Spring 2014 Newsletter
President’s Message
Season’s greetings!!
Wait, wrong newsletter. Forgive me, what with an overly enthusiastic tango between coatings of ice and 20 mph winds fresh off an iceberg, I am perpetually confused as to what season we are in. But the daffodils insist that spring is creeping in and warmer days begin to nudge into the weeks!
For many of us, this means the commencement of field season draws near, whether we are ready to experience those no-doubt-particularly chilly waters or not. I know for myself, it’s always an exceptionally busy time of year as I secure our seasonal assistance, awaken and prepare various outboards & batteries & nets, and I remind my perpetually stiffening body that it is to once again abandon that office chair and navigate the boulders/thorns/bottomless mud of North Carolina’s wildly diverse aquatic habitats.
Every year I am reminded, and, even after ten years, honored, as I was again at this February’s Annual NCAFS Chapter Meeting, to be part of a community which includes so many innovative & dedicated people who continue to take those risks, while they simultaneously challenge themselves & each other to keep raising the bar of quality & scientific integrity in their work. What makes it extraordinary is the knowledge that none of us do it for the (generally non-existent) financial gains, but instead are driven by a shared passion to protect and guide our amazing creatures & places from now forward. Thank you for allowing me to be a small part of the journey.
Brena Jones, President