In an attempt to improve communication with the membership, I have
been writing periodic updates such as this one with information for
members of the IAS regarding the status of various projects, the
publications and available membership services.
** The big news is, of course, the annual show and sale in Miami. Ron
Gagliardo of the Atlanta Botanical Garden will be speaking on "Cloud
Forest Aroids at the Fuqua Orchid Center" this year, and we should have
a presentation by Marcela Mora, who has been selected as the recipient
of the 2004 Monroe Birdsey Memorial Award. We hope to have internet
participation in the auction again as well - more information on that
is to come. The show is on September 18th and 19th, at the Fairchild
Tropical Garden in Miami, FL. A ton of additional information is
available on the IAS website at http://www.aroid.org/
** If you would like to help out with the show this year, we are in
need of all manner of volunteers. Please contact Tricia Frank (
tricia_frank@hotmail.com ) to volunteer your time.
** Aroideana - Through the extraordinary efforts of Derek Burch, our
esteemed editor, Aroideana is out early this year. If it's not already
in your hands ( as it should be for all members in the United States by
now ), it should reach you shortly. The deadline for articles in the
next issue is set at Jan 15th 2005. Even though it seems really early,
please get your article submissions in for the next edition. Derek
Burch remains available to help with ghostwriting and editing if you
have an idea for an article.
** Thanks to everyone who has paid their dues this year. You will
notice that a renewal envelope has been included in your new issue of
Aroideana - please make use of it. Although your membership is for the
full calendar year, renewing now will save you some time during the
busy holiday season. You are helping your society to support aroid
research and horticulture through our publications, encourage young
aroid researchers through our awards, and educate the public through
our website and events. We cannot continue this work without the
support of our members - your $25 not only contributes to all these
causes, but also gets you newsletters, our journal, and access to
additional publications on the website. Please encourage your friends
to join us today so that we can better serve the aroid community.
Registration is available online, and credit cards are accepted through
paypal at http://www.aroid.org/
** Subscription problems - if you have not received your newsletter or
Aroideana on time, we apologize in advance. Please contact myself (
amh@ieee.org ) or our membership chair Paul Resslar ( presslar@vwc.edu
) and let us know - we will do our best to find the problem and get you
taken care of. Every quarter, there are a few issues which go missing,
and some people have problems with address changes and membership
requests which get lost in processing. In the past year, Paul's
efforts at cleaning up our membership database have made the process
smoother than in years past, but we still make mistakes, and we need to
know if you are having problems.
** There is a membership directory database available in the member's
area of www.aroid.org . Some members have requested a printed directory
be published as well, and we still have copies available. If you would
like a free copy mailed to you, please let me know by e-mail and I will
send one your way.
** You may have noticed some changes in performance of the
www.aroid.org website recently. We have switched service providers in
order to get a better value for our money. During the switching
process, some parts of the website may have stopped working - if you
notice any problems, please let Scott Hyndman ( hyndman@aroid.org )
know. We'll try to get them fixed.
Please remember - replying to this message directly will get it sent
back to Aroid-L, not to me or the board member of your choice.
--Albert
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