PNKCA Executive Board

Pacific Northwest Koi Clubs Association

Elsie Richardson - Chairperson

Little did I know 15 years ago when we built our first Koi pond that it would lead to the wonderful adventure that I have had and the fascination I have with these beautiful Koi.

In 2001 I became a member of the Oregon Koi and Watergarden Society. Through the encouragement of the club I enrolled in the KHA program sponsored by the AKCA. I graduated in 2004 and took additional courses along the way and was renewed as a KHA in 2006. The OK&WS is such a big part of my life and I truly enjoy the camaraderie that I have with the members of my club plus all of the people I have met across the country. I truly enjoy the hobby, as it is a family affair and there is nothing more relaxing than setting by the pond and enjoying watching my Koi. I am serving as the President for 2007, have served as Secretary for 2 years, Show Co-Chair. I have been honored by my club with The AKCA Person of the Year in 2004, the OK&WS Koi Person of the Year 2005, and Ed Fujimoto Award in 2007. I have been a PNKCA Rep for 3 years. I am looking forward to working with the PNKCA board and all of the clubs across the Pacific Northwest.

Jerry Hames - Vice-Chairperson

My first love affair with fish started with Goldfish when I was a child and helped my Mom with our small 18" deep pond. I didn’t know anything about them though, except that I just wanted to have some of my own. During my young adult life I kept aquariums full of fancy goldfish, and at one time had about 14 tanks. One day in 1973, I saw what I thought was the biggest common goldfish I had ever seen. It must have been 15 inches or so. The store clerk said that is a KOI, and not a goldfish. From that day on, I have kept KOI. At first I had them in aquariums, but of course they soon needed bigger accommodations. I have built and enjoyed 3 ponds since that date, and certainly have enjoyed the experience. Keeping the KOI has been a very fun hobby, and trying to make their environment healthy ever since has been my commitment to the hobby.

I have been a member of Cascade Koi Club, Pacific Wonderland Koi club, and the Olympic Koi, Goldfish & Watergarden Club. I have been a PNKCA rep for many years, and President of the Olympic Koi , Goldfish & Watergarden Club twice.

Carmen Stafford - Secretary

In 1999 I had my first pond built. I learned a lot with this pond and in doing so made every mistake you can along the way. I recently had my pond enlarged from 1600 gallons to 6880 gallons. Boy, are my fish happy! I’ve been a member of the Mid-Columbia Koi & Pond Club since about 1999 and recently became newsletter editor. For the last three years I have organized our club’s annual pond tour. I am also a member of the North Idaho Koi Keepers and look forward to learning a lot from their meetings. My involvement with the PNKCA began in 2005 when I attended my first PNKCA convention in Portland. The Executive Board was looking for a volunteer club for the 2006 22nd annual convention. I talked my club members into hosting the convention. They said okay, but that I would have to chair it, so I did. While doing this, I became a PNKCA Representative for my club. The convention took a year to plan, and with the help of lots of people, we got it done. Now I’m looking forward to serving as Secretary for the PNKCA Executive Board.

Lucy Macneil - Treasurer

I met my first koi at the Honolulu Airport in 1980 and I thought they were magnificent. Little did I know that 10 years later Nancy and I would begin construction of our first pond. At first, the fish were Nancy’s, but I succumbed to the allure and bought my first fish, Emily, a cute Yamabuki Ogon, in 1992. Fast forward over the last 15 years—I’ve been an active member of the Washington Koi & Water Garden Society, and have served on the Executive Board as Treasurer, Newsletter Editor (twice) and President (twice) and I’ve chaired two of our Annual Koi Shows. I have learned more things than I ever thought I would want to know—how to inject fish, how to do a necropsy, etc. Not the most fun part of koikeeping, but the joys far outweigh the challenges and the failures. It has been so much fun to meet other koi kichi people; I’ve been to at least five PNKCA Conventions, three AKCA Seminars, and numerous koi shows up and down the west coast. I have made lots of friends and seen incredibly beautiful fish, and I still am thrilled when our koi come rushing over at the sound of my voice. I look forward to working with club members across the Pacific Northwest as I serve as PNKCA Treasurer.