What's going on with the APO?

[Liz Mitchell]

Hi!

I'd like to file a missing persons report. I haven't heard from anyone from the APO in ages except Kim Dietrich (who's now in the Antarctic) and now the website doesn't work for me. I'm one of three board members (Kim, myself and Kelly Van Wormer) and there's been no news from the APO in over a year. What's going on with APO..anyone know? President, vice pres, secretary and treasurer?? Where are you?

Liz

[Kelly VanWormer]

Hey Liz,
I am here in Seattle and Kim is off sailing the seas of Antarctica. Yes, you are correct - the APO has become stagnant in the last year or so…Kim was finishing graduate school and I was just starting, so life got very busy. We tried to recruit current observers to serve the APO – we got Suzanne Romain involved but still did not find replacements for the officers or a large enough base of current observers to keep things going.

I haven’t been certified since 1999 – so I feel very out of touch with current observer issues and don’t feel that I can properly serve the APO. So, in a nut shell current observers need to rally and decide what they want to do – this is their APO – they need to decide if it will sink or swim. I sure hope they will "swim" because the APO has proven to be a very effective voice in the past.

KL

[Liz Mitchell]

Hi Keith and all,

Thanks for your e-mail and I definitely would welcome working with other observers who are "in action"! APO has made huge strides in the Alaska program but I believe the APO is in danger of fizzling out. The time is ripe to make changes and I believe that if there was ever a time we needed to organize it is now, so we definitely need everyone's input. Where do we want to go?? This is an excellent forum to discuss the needed changes. Personally, I would also like to see us expand our focus to other programs, so I like your idea of a "committee" of different regions, and not just fisheries observer programs. Really it depends on the people involved in this forum.

This is fertile ground right now...it's a good time to get involved. We have only 3 board members, so would anyone care to join the board? Kim is returning in March so I would like to wait until her return for us to make new elections for APO officers and board members and to make a decision on how to mobilize this committee idea you mentioned. But we can start the ball rolling right now by communicating our ideas. If anyone has any nominations please let me know, either here, on the observer-only forum or by e-mailing me .

The fears you mention about the consequences of becoming involved is exactly the reason APO existed. It is because of these consequences that the integrity of our monitoring programs is in danger of becoming compromised. If anyone would like to see the original APO charter documents and bylaws, I'd be happy to forward them on. Also note that these documents can be amended. It depends on all of us. Thanks for responding Keith and take care! Liz

[Liz Mitchell]

Hi Kelly..we posted at the same time..Nice to hear from you. I didn't realize you were going to graduate school..understandable. So anyway, hopefully some folks will want to become involved. I haven't been certified since '98 but that's something I'm trying to remedy. Anyway, good luck in graduate school and thanks..

Liz

[Felix Canez]

Hi Liz: I tried to email the APO today and I got the mail returned. I hope this message reaches you.

Hi. This is the qmail-send program at yahoo.com.
I'm afraid I wasn't able to deliver your message to the following
addresses.
This is a permanent error; I've given up. Sorry it didn't work out.
apo@apo-observer.org:
Sorry, I couldn't find any host named apo-observer.org. (#5.1.2)
apo_obs@hotmail.com:
65.54.245.8 does not like recipient.
Remote host said: 550 Requested action not taken: mailbox unavailable
Giving up on 65.54.245.8.

[Keith Davis]

Hey Felix:

It seems as if you just got the e-mail address wrong (left out the "s" on "observers"). I hope it works for you fine now. Also, the Summer 2007 Mail Buoy should be out maybe by this weekend- it's primarily concerning observers' involvement at the IFOC in Victoria this last May. I hope you're doing well. I'm working on tuna boats out of Hawaii presently, but am considering heading up north for "A" season. I guess I'm a glutton for punishment.

Keith

[Felix Canez]

How are you doing my good friend and former Nemesis the APO big gun, Mr. Keith Davis himself!! Hey, since you are in Hawaii, do that means you are working for MRAG Americas?

I just finished the 2007 Scallop Observer Class at the Anchorage Observer Training Center. I am waiting to be deployed and very anxious to go on my first Scallop assignment.

Ah HA!! That is the reason that I have never been able to get trough with the APO. It was you the one that forgot to put the "s" in your address in here http://www.observernet.org/obsforum/...ead.php?t=1532 So correct e-mail address should be apo@apo-observers.org (with an "s")

I have been trying to get some information from the Fisheries Council Staff and I wanted to keep you guys aware of such communications. Especially since they responded that the Association for Professional Observers is representing us in the council decisions to make sure that all Observer legal rights are respected, etc.

Do you know where Liz Mitchell is at? Is she in the field? I have e-mailed her for months and no response. Is she OK? Along those lines would be nice to have a contact info or to tell someone about our whereabouts so we know everyone is OK. I mean, if Liz or anyone was in troubled waters (hospital, etc) it would be nice that we know about it so we can either visit or send flowers to cheer them up a little.

Regards
Felix Observer

-btw- Dave, Liz, Keith et. al. ... There is a Groundfish Class in Anchorage. Even though you might feel that there is no participation from Observers in this forum. Many of these trainees have read the Observernet.org forums. Reason being, when they were looking to work in the North Pacific, they ran a search in the internet and presto! They found observernet.org so congratulations on this great site.

[Keith Davis]

Hey Felix,

I had heard that Liz is currently on a survey of some sort in the North Pacific. From what she told me, she had a great time at this past conference as well as I did and I'll have to tell you more later. Thanks for clarifying the (my) mix-up on the APO e-mail address. I think this forthcoming Mail Buoy will be very good. Maybe you could copy one or two copies for various field stations if you get a chance. Thanks Felix.

Keith

[Felix Canez]

Originally Posted by Liz Mitchell

Hi!
I'd like to file a missing persons report. I haven't heard from anyone from the APO in ages... ... What's going on with APO..anyone know? Where are you?
Liz

Thank you Keith Ex-NEMESIS (like that word) for your prompt response. Yo Guys! I heard from Liz today. Liz, you got me worried there for a while. Like you disappeared without a trace (Just like in the X-Files). Knowing that you are OK is important to me so PLEASE. We need to create some sort of a centralized system to inform everyone of our whereabouts. Well, at least I will save some money in the flowers I mentioned above.

From: emitch@efn.org
Lizard reporting....Hi Felix! I'm on the Vesteraalen and we're in port right now. I'm doing a NOAA Groundfish (bottom trawl) survey and I'm one of the biologist emergency hires they took on. This next leg coming up is the third leg... anyway, I'll be home by my birthday on 9 August (leaving tonight or tomorrow morning... probably tonight). I'm OK..are you OK? Bye for now!

Lizard

Liz! Good to hear from you... and from other Observers who are reading this, as you can see and read, the NOAA can hire you as a temp Biologist for their independent summer surveys!

Ex-NEMESIS Keith Davis!! About printing and posting copies of the Mail Buoy (Observer Publication)... I promise to do it at various field bunkhouses and offices. However, to make it easier to read online, please try to post in in Observernet.org in a text user friendly format.

-btw- Thanks to the Hotel Puffin Inn in Anchorage. They have a computer with printer so, I printed 7 copies of the Mail Buoy for the Observer Bunkhouses in Anchorage:
(1) AOI
(3) SWI
(1) TSI
(1) NWO
(1) MRAG.