Andrew Smith was born and raised in Sonoma County, and found his way to a career in agriculture through a love for the outdoors, nature, and science. Andrew loved helping his father in the garden growing up, and after graduating from high school, he went to work part-time at a local plant nursery. Simultaneously, Andrew attended Santa Rosa Junior College (SRJC) where he completed his general education coursework and took every agriculture class he could find. It was in his pest management class at the Junior College that he found out about careers in regulation and the role of the Ag Commissioner in promoting and protecting agriculture statewide. While at SRJC, Andrew’s passion and knowledge of agriculture and environmental studies grew, leading him to pursue a degree in Agroecology from the University of British Columbia in Vancouver. Andrew received his BS in 2005.
During his first summer back home from UBC Andrew worked as an Agricultural Program Assistant with the Sonoma County Ag Commissioners office. He loved the work and began to think about this department as a place where he could grow and as a potential career for after college.
Andrew has worked in all of his county’s Ag division programs and has had a role in developing and promulgating county cannabis and hemp policy. He has also been a long-standing member and past president of the California Association of Standards and Agricultural Professionals (CASAP) and has reveled in the opportunity to build long-lasting relationships with county personnel, agricultural industry professionals, community leaders, and his Ag and Weights and Measures colleagues throughout the state.
Andrew is a dedicated and motivated agricultural professional focused on the promotion, protection, and long term sustainability of Agriculture in Sonoma County and California as a whole. He is committed to serving county stakeholders and his colleagues statewide. In his spare time, he enjoys playing ice hockey, golf, going to the gym, gardening and yard work, as well as spending as much time as possible with his wife Katia, and their 2-year old daughter Sofia.
Anne Morkill and the Laguna de Santa Rosa Foundation: Restore, Conserve, and Inspire
Our Guest Speaker for April 22, 202, was Anne Morkill, Executive Director of the Laguna de Santa Rosa Foundation. Anne has a long history working in wildlife conservation, including 24 years as a wildlife biologist and refuge manager with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. She was most recently the manager of the San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge Complex. She has an M.S. in Zoology from the University of Wyoming.
The Laguna de Santa Rosa is the largest tributary of the Russian River and consists of 254 square miles. The Laguna’s headwaters are in the Cotati region. The Laguna’s main channel flows into the Russian River in Forestville. Anne estimates that over 60% of the Laguna’s native habitat has been lost to development. The Laguna’s habitat includes Oak Woodlands on the Santa Rosa Plain and heavily wooded creeks, including restored creeks. The Laguna is home to over 200 species of birds, with eagles, Red Tail Hawks, Salmon and Steelhead, tiger salamander, bobcats, coyotes, and river otters (which are making a comeback!), among others.
In the 1960’s people started noticing that wetlands were disappearing. An international treaty for the preservation of wetlands was signed in 1989 in Ramsar, Iran. The Laguna is one of 41 nationally recognized wetlands. It was designated a “Wetland of International Importance” under the Ramsar Treaty in 2011. Wetlands are tremendously important because they capture run-off, replenish groundwater, regulate quantity and supply of water, improve water quality, absorb floodwaters, and mitigate flooding. They also serve as important corridors for animals and bird species.
The Laguna de Santa Rosa Foundation was established in 1989 to address the problems facing the Laguna. There are currently 14 staff members and 8 directors. The Foundation’s mission statement is “Restore, Conserve & Inspire: Nurturing a Healthy Laguna.” The Foundation’s budget comes from donations (30-35%) and grants and contracts with county, state, and federal agencies. Its restoration efforts include working with agencies and landowners to replant trees along creeks, replant and nurture native plants, collect seeds and acorns (especially after fires), and replace invasive plant species including Ludwigia) with native plants. The Conservation Science Program includes research of the Laguna’s watershed ecosystems and restoring grass and oak woodlands and vernal pool habitats. “Inspiring” is the process of educating the public, including youth, about the importance of the Laguna and how it can be preserved. The Foundation has developed a series of educational programs for adult and classroom learning.
In 2012, the Foundation opened its Laguna Environmental Center on the corner of Occidental and Stanford Roads in Santa Rosa. You do not want to miss Blue Heron Hall, which fits naturally into the site’s agricultural heritage.
Many thanks, Anne, for your wonderful presentation, and your hard work preserving the Laguna. The Foundation is a Sunrise Rotary all-time favorite!
You can view Anne's presentation by clicking HERE. The recording will be available for the next week or so.
On a regular basis, our resident photo pro Warren Smith, submits pictures of what is going on at the weekly meetings. You can always find the most recent pictures at the websites photo journal called "Meeting Sighting" Please note that all the meeting photos for the entire Rotary year are at this location with the most recent on the last page.
Thanks for all the great pictures Warren!Link to Meeting Sightings. The most recent are on the last page!
Let me know what you think of this concept that the five Santa Rosa Rotary Club Presidents are tossing around as a large, joint club environmental project for this Fall. As everyone knows the fires over the last four years hit the Valley of the Moon exceptionally hard, many areas burning not once but twice. AG Brian Reed researched planting sapling trees at Sugarloaf or Hood Mountain parks and found that it nearly takes an act of Congress to plant donated trees on public park land. He did find a private parcel of land adjacent to Hood Mountain Regional Park ( the “Perry Parcel”) that has been approved to be annexed to Hood Mountain in 12 months, and the owner is open to having the five Rotary clubs plant oak and madrone saplings on his land prior to the annexation. This would get around the red tape. The young trees cost $10 apiece and the costs of the project would be split between clubs based on membership. By current estimates Sunrise Rotary’s share would be around $1,000. There is additional research to do, but what do you think of joining together in a morning of planting trees? Are you up for Sunrise contributing funds and/or volunteer planting time one Saturday morning to reforest several acres of burned land? This is nearly identical except on a smaller scale to a similar project we participated in, in 2017 when many Lake and Sonoma Rotary clubs, Interact clubs and local service clubs came together to plant 4,000 trees in three hours at a park in Middletown that burned in the Valley Fire. It was a very rewarding project for participants and a very visible volunteer project for Rotary in the community. Please send me your thoughts.
What is it to be Human? What defines Culture? Ask Jim Gray
Sunriser, Jim Gray has taught the most ambitious subject of all university courses. This subject covers the entire depth and breadth of our global society: Anthropology. As Anthropology Department Chair at Sonoma State University and part-time professor at the Santa Rosa Junior College for many years, Jim, and his students, study it all.
Now, 15 years retired, Jim is focused on family with side trips to China, Mexico, Singapore, and a place well know for its diversity --Hawaii -- just to name a few. These trips feel like a home away from home, because Jim's timeshare accommodations have full kitchens. And Jim's wife -- Sheena-- loves to cook. Comings from a family of restaurant owners and cooks, where everyone was always in the kitchen, Sheena brings this special "culture" of cooking to Jim and their family.
If you ever come across a book about culture and clinical care, look up the table of contents. Chances are you will find an article by Jim. When I called Jim's attention to the fact that I am multicultural -- half Asian and half European -- He paused, and put on his professor/author/scholar culture hat, and stated the undeniable fact that we are all members of one human race. And, regardless of subspecies, ancestry and other distinctions, we are all more alike than we are different. And each member of the human race has his or her own unique, individual culture. Jim also pointed out the fact that he and I have a Rotary culture.
Posted by Rich Randolph Paul O Rear on Apr 25, 2021
April Fools Antics !
President Paul topped the cast of characters in Friday's premier April Fools theme Club Social.
Don foolish fingers Floriani and Rockin' Rob Sanville gave great sound class as MJ Girard pattered his DJ narrative to the all star ensembles:
Dick Travel Guru Guide Perman led us on a '60's time warp to NYC.
Recognize this gem? It is Jennifer our in the wings president! She's not blue ~ she's COOL!
Age is no barrier to beauty and mirth . Penny poses with 3 month granddaughter Adilyn here while earlier 2 year old Emmy stole the show.
Wait, there is more!! Through the link below you may visit the past performances and mild mayhem ~ Michael Riel's proper bier protocol, or even hear Jack Strange's peculiar Japanese live sushi drink. Stacy even has some transparent wholesome bathroom humor;).
Take a look at the video and do End Polio Now a $10 turn. It is a bargain at twice the price!!
No Fooling! Just click on the "President Fool" below!
When it asks for a password to enter, enter %GM=VQP2
M.J. Girard is currently an on air personality on KOWSfm.com His “Roots of Rock” is broadcast every Sunday morning at 7
The Roots of Rock run deep, from the humble beginnings of Americana to present day offerings, which will ultimately become the “Classics” for our grandchildren.
The 1940’s brought to prominence rhythm and blues heard exclusively on black radio stations, primarily located in the southern states, as well as in the metropolitan areas of the north.
Radio announcer Alan Freed is credited with opening up the genre hosting dance parties attended by white and black audiences. Some of these affairs ended in disaster, but the movement to open up the budding music now known as Rock ‘N Roll continued to flourish.
The early 1950’s brought aspiring artist to Sun Records of Memphis and other similar labels, legitimizing the infant industry, spawning such greats as Elvis, Orbison, Rich, Cash, Lewis, and others that became the “Rocks” of Rock and Roll!
My broadcasting career began almost by accident, as a summer job in Ukiah. Hired to sell radio advertising during the summer of 1966 whilst still in high school. Unexpectedly, a disk-jockey vacancy developed and I was given the opportunity to fill in until a new announcer was hired. Well, they did hire a full time announcer, but I continued on as KMSL’s Weekend Warrior…I was a very popular senior at Potter Valley High with a long list of request and dedications!
Continuing my broadcasting as an Army Specialist in Texas and Vietnam, returning to full time announcing with Accent Broadcasting Corporation, an ABC affiliate upon my release.
I have kept my “feet” in the business ever since, currently producing a weekly program on community radio based in Sonoma county.
It has been my pleasure to continue this tradition bringing the years of experience to my listening audience featuring popular artist and music that spans the decades. Currently, the Beatles and ensuing British Invasion are featured and the journey from their entry into the arena will continue through Spring. June will open up the Sounds of Summer, Autumn will feature the Woodstock Celebration and the artist surrounding that phenomenal happening! As the holidays approach, hopefully the pandemic will be under control as family and friends once again gather to give thanks for their blessings.
The next three Sunday presentations of the “Roots of Rock” will be encore recordings, as Lynda and I, joined by our very best friends Christine and James, will be driving to the Grand Canyon and the Zion National Parks.
In Campo Mourão, Brazil, only 5 percent of garbage is recycled, and workers at the local recycling facility lacked the equipment needed to increase productivity. Without a conveyor belt, they had to sort recyclable materials at tables and move them by hand, requiring extra time and effort. And their outdated press was slow and created bales of recyclables that were smaller than standard for the regional market.
Working with a local environmental program that coordinates the recycling cooperative, the Rotary clubs of Campo Mourão and Little Rock, Arkansas, developed a project to increase workers’ capacity to separate and process recyclable materials, providing both economic and environmental benefits. The project funded equipment to improve worker safety and efficiency and provided environmental and financial training. Workers sorted an additional 2.63 tons of recyclables per month after the grant project was implemented, and their income increased nearly 25 percent per month.
• This story originally appeared in the March 2021 issue of Rotary magazine.
Switzerland
“People and the planet are inextricably linked. You must care for both.”
Jennifer Scott
Member of club of Central Blue Mountains, Australia and former adviser to the Australian minister for the environment
Every year, more than eight million tons of plastic waste, also known as plastic soup, end up in the oceans. Sea birds die from ingesting phone parts, turtles believe plastic bags to be jellyfish, and fish mistake pieces of plastic for plankton. Microplastic enters the human food chain via these fish.
Swiss Rotary members created an association, “Mare Nostrum – End Plastic Soup,” to organize efforts around reducing the amount of plastic waste in the world’s waterways. Several times a year, volunteers remove plastics from rivers and lakes. The group has also developed a campaign to teach businesses how to dispose of plastic waste properly.
“The protection of rivers, lakes, and seas is a major global undertaking, as water is an elementary part of life,” says Marie-Josée Staff-Theis, member of Rotary Club of Arlesheima and co-president of the association.
This story originally appeared in Rotary Suisse.
Rotary Club of Santa Rosa Sunrise - Founded June 30, 1986
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In Campo Mourão, Brazil, only 5 percent of garbage is recycled, and workers at the local recycling facility lacked the equipment needed to increase productivity. Without a conveyor belt, they had to sort recyclable materials at tables and move them by hand, requiring extra time and effort. And their outdated press was slow and created bales of recyclables that were smaller than standard for the regional market.