Koi Club of the Air!

"what a little weasel that pot sturring creep is (JOHN HAWLEY; KOI CLUB OF THE AIR). I think he should be banned from all the boards, clubs and associations in the country. Not a redeeming quality in him. Mother is a sweet soul but the kid is a creep. And he is a kid in every sense of the word. Let's all move on-------

Response: James Reilly is a bitter old man that sits at his desk on Wall Street writing stories about the superiority of koi bred in Japan over those same genetic lines raised in the U.S. and elsewhere. James Reilly is a shill for those dealers he has developed relationships with on his many trips to Japan. He lines up wealthy customers in the U.S. to make trips to Japan to purchase fish for thousands of dollars a piece. He is a broker operating without a license. Then, Reilly claims to be something of the Ralph Nader of advocates for hobbyists against the industry side of the hobby, but never fails to miss an opportunity to castigate hobbyists for not quarantining fish that were later to be found diseased from a dealer purchase that killed the consumers entire stock of watery pets. Reilly is supposedly a stellar representative of what an AKCA and ZNA member should aspire to.

"Mother" Nellie Hawley is in the next room and recently got off the phone with the Glenns' after sending in her resignation from the KHA program as have a growing list of directors and members of that program in solidarity with Karen and Spike who resigned. The issue here is a the dealer network's undue influence over a board membership whose average age is in the seventies. Even where intentions maybe good on the board they are fed bad information via the dealer network operatives that have generated a witch hunt against some of the most hardworking GOOD ambassadors of AKCA, which were formerly know as Koi Health Advisors.

Considering such let me respond to Reilly that there is NO redeeming quality in him and he is a creep. He is a foul/foolish and pathetic example of a leader of the AKCA and ZNA. I'm not even a dues paying member of the organization and DISCOURAGE others for joining as a result of examples such as him! James Reilly is a pathetic mouthy old man without the ass to back up what he mouths off. I don't need a damn thing from James Reilly, not advice, not personal attacks, NOT A DAMN THING and neither does anyone else that owns koi. He is a self appointed and annointed leader in the koi "hobby" propped up by dealer interests at several dealer forums including Koi-bito.com and Koishack.com. So KISS MY FISH LOVING ASS you arrogant prick along with all you damn koi dealers that prop up guys like this to be infiltrators in the koi hobby!

For years the dealer/professional industry arm was advised against being allowed to control local koi clubs by the Associated Koi Clubs of America in their Club Kits and other forms of advisements. Yet, the dealers and professionals including those who build koi ponds have always been on-hand to assist clubs and sometimes too much so. I remember seeing a similar situation in a local chapter of the Sierra club, an environmental activist organization that had been infiltrated by an executive of Waste Management for the sole purpose of dissuading members wanting to do anything that might harm his companies financial interests. The same has occured within the AKCA wherein, Don Chandler a Southern California based hobbyists with strong ties to the koi dealer network has become the veritable spokesman for various members of the board and those likely to be incoming office holders. Chandler has a long history of meanspirited hateful rhetoric aimed at those his dealer network has found to be threats to their efforts to infiltrate the AKCA hierarchy. Chandler had already moved into a position of authority with the money making arm of the organization as a board of director along with his wife for the KOI USA magazine a positioned offered up via their equally controversial Editor Steve Childers.

from Burt Ballou -- a letter which was supposed to have been sent to all KHAs last night after the AKCA Board meeting.
Since it apparently wasn't sent as requested, and wasn't posted on the KHA Forum either, we hope this post will suffice in lieu: Please be advised that the AKCA board accepted Karen Pattist's voluntary resignation as administrator of the KHA program.
The AKCA board will apoint an interim committee to oversee the program and to also act as a search committee to find the best possible candidate for her replacement.
The AKCA board passed in a unanimous motion that AKCA can NOT self insure the KHA's as it would be financially irresponsible to take on such a huge risk. Each individual KHA should contact their homeowner's carrier or their homeowner's insurance agent to determine if their homeowner's insurance will afford coverage to them as in most cases it will.
The AKCA board wanted to advise all KHA's that the board fully intends to continue the KHA program, and has never contemplated dissolving it.
Thank you,
Burt Ballou LINK BACK

Nellie Hawley resigned from the Koi Health Advisor Program in a letter to Harlan Glen.

Hello All!
I wanted you all to hear my side of the story that’s sure to come out, and fairly soon. The short version is that I have resigned as Director of the AKCA KHA program.

The details: Due mainly to the ongoing differences in philosophy about how to deal with criticism, I have submitted my resignation to be presented at tonight’s AKCA Board of Directors’ meeting. You can just say we’re all too old to change… I will always believe that the right to criticize is not only important, but it’s a vital way to improve a program, however, the majority of the board remains unconvinced of this.

People have drug many personal agendas into this current controversy, most if not all, have been counter-productive, in my opinion. One argument has been that the AKCA should not insure KHAs because it’s too expensive and there are KHAs that the AKCA considers rogue and/or that act in such a way as to expose the AKCA to large and unwarranted liabilities. Part of this argument has been that the KHAs are out doing illegal things – this is just not supported by the facts. Another position is that the KHAs should not make pond calls and have done things beyond their scope – some folks have occasionally made errors in judgment, but they have learned from them and it’s not been a problem. I have defended the fact that KHAs learn from their mistakes, and do my very best to ensure good education and continuing education for KHAs. There are no doubt many other complaints that have no more substance than these. To the best of my knowledge, no law suit has ever been filed against a KHA.

What does this mean for you? Please spend some time considering what the best course of action is for YOU. The new Director of the KHA program might make improvements that you will be happy with and I certainly suggest that you give them a chance.

I believe that being a good leader means standing up for the people, when they are right, and for our beliefs. I have always defended the right to free speech and the right to offer constructive criticism. But, we have come to an impasse. I believe that our KHAs are intelligent, independent agents that have done a tremendous amount of good in the Koi world. I have enjoyed knowing each of you, and I hope we remain friends and colleagues. I will continue to try and be a force for good in the Koi community.

As always, I am more than willing to talk to any of you by phone (XXXXXXXXXXXX), and to answer any e-mail questions you might have.
Karen Pattist, (KHA Program Director)

AKCA board and fellow KHAS,

If you had told me right after I finished the KHA program that I would someday be the KHA forum administrator or that I would endure public attacks by the AKCA board and their spokespersons, which would ultimately lead to my resignation, I would not have believed you. I enrolled in this program with thoughts of enjoying learning everything I could about keeping my Koi healthy and perhaps helping a hobbyist along the way. I jumped in with both feet eager to help the program and be a loyal disciple of the AKCA. I avoided speaking my mind on the Koi forums which seem to generate nothing but gossip and ill will and chose to spend my time writing articles and taking continuing education courses. I truly wanted to be an asset to this program. I went to the AKCA meetings every year giving up family vacation time to support the KHA program. I also jumped at the chance to be the forum administrator all the time knowing that I had much to learn about computers. Like most organizations the KHA program has many members, but truly only a small percentage are actively participating. The rest chose to sit back and criticize when events were not to their liking, but never offered solutions. I tend to roll with the punches knowing that you can not please everyone so you go along and try to keep things on an even keel.
I have taken my job as forum administrator very seriously. I have never spoken a word against the AKCA. Never once have I stepped out of bounds while performing this job. I have spent hundreds of hours on the three forums trying to keep them in order, move them and monitor the members and threads. I have taken my laptop with me on family vacations, while my husband was critically ill in the hospital in March and most recently when I made an emergency flight to Charlotte for a grandchild with a life threatening illness. I have always made myself available. Imagine my surprise when I was accused, not by one but two board members, of committing espionage and sabotaging the KHA forum. It is a sad day when the very board you have been supporting is using "official spokespersons"' to carry out their agenda on forums claiming foul play by the Director of the KHA program by feeding them personal emails and posts off the private section of the KHA forum. My personal emails have made it to the forum resulting in low class attempts to discredit me. The AKCA board has only had one agenda........get rid of the undesirable KHAS by any means even if it results in good KHA causalities. While I find that deeply disturbing, it is more unconscionable to me that KHAs would send private emails to the board stating their displeasure with the program, but not wanting to speak out because they fear retaliation and that email is used in a frontal attack by a board member. The KHA that speaks out against the program on forums, but not offering any real solutions. Last, we have the worst KHA. The disgruntle person that gives the spokesperson, for the AKCA board, their name and password to sign in on the KHA forum for the expressed intent of copying and posting threads to a hostile board. This letter will be posted to a board so it can not be used as "breaking news" on a hostile forum.
Perhaps the board would be better served and use their time more wisely by stop trying to fix the KHA, KHV and BHP programs and address the serious problems they have in their own backyard.

I am truly sorry for all of us.
Mary Bailey LINK BACK

I resigned as a KHA last night. Did I ever do anything to help you?

Have I been to your pond, gave you supplies, been available for phone calls at all hours, emailed or pm'd you, or spent time on the board with your fish? I did articles for the newsletters, puzzles for the KOI USA magazine, classes for the club. Thursday I took home water from a members pond to test after the meeting. I spent my sons (2) birthdays teaching a scrape and scope class. I have bug articles here and have made my articles and power points available for any club or anybody that wants them.

Was it a waste of my time? Has anything koi health related come from me to you?

Cindy LINK BACK

KHA is changing-

Background on Destruction of Koi Health Advisor Program: There are many arrogant people that have garnered a great amount of influence within the Associated Koi Clubs of America often times for the financial gain as they either are dealers, pond builders or in someway either make money or merely wish to control the organization for their friends that do. For sometime now these people have sought to undermine the principle program within AKCA which is the Koi Health Advisor Program. After the program founder Spike Cover began developing a Best Health Management set of protocols to be presented to dealers as a voluntary program the business oriented sector that had manipulated their way into authority or who otherwise curry too much influence in the AKCA began a more conserted effort to destroy the program by accusing its founder and the program head Karen Pattish of mismanagement and other wrongdoings. They have spread these lies through forums including www.KoiShack.com and a defunct magazine forum based offshore at www.Koi-Bito.com. They have the same administrator "dihn" who works closely with the dealer network to control their message. Those involved in this conspiracy range from the editor and members of the board of directors of the AKCA magazine KOI USA to numerous members of their koi show judging team. Their influence has reached the actual AKCA board of directors. There was a time when I supported and was a proud member of the AKCA. However, that time has past. Today one of the best resources on the web for reaching a community of fun loving koi hobbyists that are'nt tainted unduly by the manipulators in the business community is www.koiphen.com.

Environmentalists sue over fish disease

Practical Fishkeeping

Environmentalists in the United States have started legal proceedings against governmental agencies for doing little to prevent the spread of a disease which is deadly to fish throughout the Great Lakes.

The ‘Save Lake Superior’, ‘Trout Unlimited’ and ‘Izaak Walton League of Duluth and Minnesota’ filed their lawsuit two weeks ago against the US Coastguard, the Department of Agriculture and the health inspectorate as well as other agencies to force them to act to prevent the spread of Viral Haemorrhagic Septicaemia (VHS) into Lake Superior (continued).

APHIS Report: Assessing Infectious Disease Emergence Potential in the U.S.

Environmentalists sue over fish disease