son and 3 daughters ranging in age from 9 years old
to 18 months. We enjoy skiing in the winter and boating in the summer. During
the in-between times in when I fiddle with fish.
My wife enjoys looking at the aquarium, but little else. She is very
supportive, but the last thing she would like to do is cut a stinky leather
coral. She also affectionately coined the title of fish nerd after visiting a
meeting of the W.M.A.S.
I live in Brigham City (about 20 minutes north of Ogden). We do not have a LFS
here, but there are quite a number of people with reef tanks.
I am not into the technical side of reef keeping. Although it is important to
research and understand about the environment and the species we keep, you can
be successful without a thorough knowledge. I consider myself to be very
practical, eager to learn, and moderately informed regarding reef keeping!
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Arjen Jonkhart
After having tons of freshwater tanks since I was a kid, I started with salt water in 1999. I
got involved with the club in 2001 during a reef tour, right after I did all
the research - talk about missed opportunities... This is my second
year as a council member and even if it can be a bit of work sometimes, it is
very rewarding to see something come together that benefits the whole club. My
worklife is split between being a computer geek for Novell, Inc. during the
day and trying to run my fish store, Marine Aquatics, during the nights
and weekends. Other hobbies include games with the kids, diving, skiing,
computers and woodworking. |
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| Picture Goes Here |
Shane Silcox
I was born and raised in Sandy. I currently work
for Siemens as a Developer / Cisco integrator. My wife stays at home with our 15
month old daughter who I think is as addicted to this hobby as I am.
I grew up loving animals, but because my parents
didn't like the added work and responsibility of a furry pet, they got me fish,
hence started the addiction. As most I started with freshwater fish, and kept
them for quite a while until one of them died and the rest of the tank crashed.
I got quite dismayed and gave up on fish for quite a while. Then last year while
checking out turtles at the aquarium with my wife, we got interested in
saltwater,�and toward the end of my research for my new tank I ran across the
WMAS. I wish I would have known about it sooner! The assistance and knowledge
transfer that I have gotten from so many people here has been invaluable. I look
forward to many great years with�my new friends.�Thanks WMAS! |
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Renee Weimer
I was born in Minnesota on a dairy farm, but my family moved to
Washington state when I was little. I was the youngest of 9 kids, and loved
our farm animals. I enlisted in the Marine Corps when I was a junior in
high school. I needed $$ to go to college. I spent 4 years in the Corps,
and got to live in Iwakuni Japan for a year. A month after leaving the
Corps, Damon and I got married. We were high school sweethearts. He was in
the Air Force stationed in England -we stayed there 10 years. We also got
to live in Germany, which was great for traveling all over Europe. It was
also a great place to earn my Master's degree. We had a few freshwater
tanks, and enjoyed them. For the last 7 years, we've been dragging this
225g acrylic tank all over the world. The military movers HATED it. We
learned many German cuss words thanks to our tank, but could never afford to
buy the 220v equip, with the fear of Uncle Sam suddenly moving us stateside.
We were very sad to leave our international friends. We arrived at Hill AFB
in Jan 03, and immediately started trying to figure out how to set up a
saltwater system. The opinions were many, and we had saved up a fair amount
of $$ in anticipation. Alas, we never heard of WMAS until Jan 04. By that
time, we had AquaSpace 250m/h lights, 24w blue power compacts, 55g refugium
(mostly for seahorses someday!), EuroReef skimmer CS 6-2, Iwaki Walchem WWM
40RXLT pump, and R/O unit. So far, all the livestock has come from Aquatic
Dreams (except "Lucky," our Achille's Tang from Hawaii). As newbies,
we really appreciate the frags, advice, and patience from WMAS members. We
can't wait to have frags to share!
When I am not fondly gazing at itty bitty critters in our tank (wondering
what wonderful scientific names they must have, and whether they are
"friend" or "foe") I teach classes to Hill AFB active duty and
civilian employees. It's a big change from working overseas, where the pace was
normally pretty frantic. I enjoy growing things, wandering the mountains
with our Border Collie, "Chester" and our English Bulldog, "Penny."
Of course, hanging out with Damon is fun, too. We like to SCUBA dive together,
travel, and woodworking. Someday, our dream is to have an aquatic wall in
our dream house, where we can sit and gaze at a homegrown reefscape. As
hobbyists, we dream of someday helping the real reefs to continue to thrive.
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