Tonight three brave souls ventured forth to Timms Centre for our hybrid meeting. The rest of us joined from the comfort of our homes, and again most members of our club did not participate. At least those at Timms had coffee and cookies this week. Wayne reported that he had received seven applications for scholarships, and more could come in before the deadline. We discussed extending the deadline, and the decision was left up to Wayne’s discretion. A number of us helped Les Clay celebrate his 90th birthday at the Rotary Interpretive Centre. Members spotted congratulating Les included John, Rudy, Bob, Wayne, Brad, Brendan, Manjit, and Nora.
President Leon made a profit in selling his camper van for $7000 more than he paid for it many years ago. However, the motor home he’s looking at will cost him much (much!) more. He says his money is earning a big 1% at the bank so he may as well purchase this vehicle he and Catherine can enjoy. Tracie Merrill from the Whale Museum at Friday Harbor joined us as our guest speaker. She earned her Master of Biology degree and included a study of walrus stomach contents, determining their diet, in her research.
Leon’s choice of O Canada tonight was a beautiful tribute to nature. It is up to us to preserve our environment. Wayne has screenshots of the scenery. On to the Rotary Foundation Moment.
Rotary Voices – A Rotaractor’s Story Leaving Ukraine
As Rotaract representative Iryna Bushmina was in the car en route to Vienna from her home country of Ukraine, she had the idea to mobilize ERIC - Rotaract Europe. Now her team of about 150 workers are working in four directions to provide aid to cities within Ukraine by:
Distributing truthful information about the situation in Ukraine.
Finding accommodations and hosts for Ukrainians in flight.
We were treated to a fascinating presentation about Cetaceans of the Salish Sea by Tracie. She does research on whales, dolphins, and porpoises, and we learned about baleen and toothed whales. Minke whales are lunge feeders, Humpback whales with their long, white pectoral flippers join together in bubble net feeding, and Gray whales with no noticeable dorsal fin are bottom feeders, often found near Whidbey Island. We heard about clicks and echo location, Pacific white-sided dolphins, Dall’s porpoises, and Killer whales (technically large dolphins). Transient Killer whales eat marine mammals, including other whales (and really like Gray whale tongues), Resident Killer whales eat salmon, especially chinook, and Offshore Killer whales eat sharks. We listened to whales vocalizing, and heard L Pod (bird song), K Pod (kitten), J Pod (three part call), northern resident whales (donkey), and Transient whales (quieter, eerie). Resident Killer whales eat 100 to 300 pounds of food (salmon) every day! For a copy of the full screenshot coverage of Tracie’s presentation, call Wayne.
Jorda informed us about a fundraising opportunity preparing pancakes at Aldor Acres farm for participants and families involved with a bike riding event. The organizers would like the funds to go to fixing up and providing bicycles for kids.
Happy and sad dollars were omitted by Leon as our meeting ran late and an executive meeting had to be squeezed in before they had to vacate Timms Centre. Still someone donated $2 for the great presentation, and for Canada’s men’s soccer team qualifying for the World Cup.
We closed by toasting Canada and wishing each other well.
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