Audubon Canyon Ranch and the Mountain Lion project.
Dr. Martins is the former founder and CEO of the Cape Leopard Trust, a successful predator conservation NGO based in South Africa. He has over 20 years of field experience having worked in wilderness areas throughout much of Africa, Saudi Arabia and the USA. Quinton turned to studying predators in 2003 and completed his PhD “The Ecology of leopards in the Cederberg Mountains, South Africa” and is considered the world’s leading expert on Cape mountain leopards and a skilled predator trapper. A few years ago, he began looking at large mountain cats on a global scale, and has worked with researchers on mountain lions in California and Nevada. Quinton is passionate about the environment and finding innovative ways to conserve it; also being somewhat of a conservation entrepreneur, generating funds for conservation in a sustainable manner. He has a particular interest in determining the role of predators in the ecosystem and their use as flagship species for broader environmental conservation – connecting people to the environment and finding ways to mitigate conflict between humans and predators. He has a deep reverence for wilderness, rugged mountains and the role nature can play in shaping our lives. Quinton is a research associate and fellow at Bristol and Stellenbosch Universities.
Posted by Rich Randolph & Warren Smith on Mar 12, 2017
Seen and Heard
Above, Lake Sonoma nearing capacity rests behind Warm Springs Dam. An Army Corp of Engineers Project in the 1970's, the reservoir culminated with the creation of the Sonoma County Alliance, melding advocacy from a variety of constituents: Farm Bureau, Real Estate, Construction, Engineering and Taxpayers.
Sonoma County Alliance Director Brian Ling describes the advocacy roles the agency plays: General Plan, Workforce Housing, Transportatioin, Groundwater and Resource Management. Since its' founding in 1975, SCA's previous leaders have continued to participate on the Board of Directors and Executive Board, comprising nearly one half of the 56 members and 17 past presidents.
Golf Tournament Chair Steve Zwick announces additional sponsors for our June 9th Annual Fun Raiser. Jennifer Hembd sends approval for Vicki Lockner's successful recruitment of our Heradura tequilla rest stop.
Randy Seelye summarizes his Project Committee's proposals to initiate active projects (>50 lbs lifting), mentoring-tutoring young readers, and
Progressive Dinner Maitre'd Del Raby reminds members of our annual fete March 25th.
President Merle is skeptical of the answer, but affirms the veracity of Rotary International President Elect Ian Riseley (Australia) claim that Guinness is the most popular brew in Nigeria. That got everyone's attention. Merle then informed us of Ian's goals: Every Rotarian plant a tree and account for their time invested in Rotary related activity. Our District 5130 Governor Elect Bob Rogers rolled out his planned "Pedal for Polio" bike ride from Crescent City to Petaluma next year.
On a regular basis, our resident photo pros Warren Smith and Jack Strange submit 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 and Ross! Link to Meeting Sightings. The most recent are on the last page!
Posted by Carolyn Anderson & Rich Randolph on Mar 12, 2017
Sunrise Supports Elsie Allen Students
Sunrise Rotarians and spouses enjoyed the enthusiastic Elsie Allen High School Foundation FiestaII at the Friedman Center Saturday evening. Carolyn Anderson, photographer and EAHS Foundation Board member recorded the club table guests. President Merle was schmoozing nearby. Ross Andress, another EAHS Foundation Board member with his wife Stacey enjoyed seeing former Interact student scholars honored. Doug and Barbara Shureen, Rich and Betsy Randolph and Max Childs completed the table.
This second annual event raises funds to support scholarships and post graduation expenses such as application fees, testing and campus visits.
Also attending the gala and representing Linkenheimer were John and Ardis Jones with their son Chris, who also serves on the Foundation Board.
What motivates everyday women to do extraordinary things — to positively change the lives of people halfway around the world while inspiring so many folks at home?
Razia Jan, the founder and director of the Zabuli Education Center, was honored on International Women's Day.
Three Rotary members answered that question at a celebration of International Women’s Day hosted by the World Bank at its Washington, D.C., headquarters 8 March.
Speaking to an audience of more than 300, with thousands listening to the live-stream, Razia Jan, Deborah Walters, and Ann Lee Hussey told their personal stories and explained what inspired them to build a girls school in Afghanistan, assist people living in a Guatemala City garbage dump, and lead more than 24 teams to immunize children in Africa and Asia.
“I’m so inspired to see the faces of the children, what they’re learning, how to stand up for their rights, to have ambition ... to want to do things that may even be impossible — to have dreams,” said Jan, a member of the Rotary Club of Duxbury, Massachusetts, USA.
An Afghan native now living in the United States, Jan has worked for decades to build connections between Afghans and Americans while improving the lives of young women and girls in Afghanistan.
Founder and director of the Zabuli Education Center, a school that serves more than 625 girls in Deh’Subz, Afghanistan, Jan said the first class of students graduated in 2015 and a women’s college will open soon.
Dr. Deborah Walters, a member of the Rotary Club of Unity, was honored by the World Bank at International Women's Day.
The girls school teaches math, English, science, and technology, along with practical skills to prepare them to achieve economic freedom within a challenging social environment.
Walters, a neuroscientist and member of the Rotary Club of Unity, Maine, USA, has served as a volunteer for Safe Passage (Camino Seguro), a nonprofit organization that provides educational and social services to children and families who live in a Guatemala City garbage dump.
Walters, known as the “kayaking grandmother,” traveled from her home in Maine to Guatemala in a small kayak to raise awareness of the plight of the residents.
Hussey, a member of the Rotary Club of Portland Sunrise, Maine, has made the eradication of polio and the alleviation of suffering by polio survivors her life’s work.
A polio survivor herself, she’s spent the past 14years leading teams of Rotary volunteers to developing countries to immunize children during National Immunization Days.
Ann Lee Hussey was honored for her lifelong work in polio eradication.
She often chooses to lead or participate in NIDs in places that don’t often see Westerners: Bangladesh, Chad, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, and remote areas of Egypt and India. There, the need is greatest, and the publicity and goodwill that the trips foster are critical in communicating the urgency of the need for immunizations.
“These women exemplify what the World Bank is striving to attain every day with the twin goals of ending extreme poverty within a generation and boosting shared prosperity,” said Daniel Sellen, chair of the World Bank Group Staff Association. “They illustrate the power of women to change the world and improve people’s lives through innovative and impactful projects in education, economic development, and health.”
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