President’s Message – August 2020

President’s Message

All of us at BAS are hoping that everyone is well and staying safe and healthy. We all know this pandemic continues to grip our world. All of us are praying that we can resume normal life in the near future. I do not have any information as to when we can have in person BAS events at Education Hall. I have been in contact with Scott Doyle of the New York Aquarium and I am quoting his email response to my question about any updates we can share with our members. His response is:

Your meetings at the AQ will have to be on hold for the foreseeable future. We are not holding any classes, camps, or events in our public spaces. Even our management team has meetings of more than 3 people on Zoom.

We are in a wait and see mode right now, unfortunately. I appreciate your patience. If anything changes I will certainly reach out to you immediately.

Stay well,
Scott

With this in mind our scheduled event for September 11, 2020 with Harry Faustmann’s topic “Live Foods” will be a virtual meeting.

Information on the link to watch the video will be emailed to all paid members by David Manuel, Membership Chairperson. I hope you enjoy the presentation!

We are having a new T-Shirt contest for the next BAS shirt for our members. Please submit your drawings or art work, which will be selected soon, to Ginny at basny.editor@gmail.com.

BAS has a new program that we want all to participate in. In memory of BAS Editor John Todaro we have created the John Todaro Memorial Writers Award. Any size article, you can add drawings or pictures for extra points, can be member and non-member allowed to enter, only 3 articles per author will be judged by a BAS committee. We have 1st prize is $50.-, 2nd prize is $25.-, 3rd prize is $15 and several Honorable Mention prizes of $5.- if the articles submitted warrant an award (all payments are in BAS Bucks). It starts now and ends on August 31. To enter please email your submissions to Ginny at basny.editor@gmail.com.

If you want to see different speakers and learn about different aquatic systems, fish, plants, and marine life, please let me know. The elected officials of the Brooklyn Aquarium Society are here to serve YOU! Please let us know what you want and why, because it would be helpful to everyone. It is important that you visit and patronize our sponsors, most of them are open because our pets must eat. It goes full circle: by helping them, they are also helping you as hobbyists and everyone is helping the Brooklyn Aquarium Society, so help us, help you!

Steven Matassa
President