Rebecca Fein comes to Verity with more than 10 years of team leadership in the education and nonprofit sectors. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Sociology from UC Davis, and a Masters in Public Health, with an emphasis in sexual assault prevention and survivor empowerment from Columbia University. Prior to Verity, Rebecca served as a leader at a national mental health nonprofit, and supported the development and implementation of mental health programs at Santa Rosa Junior College and Sonoma State University. Rebecca began her journey with Verity as a volunteer sexual assault crisis line counselor in 2009. Inspired by the experience of speaking to survivors, Rebecca co-created The Powerful Voices Project, a documentary film series sharing the stories of survivors of sexual assault.
The Russian River Confluence, Presented by TJ VanderYacht and Michael Thompson
The speakers for our meeting on January 22, 2026 were TJ VanderYacht and Michael Thompson of the Russian River Confluence, a network of 40+ organizations, including government, nonprofits, tribes, businesses, agriculture and sub-watershed councils. TJ is the Program Manager; Michael is the Project Manager. TJ has a background in public health and environmental science from the University of Washington. Michael is a former assistant general manager with the Sonoma County Water Agency and is a civil engineer.
The Confluence’s mission is to drive community action towards a healthy, resilient, and regenerative Russian River watershed. It is a watershed group dealing with the problems inherent in a river that spans two major counties through rural and urban areas, including water quality, flood control, and human health issues. The idea is to connect with and coordinate the actions of all the key watershed stakeholders. In 2016, Supervisor James Gore recognized the need for coordination among these groups and instigated an introductory 3-day float on the river from Lake Mendocino to Jenner. In 2017, 200 of the stakeholders attended a conference at Shone Farm to make connections and tell stories. From 2017 to 2023, an MOU was created, a watershed-wide branding effort was launched, and the Confluence obtained a grant from AmeriCorps. TJ was hired and another grant brought Michael into the effort. The Confluence’s overarching activities are building trust, coordinating the partners for improved impact, and amplifying and sustaining the watershed.
Key Confluence community engagement activities include a newsletter to share stories and partner updates; having tables at local events to educate residents about the watershed; and supporting conservation workshops, volunteer days, and partner-led events. The Confluence is also involved in science and data coordination involving alignment with the RR Regional Monitoring Program, coordinating efforts so data programs reinforce one another, and collaborating on the RR Telemetry Pilot Program. Going forward the Confluence will seek additional funding, formalize a charter and governance protocols, find new partners and supporters, and develop a 5-year strategic plan and communications strategy. Examples of the Confluence’s efforts to coordinate River activities include monitoring duplicative stream flow gauges, influencing sediment reduction processes in which the stakeholders are not effectively communicating, and cooperating stakeholders’ efforts to obtain state/federal funding.
Well done Michael and TJ and thank you for introducing us to the work of the Confluence and thank you for coordinating the efforts to preserve and protect our wonderful river!
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!
Multi Club Redwood planting at the Jenner headlands
On Saturday 52 Rotarians from 20 clubs in District 5130, along with community volunteers, planted over 1,400 redwood tree starts half way up the mountain at Jenner Headlands. The weather was cool, excitement and enthusiasm high, the slopes gradual in the morning but somehow seemed to get steeper as the day progressed.
Working in teams of two or three, patches of ground were cleared, small holes dug, redwoods tamped down into rich soil, duff returned around the plants to help retain moisture and flags inserted. The project was hosted by Forest Unlimited (which spoke at our club a few years ago), which regularly conducts planting days and which has now planted over 11,000 redwood starts at Jenner Headlands. They check flagged plants for three years and estimate that the success rate over that period is about 50%.
Sunrise President Elect Nominee Dan Rosachi pulls his wheel barrow from his truck as members advance the transformation at Verity's backyard.
Under crisp and enviably clear blue sky, Golden Hammer Leroy Carlenzoli guides the Sunrise dozen in laying out weed barrier. If all goes according to plan, the barrier will welcome playground mulch providing a spacious, safe place for children to relax while parents recover from the trauma of sexual abuse.
With previous overgrowth removed, just a few remnants are cleared to out the four foot wide barrier.
In the shade Dave Lorenzen digs deep to uproot resilient Agapantha roots.
Thinking ahead: Note Warren Smith flanking Rob Sanville's just loaded truck and the well placed tarp for easier removal of contents.
Standing, albeit carefully on the laid and stapled barrier, all save for Warren pose for a parting shot.
Last but far from least, Warren Smith makes it back from a hardware (barrier staples) run in time to wrap up the morning.
This Thursday our Program features Rebecca Fein, Verity's Executive Director, and super staple installer.
Melbourne Rotarians made use of a long-standing partnership with Somali expatriates in the community to improve health care in the African country. With no in-country club to work with, the participation of the Somali diaspora in Melbourne was integral to the project’s success. Abdiwahid Hassan, a member of the Rotary Club of Flemington Kensington, collaborated with fellow Rotarians, Somalia’s Health Ministry, and a university in Somalia to fulfill a list of the most-needed items, some of which were donated by hospitals. Funds from the club and District 9800 helped cover the $18,000 cost of shipping. Nearly $100,000 worth of medical equipment arrived in Jariban in central Somalia in March, expected to help 40,000 people.
This story originally appeared in the January 2026 issue of Rotary magazine.
Rotary projects make a difference in communities around the world.
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Melbourne Rotarians made use of a long-standing partnership with Somali expatriates in the community to improve health care in the African country. With no in-country club to work with, the participation of the Somali diaspora in Melbourne was integral to the project’s success. Abdiwahid Hassan, a member of the Rotary Club of Flemington Kensington, collaborated with fellow Rotarians, Somalia’s Health Ministry, and a university in Somalia to fulfill a list of the most-needed items, some of which were donated by hospitals. Funds from the club and District 9800 helped cover the $18,000 cost of shipping. Nearly $100,000 worth of medical equipment arrived in Jariban in central Somalia in March, expected to help 40,000 people.