New things are happening!

I will be speaking at the Tampa aquarium society that Sat in between the FW and Marine fest. We will stop and take a tour of Everglades Aquatic plant wholesalers as well! We will get a tour by their new owner and see their operation.

So we can add more to this event.

The AGA event is not going to happen this year, so this will be the only national plant event!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

If you have never been, better come, this will be a packed year I think and the marine version will be something to talk about and be inspirational for years to come.

These trips are cheap as folks can get cheap flights to JAX or ORL, we stay at the Motel 6, 29.99 a night, less if you share.
Don't worry, we don't stay there except to rest, folks are hog tired at the end the day.

The Marine version is limited to 15 people and includes a bioat trip the reef, a mangrove forest and lots of snorkeling and island hopping with a drunken evening in Key West and shopping, sight seeing the last night. I drive the drunks back home(I don;t drink). Rates run about 20-25$ for the rooms on the water per night, and the boat ride runs about 10-20$ and is well worth every penny. We can get another boat if folks want to collect and go to more isolated islands. There are few weeds on the reefs, most are along each island in the soft sediments and along the rocky intertidal.

Folks eat out together if they chose, I suggest cheap places to eat.
We car pool as best we can and I try to organize folks so that we keep cost down and share things, but if someone wants to have their privacy, nothing wrong there. I charge 75$ for the event per person, most run off with several 100$$$ worth of driftwood, plants, and marine plants.

It looks like the event will be 8-11 of July for the FW and the 12-15 July for the Marine version.

The Tampa part will be the 11th at the Public Aquarium and we will go to the Everglades plant farm on either side of this day. we may be able to go that Sat and then head to Tampa right after for the society meeting.

We will hit some pleco places so you can see them in the springs, a rather odd experience.

The Marine Plant/reef experience will blow you away. Hard to beat the price.

Bring underwater cameras.

Regards,
Tom Barr