The next Down Under Dive Club meeting is Wednesday, January 11, at 7:00pm. Dr. Katie Tripp will be speaking to the club about efforts to save the manatee. This is a particularly timely topic given our upcoming Manatee Snorkel Trip.

Dr. Katie Tripp is the Director of Science and Conservation for the Save the Manatee Club (SMC). She received her bachelor's degree from Eckerd College in St. Petersburg, FL, where she majored in Marine Science and received minors in both Chemistry and Environmental Policy. Katie received her Ph.D. in Veterinary Medical Sciences from the University of Florida, where she conducted research on manatee physiology. Dr. Tripp was a lecturer, laboratory instructor, and graduate research assistant at the university. She has worked as a manatee consultant for one of the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Projects and also worked as a biologist with Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission's Marine Mammal Pathobiology Lab where she assisted with manatee necropsies, carcass salvage, marine mammal rescues, and various research projects. She has co-authored multiple abstracts and research papers on manatees. Among her many honors, she was chosen as the Florida League of Conservation Voters’ Betsy Wood Fellow and was a Ford Foundation and Morris K. Udall Scholar. She was chosen by the Board of SMC to be its first student member and became a full member in 2005. At the 2008 Marine Mammal Health Conference organized by the University of Florida, College of Veterinary Medicine and others, Dr. Tripp received the Reep-Bonde Florida Manatee Biology and Conservation Award for her research that furthered the basic knowledge of fundamental manatee biology.

The next Down Under Dive Club (DUDC) meeting will be our annual holiday meeting. It will be held Wednesday, December 14, 2011, at 7:00pm. We will do a Chinese gift exchange, which is always entertaining. Participants are expected to bring a wrapped gift worth $25. The traditional potluck dinner will be modified this year. DUDC will provide a $5 voucher for single memberships in attendance or a $10 voucher for family memberships. This voucher is a credit for The Broken Barrel Tavern (the location of the meeting) and is good for that night only. The dessert will be potluck. There will be no speaker. This is generally a fun time with ample opportunity to socialize with other members. It is also an opportunity to start thinking about officers for next year.

Craig Capion has a stash of Scuba gear that has grown too big to handle. He has a few items for sale.

Congratulations to Tom Butler! He won the Atomic Aquatics Titanium Safe Second Inhaler raffle prize. We wish you safe diving, Tom!