President | |||||
Shane Heil
|
|||||
Other Responsibilities: Sea Star Editor
I have owned marine aquariums for over 10 years now. Like many of my good friends, what began as a hobby has ultimately become a lifestyle. I plan most of my activities - even vacations, to include or work around my reef keeping hobby. I suppose there are less productive things I could be doing with my time and money. Speaking of money; I enjoy saving it - so I encourage and participate in many do it yourself projects. But I have learned that DIY and saving money do not necessarily equal one another. Sometimes you just have to pay the price - as painful as it may be.
My current display tank is 120 gallons. I enjoy keeping a variety of different coral species. Although tanks loaded with only SPS corals can be stunning, my personal preference is a mixture of many coral types and loaded with fish.
I have a large family. We enjoy skiing in the winter and boating in the summer. However, more and more of my time seems to be consumed by the hobby and the club. But, it is very enjoyable when one of my kids climbs the ladder to "help" clean or prune my aquarium! My wife is very supportive, but the last thing she wants to do is stick her hands in 'fish water'. She did affectionately coin the title "Fish Nerds" to describe me and my friends after visiting a meeting of the WMAS.
I have learned so much on my journey through the reef keeping hobby. I've learned more biology and chemistry through my aquarium than I ever gleaned in a classroom. I've learned to appreciate the reefs of the world and how dependent we are on their continued success. I've learned that a community of hobbyists can have far more success (and fun) than any single person on their own. Most importantly, I've learned patience and tolerance for the opinions of others (even if they're wrong) and these lessons will be with me long after my tanks are dry.
|
|||||
Vice President | |||||
Will Spencer
|
|||||
|
Other Responsibilities: Treasurer
I have loved fish and aquariums all my life. I can barely remember a time when there wasn’t a fish tank to enjoy. For most of my life I’ve had freshwater tanks, but in 2003 I took the plunge into saltwater. Shortly after staring my first saltwater tank I found this club and learned that I had done pretty much OK, but could have done better. Since the first meeting I attended I have been hooked not only on the hobby, but on this club. I now have several salt water tanks, but have never lost my love for freshwater tanks and I also keep several of those. I love keeping corals and have many beautiful soft coral and LPS specimens, but my real love is for fish. My current favorites in my tanks are my Powder Blue Tang, my Fairy Wrass and my Lionfish. The rest of my life is taken up by my work. I am a tax accountant and have recently been put in charge of handling IRS audits in my office. I have a beautiful wife Kristy, whom I get to see far too seldom due to our crazy schedules. Her love is for Horses and she has gone overboard on them about as far as I have on fish.
I am always willing to visit with other aquarists and will eagerly make time to have club members come over and view my tanks. WMAS is great! See you at the next meeting.
|
||||
Presidency Council - Council members are the support staff for the president and the vice-president. | |||||
Adam Blundell | |||||
Other Responsibilities: Guest Speaker Relations / Historian / Special Event Coordinator I'm Adam and I'm a science guy. I spend my time helping fellow hobbyists learn about marine life. Yep that's what I do... I just try to help people. My goal is to make people love this hobby and all that goes with it. So if you have a question, just throw it at me. I'm always happy to make up an answer.
As far as the club is concerned, I'm a past president of the Wasatch Marine Aquarium Society (02-05) and now I serve as our external Public Relations guy and I also take care of our Guest Speaker Relations.
|
|||||
Debbie Morrill | |||||
Other Responsibilities: Donation Coordinator
My family is from Sandy, UT but my dad was stationed in Fort Bragg, NC the first year my parents where married so that is where I was born. We moved to Sandy when I was 6 months old and I lived there until 1999 when I married my wonderful husband Jeff and moved to our current home in West Valley. We have 5 kids. One his, Justin 20 and four mine, Jesse 19, Angel 18, Sarah 14 and Kaytee 12. Justin and Jesse enjoy salt water. The girls call us "fish geeks". I have had fresh water all of my adult life and have always wanted to try salt water but always thought it was too big of an expense and took up too much time. Almost 2 years ago we had a family friend that was moving and gave Jesse their old 27 gal hex salt water tank. He immediately set it up. The rest is history. Jesse, Jeff and I all got hooked right away. If there is a mistake that can be made in salt water I think we have made it. We dove in head first with no research and learned along the way. After many mistakes, 3 tanks and about 7 months into the hobby we were ready to give up when we found the WMAS thanks to a great customer at a LFS. He gave me the website and we have been here ever since. We have made some really great friends many of which I know will last a life time. The WMAS has helped us more than anyone will ever know. I am excited to be part of such a great group of people. |
|||||
Amy Newbold | |||||
Other Responsibilities: Special Event Coordinator
Salt Water was very intimidating to me - mostly I stuck w/ fresh water and bettas. My first tank would have to be the classic 10gal, then I had to get bigger! My husband and I got a 20gal that sat on our kitchen counter in our first apt. We loved getting the fishies to fill it up. Back then, there wasn't as much support as we have now, we were pretty much amateurs. Both of us left the hobby for a couple years and got roped back in when my brother in-law purchased his first betta. We babysat it for a week and I instantly wanted to jump back in. From there I started getting rare and wild bettas to breed. I was roaming around the internet looking for a good deal and came upon utahreefs.com.
I would have to thank Adam Blundell for his pm's encouraging me to snatch up good deals and giving me the confidence to start in the marine hobby world. I would also like to thank Mark Peterson for 1. getting me the f-r-e-e materials and 2. letting me pick his brain.
Currently, I have one 90gal reef and one 24gal nano tank. Do I see myself going bigger. . . . (Jamaican accent) Hell No! Keeping the ones I have now is a lot of work. . . Who would of thought I would ever want a RO/DI unit for Christmas. . . .
I'm married to a wonderful guy named Brad. We have one 8-yr (soon to be 9 ) son, named Lucas. You'll probably see him running around the meetings. . or bored off his keister (hopefully the older they get, the more into the hobby they will be).
During the days, I work as an office manager in a computer networking company. I handle all the accounting and HR aspects. During the night, I sit staring at my tanks and wondering what the next thing I’ll want to put in it. So much room - so little time.
I look forward to my 2nd year in the WMAS Presidency, see you around the forum!
|
|||||
Jake Pehrson | |||||
Other Responsibilities: Web Master
I have loved fish and animals my whole life. I setup my first saltwater aquarium when I was 12 years old. I now have an entire house full of aquariums. I am an entrepreneur at heart and have owned various businesses related to aquariums and pets including both retail and wholesale. I currently work in the computer industry and still run the CoralPlanet and a couple other businesses associated with the industry including the aquaticdatabase.com. Besides fish and corals I also enjoy scuba diving, camping, board and card games, computers, electronics, traveling, and helping people start and run small businesses. |
|||||
Corey Price | |||||
Other Responsibilities: Tank of the Month
I've always loved aquariums. Growing up in Pleasant View, Utah, I had a 10 gallon freshwater tank in which I couldn't keep anything alive and the noise from the air pump kept me awake at night. I used to be amazed and awe-struck after looking at saltwater fish in the local fish store. Reality set in, and I let the freshwater world go for 12 years.
After all those years of moping in the shadows of the world of caring for pets, I finally came to my senses and started reliving my childhood dreams of having a great saltwater aquarium in 2004. I've been hooked ever since! WMAS has been an endless source of information to my saltwater-thirsty mind.
In the real world, I met Young Ran, my wife, at USU, graduated from USU and got a job as an engineer in Salt Lake City. Young Ran and I have been married for four happy years. Brianna and Ethan Price are our two children, ages 3 and 6 months. Our children bring so much joy to our lives. I don't have many hobbies anymore, but I still love backpacking, mountain biking, and reefs.
WMAS has been a great experience so far. I'm excited to participate in furthering something that has outstripped almost every other hobby I've ever had.
|
|||||
Dion Richins
|
|||||
Other Responsibilities: Merchandise
Thanks for the opportunity to serve on the presidency council for another year. It is my joy to serve on such an awesome and active council as this club has elected.
I have found the pursuit of marine aquaria to be an absolute addiction. The pursuit to achieve environments that can support and sustain these precious life's is what drives me in the hobby. At this time we have a little over 600g of salt water, 80g of fresh water and a 300g pond.
We enjoy pursuing the knowledge necessary to achieve these things and in sharing all that we have learned and in helping any one interested.
Besides this addiction, I have the most wonderful wife in the world. Alice and my 6 children (3 mine, 3 hers) are my life and the driving force in my existence. We have a small carpentry company that specializes in custom cabinets and remodeling.
|
|||||
Eva Rushton | |||||
Other Responsibilities: Public Relations
By day I work at a studio in downtown SLC designing videogames. Yes, really. And no I won’t name the titles of the games, cause I don’t want all of you running out to get a copy. The rest of my time is torn among a thousand hobbies and spending time with my wonderful husband, whom without I wouldn’t be where I am today. (But my checkbook would be less burdened)
As Adam said when he saw my house for the first time: “HolyCrap you guys are fish geeks”. With over 500 gallons of saltwater, 300 gallons for turtles, a small freshwater tank, and a 210 holding my koi till their 3500 gallon pond is finished in the summer; we have a LOT of water in the house. Add to this a water dragon, a hedgehog, a cockatiel, a mouse, and six chinchillas. It’s kind of a zoo in here. I’ve even been told that I should charge admission for visitors.
For me saltwater was a natural progression that took off faster then my husband expected. I’ve always loved fish, all animals really, and the idea of saltwater was intriguing. We started with a 29 gallon that he’d had from years before when he previously had a tank. It was hard for me to wait for the tank to cycle and when it was ready I had tons of fun picking fish and trying my hand at corals. Needless to say, I was hooked. Now not more than 8 months later I have many tanks and more corals and fish than I can count. I’ve had my ups and downs but keep going. There is no going back so I am going to continue to enjoy the ride. |
|||||
Mike Savage
|
|||||
Other Responsibilities: Membership
If not for this club I’m sure I would have become frustrated and given up years ago. We are like one big family and I am looking forward to taking a more active part this year.
I grew up in Northern California less than a mile from the coast and have a love for all living things. My first aquarium was a very old 20 gallon I traded for and stocked with water plants, Rough Skinned Newts and Sticklebacks I collected from the local creek. I kept this and a large terrarium for years. In High School I worked at summer camp teaching nature and
herpetology. In college I studied horticulture then later shore birds and finally electronics and
computers. I enjoy research, learning, photography and meeting new people. I work for Union Pacific Railroad in their Simulator Support Department.
|
|||||
Shane Silcox |
|||||
Other Responsibilities: Merchandise
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! |
|||||
Shawn Winterbottom
|
|||||
Other Responsibilities: Assistant Web Master
I have lived in Sandy area since I was eight years old and graduated from Jordan High School. In 1993, after received my Associates Degree, in Computer Information Systems, I started working for Qqest Software Systems as a Computer Programmer. I have always loved the aquarium hobby started with a 55 gallon FW aquarium in my office. I also had a 35 gallon FW tank at home. I especially enjoyed cichlids and eels. Another of my favorites were my Oscar and Clown Knife. My boss, not be out done, decided to start a 150 gallon SW fish-only tank also in the office. In 2002, our family relocated to a larger home. I inherited the 150 gallon tank from my boss and traded my FW tank in on a 75 gallon SW reef aquarium and never looked back. I first joined the WMAS in early 2003. It has been great!!. With five sons, I am also very involved in the Boy Scouts of America, and am currently serving as Scout Master. Some of my other hobbies are (when and if I have time) rocketry, RC trucks, hunting, camping and fishing. Other pets include, dogs, frogs, lizards, birds, and rats. Yes my house is a zoo. |
|||||
Past Presidencies: |
|