As a new Alpaca Registry director, I would like to express some views to encourage the membership's trust in and support for the ARI board. The closure ordeal was difficult and exhausting for all of us. My concern is that it has left a rift of skepticism and distrust between the membership and the board.
Closure is closure, and now it's time to get back to business.
I can confidently report to all that this is exactly what the board of directors is doing. I encourage all of you to become involved in any way you feel you can and to respond to the survey that the board has presented to assess what directions the membership feels are most important to the U.S. alpaca industry. These are what have made this registry what it is and what make it a very difficult registry to challenge. In all the havoc that the closure issue created, I hope that we never lose sight of or fail to appreciate the truly unique and significant efforts that have been made by all the past and present board directors and the membership to create one of the strongest livestock registries in the world. We all have this in common.