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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. I know that there is so much more to learn but I try and help anyone that is having problems. 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 have served as Secretary for 2 years, PNKCA Rep, Show Co-Chair. I have been honored by my club with The AKCA Person of the Year in 2004, and Ed Fujimoto Award in 2007. I am looking forward to having a fun and educational year.

My name is Matthew Flury and I am one of the two program directors for OK&WS. I have been a member of this club for 2 years and have been into the hobby for 4 years. I am married to the Vice President, Tracy Flury. We just built a new pond this last year that is 21.5 X 11.5 X 6ft totaling 8,000 gallons. I really enjoy the technical aspects of filtration and water quality. If there is something you can never have enough of it is filtration. I guess that’s a good thing since my wife is really into buying koi. I have learned a lot about the do’s and don’ts of ponding and enjoy helping others avoid all the headaches I’ve endured. We’ve made a lot of friends through the club and are amazed with all the information each one has to offer. We like travelling to Washington and California stopping at all the vendors along the way. We enjoy travelling to koi shows and are hoping to make it to Japan one day. We enjoy watching our fish grow and develop. It’s interesting to see the changes they go through, good and bad. I would have to say my favorite variety of koi is the Showa (red, black, and white). My goal is to introduce the hobby to others and provide them with the knowledge required in good koi husbandry.

I first became involved with the club about five years ago when my husband, Dave, was thinking about building a water garden. Well, after joining the club and asking lots of questions, he decided that we would build a koi pond. I soon realized this was going to be a bigger project than I ever imagined. Together we built our 4,000 gallon koi pool in our backyard. It’s become such a fun hobby for the both of us. We’ve met so many new friends with the same interests by attending the club meetings, shows and conventions. With both of our children away at college, this hobby keeps us busy, no “empty nest” for us!

I enjoy the opportunity to participate in a variety of club activities and committees. The annual koi show has been the most fun. It’s a great way to meet the public and share our interests. I’ve helped with our annual Christmas Banquet for the last three years, the auditing of our club financial books and currently help with the club library. This year I look forward to serving on the board as the club’s treasurer.

We first got started in the koi hobby in February 2002. My husband, Lonnie and I decided to build a water garden as a memorial for our late spouses. Our pond was full of rock and under filtered. Herons hit us hard and then khv showed up. That's when the members from the Oregon Koi & Watergarden Society came to our rescue. We now know the difference between a water garden and a koi pond and filtration We now have a great pond and some great new friends.

I was first exposed to a fish pond in the early 50’s as a small boy. It was my job to clean the cement pond every spring. Of course, at that time I did not know the difference between a comet and a koi....and I didn't care. Our cement pond had no drain which was typical in those days and cleaning the pond was always a dirty and stinky job. When we moved I was grateful and never wanted to see another pond.    In the early 70’s I met Kazeo Takeda and guess what? He introduced me to Nishikigoi and my care free life has never been the same since. I entered my first Koi show in 1976. Now I belong to 5 Koi clubs, subscribe to a million magazines, create calendars and collect anything that has to do with koi. I design logos, brochures etc., for Koi club’s shows and special events. I write koi human interest articles and consult over the phone and am the newsletter editor for the Oregon Koi & Watergarden Society. I am currently an AKCA koi judge and a participant in the koi health assistant, (KHA) program sponsored by the AKCA.

My name is Bill Harper I have been a member of this club for 3 years and have been into the hobby for 4 years. My wife's name is Mary. We built our first pond four years ago that is 4,200 gallons. I really enjoy the technical aspects of filtration and water quality. I have learned a lot about the few years of ponding and enjoy helping others. In the future I hope to build a much larger pond using the knowledge I have now. We enjoy traveling to koi shows and meeting new people. I enjoy surfing the internet and communicating with people from around the world. I like to see how different a pond is constructed and the filtration used in other countries.