SEPTEMBER MEETING
Our next meeting will be on September 9th at 9:00 am.  Although the air-conditioned meeting rooms have been nice the last couple of months, it will be fun to meet around a backyard pond again!  John S. and Dwayne V. joined the Pond Society during the pond tour and were kind enough to allow us to meet in their backyard this month.  About one year ago, they bought an AquaScapes kit and installed their own pond.  It is located in the center of their yard and there is a wandering garden behind and a fire pit in front.  They also have a pond made from a horse trough. The speaker this month will be Roberta G., an entomologist, who will be speaking about "Dragonflies and Aquatic Insects."  She will tell us about dragonflies, damselflies, and other insects that we might find in and around our ponds.  So, if you've been wondering about a strange creature at your pond, be sure to attend and find out from Roberta what it is!  Please bring your lawn chairs to sit on and any extra plants to share.  Cathy finally gets to try out her new folding stool!
 

AUGUST MEETING
Another good meeting, although we got a late start because the library employee that had the keys didn't arrive until about 9:15.  We got going right away and introduced the executive committee.  Bert F. gave the treasurers report.  Ron C. needs to step down from his website position and Brad J. volunteered to take over.  THANKS, BRAD!! Dianne announced that the $1000 donation from pond tour funds had been made to the Gilbert Riparian Institute and a thank you letter received. Future meetings were reviewed.  Dianne asked the membership their opinion about having a future July or August meeting at a restaurant with continental breakfast which would cost each member about $7.00 each.  The consensus was that it would be agreeable.  The meeting was turned over to Alan C. who spoke about "Watergardening in the Southwest."  Alan is a past president of the club and it was really nice to have him speaking in front of the group again.  He discussed pond placement, things to consider when building, and pond maintenance.  Then Alan took questions from the members.  We all learned something!  Free fertilizer tablet samples were handed out and then we broke up for treats supplied by Bert and Betty (THANKS!) and beverages.
 
 

TUCSON POND TOUR
For anyone interested, the Tucson Watergardeners are having their annual public pond tour on Sunday, September 10th from 8:00 am until 5:00 pm.  This year, there are seven ponds on the tour and the cost is $7.00 per person.  Tickets will be sold at several Tucson nursery locations.  For more information, call (520) 322-0830 or (520) 296-1074.
 

WELCOME NEW MEMBERS - WE'RE NOW UP TO 103 HOUSEHOLDS!

Linda C. - Tempe
Leslie L. - Glendale
Derek Y. - Gilbert
 

ELECTIONS
If you would like to become more active in the Pond Society, elections are held each November.  Bert and Betty have been doing a great job as treasurers for almost five years and are ready to pass the position on to someone else.  For details about the treasurers duties, please contact Bert or Betty.  If there is another position in the club you are interested in, please don't be shy  - run for it on November 11th!
 
 

BIOSPHERE 2 CENTER
Clear your calendar for our October 14 meeting which will be a fun field trip to Columbia University's Biosphere 2 Center in Oracle, Arizona -  about 90 minutes south of Phoenix. Biosphere 2 is one of the largest living laboratories in the world.  In 1994 Biosphere 2 was converted from an experiment to test the feasibility of humans living in a closed eco-system to a large scale ecological laboratory and Western branch campus of Columbia University.  The meeting will be held in a meeting room with a speaker to enlighten us about their football field size pond located on the grounds. 

After the meeting, we will have the option of going on a private tour for Pond Society members. The tour will cost $13.00 for adults and $6.00 for children under 18 years of age (all family members are welcome).  It is a [less then one] mile walking tour on paved pathways and covers all of the Biosphere 2 Center exhibits.  The tour takes approximately 2 hours and comfortable shoes and a hat are recommended.  If anyone is interested, there is also a new "Under the Glass" one hour tour which covers more of the technology behind the Biosphere.  There is an additional fee of $10.00 for that tour.  After the group tour, members can have lunch at the Canada del Oro restaurant on the grounds or there are restaurants in Oracle.  Sorry, no picnicing is allowed at the Biosphere. 

We will probably arrange a place to meet early on that Saturday morning for those members that would like to caravan.  If anyone would like to drive down on Friday, the Biosphere has overnight accommodations in a 27 room hotel.  Please be sure to call 1-800-828-2462 for reservations.  Detailed driving directions will be included in the October newsletter.  Hope to see everyone there - it should be a great day !!