GWAPA & JRAS Collecting Trip Adventure!

August 29th, 10am-4pm (rain date will be the following Saturday)

Hardware River Wildlife Management Area Boat Ramp

5128 W River Rd., Scottsdale, VA 24590

Ready to get your feet wet and spend a day exploring nature with fellow aquatic hobbyists? Join GWAPA and our friends from JRAS for a fun-filled collecting trip at the Hardware River as we search for native aquatic plants, fish, and other fascinating freshwater critters! Whether you’re a seasoned collector or trying it for the first time, this is a fantastic opportunity to learn, share techniques, and enjoy a day outdoors with great company.

Don’t Forget to Bring:
• A valid Virginia fishing license (required for all participants)
• Sunscreen
• A hat
• Plenty of fluids to stay hydrated
• Snacks
• Collection containers, buckets, or bags for your finds
• A change of clothes
• A towel
• Shoes you don’t mind getting wet and muddy

Expect to get a little muddy, discover some hidden aquatic treasures, and have plenty of laughs along the way. Whether you come home with a few new plants or simply great memories, it’s always a fun day in the field.

Come join us for an adventure—you never know what we’ll find!

Keep coming back for exact meeting location closer to the trip!

Saturday, February 28th at 1:00pm

Dennis Wong: How to Grow Difficult Plant Species

This month we are talking with Dennis Wong about his research and experiments on how he gets his high demand plants to grow lush, colorful, and healthy. Dennis will be joining us virtually at our meeting place.

Dennis is the creator of the website http://www.2hraquarist.com and many great Youtube videos covering various technical aspects of the planted hobby. He is well known for propagating difficult plant species and does testing for commercial aquatic farms on new plant products. He also consults for the local zoo in Singapore on aquatic plant matters and sells fertilizer mixes to both the commercial and consumer markets under the 2hr Aquarist brand.

Dennis participates frequently in the aquascaping world; competing in live aquascaping competitions and playing the role of judge as well for other aquascaping competitions.

January 24, 2026, 1:00PM
* No weather delays. We’ll start on time

4909 Erie St, Annandale, VA 22003

Our speaker this month will be Arlene Wagner

Title: Aquatic Plants 101

Arlene will be sharing her tips and tricks for keeping your aquatic plants in good health. All beginners and experienced hobbyists are encouraged to attend.

Arlene Wagner is an aquatic plant hobbyist and aquascaper. She began her journey in aquatic plants in 2008 when she set up a ten gallon tank for one of her son\’s birthdays and then discovered how much she hated like the look of plastic plants in aquariums.

One day while looking at aquarium set ups on the internet, she discovered the world of aquatic plants and nature aquariums by Takashi Amano, George Farmer, and many others, and was immediately hooked.

Arlene is the current vice president of the Greater Washington Aquatic Plant Association (GWAPA) and is a past president. She is also on the board of the Aquatic Gardeners Association (AGA) and is the current editor of their monthly newsletter, Clippings.