Inland Empire Water Garden & Koi Society

SEE "OUR NEXT MEETING" PAGE

TO LEFT FOR INFORMATION AND DIRECTIONS

NEXT MEETING:

FRANK AND DIANA LYNN REHNS'

SAT., APRIL 20TH, 2013,

2:00 p.m.

Lasagne Pot Luck, Please bring a side dish to share!

Remember to renew!

See Below

Presentation:

We will be viewing our water garden plants for the SCCGarden Expo AND repotting and splitting some. Come learn how to do this and learn about your favorite water garden plants at the same time!

COME JOIN US!

Business meeting after this meeting:

None planned.

Come and ask any questions

on koi, ponds, building, etc!

All are welcome!

(See "Our Next Meeting Page")

CLUB HISTORY

The Inland Empire Water Garden & Koi Society was established to promote the hobby of water gardening, the keeping of ornamental fish, to disseminate information about the above to the membership, to engage in the educational and social activities related to our purposes, and to develop an inventory that will augment and support our vision.

Our society has had membership of over 500 families since its beginning in 1996, which provides the opportunity to fraternize with those of similar interests. Our members' experience ranges from those who are contemplating a pond, to those who have just recently built their first pond, and to those who have many years of experience. Some of our members have water gardens ranging from oak barrels containing plants and fish to ponds with waterfalls, plants, koi and/or goldfish. The designs are unique with a common theme: a place of relaxation where family and friends can enjoy the beautiful sights and sounds of what we like to call “our little paradise”. Our club also has a number of members who are very active in the development and competitive showing of fish at regional Koi and Goldfish Shows. Several members have completed the Koi Health Advisor course offered only to Koi Club members affiliated with the Associated Koi Clubs of America.

MEMBERSHIP INFORMATION

With our members having such a variety of interests, the experience and advice of club members is invaluable, especially to the beginner. The best way to learn more about water gardening, koi and goldfish is to be involved in a club such as ours. And there is no better time to join than before the pond is built so the beginner can benefit from our members experiences and, yes, mistakes.

Our club usually meets the first or second weekend (Sat. or Sunday) of each month, except December and January. Special events and meetings at members' ponds are posted each month on our website. Meetings are now held at the Valley or Moran Prairie Library or the Manito Park meeting room next to the conservatory. Weather permitting, we will be at a member's pond (June, July, August, and September). Meetings generally start at 3:00 p.m. depending on location and whether a potluck is planned.  Effort is made to provide an educational program regarding the hobby with guest speakers and a time to socialize.

Check out "Our Next Meeting" page to get details

on our next meeting.

Note: Visitors are ALWAYS welcome!

Our members also receive ten to eleven monthly newsletters which contain great articles on pond construction, filter systems, water quality, selecting and caring for fish, water plants plus many other related topics.

ACTIVITIES TO ENJOY

Each year our club is involved in a number of exciting activities, such as the Garden Expo, Japan Week, Pond Tour, and our annual Koi Show (now a joint event with the North Idaho Koi Keepers).

For the first time in 2008 we had an informational booth and a show tank for the opening day of Japan Week (April 19, 2008) as well as an informational booth at the re-dedication of the Nishinomiya-Tsutakawa Memorial Garden (the Japanese Garden and Pond in Manito Park). Japan Week, April 19 - 26th, is an annual Japanese cultural event here in Spokane, Washington.

One of our most important community activities has been to "adopt" the pond in the Nishinomiya Tsutakawa Memorial Garden (the Japanese garden in Manito Park). Starting in 2005 a major cleaning of the pond and koi health check was done. This was the first clean out of the pond since it was built in 1974. Our club members continue to volunteer their time by doing an annual health check of the Koi residing therein, as well as checking on the need of another major clean up of the pond itself. This health check and pond clean out was on May 31st for 2009.

Sadley, a few of koi had died over the winter of 2007-2008. As the weather warmed up in the spring of 2008, more and more koi started dying. Koi health checks were done and finally testing for diseases was done. It was found that the koi had Koi Herpes Virus (KHV), a virus that is fatal to koi. Spokane lost all of the koi in the pond due to this disease. It is thought that KHV was introduced to the pond by someone "donating" goldfish or koi to the pond without permission. Goldfish can be carriers of KHV and if a koi survives KHV, it can be a carrier also. No koi or goldfish should ever be introduced to the pond by individuals! A quarantine process needs to be followed before any koi are introduced. This is what was done to the 30 koi that were donated by members of our club last fall. The pond itself had to be disinfected and dried out before any koi could be placed back in the pond. The koi that were donated underwent a rigorous health check and quarantine procedure.

The koi residing in the pond are being carefully watched for any signs of illness.   Further updates on the koi in the pond will be posted here as we have news to share.

NEXT SCHEDULED CLEAN UP DATE: JUNE 1, 2013.

As you can see, our club is very active in both club and community activities. We are always looking for opportunities to promote our wonderful hobby and would like to extend the invitation to you to join us!