At our April 6th Club Meeting, Don Wolf's Inspiration
April is a time for renewal, growth, and vibrant change, acting as a reminder that transformation is beautiful and inevitable. Embrace this month to turn over a new leaf, cultivate fresh goals, and step into the sunlight. April invites you to bloom boldly, plant seeds of hope and embrace new beginnings.
Then Don asked the club, “If April showers bring May flowers, what do Mayflowers bring? We didn’t have the advantage of seeing ‘Mayflowers’ in writing so no one had Don’s correct answer: pilgrims
Molly McNulty, Executive Director of the Skagit River Poetry Foundation, unveiled the new Poetry Festival Poster and said she chose this work by Cathy Schonberg, Artist and Skagit River Poetry Festival Poster painter, because of the open book that was blank.
Molly asked Cathy to add a line from “Kindness” a poem by the Festival’s featured poet, Naomi Shihab Nye: “Then it is only kindness that makes sense.”
Genny Bisagna, Skagit River Poetry Foundation Board Member and her son Jack, and Bill Reynolds, La Conner Community News Reporter, and Dave Kas, Co-owner of The Fork at Skagit Bay, also attended.
Our speakers
Brittany Ahmann, Board Member, Northwest Straits Foundation
Jason Morgan Northwest Straits Foundation Marine Programs Manager
Program: Northwest Straits Foundation, Partners in Marine Conservation
Their mission is to restore and preserve the long-term health of the Salish Sea.
Vision: Achieve a more resilient marine and nearshore environment across the Salish Sea by fostering collaboration, encouraging stewardship and conservation, and implementing science-based restoration.
Brittany Ahmann and Jason Morgan gave a compelling presentation on their marine conservation work including nearshore restoration and derelict fishing gear removal in the Salish Sea. They discussed their various programs, including restoring over 6,000 linear feet of nearshore habitat and removing over 14,000 abandoned crab pots and fishing nets since 2002. Unrecovered pots and nets trap and kill marine animals.
The Northwest Straits Foundation website is excellent and goes into detail about their work, how a person can become involved and the Foundation’s successes. I highly recommend spending some time checking it out!
Farmers and Merchants Evening
Marty thanked Doug Moore for his outstanding work on this outstanding event. We had 29 no-shows of registered guests so that issue will need considering before next year’s event.
Lyanne gave a preview of our Rotary Tulip parade costume:
Calendar:
April 17, 5:30: Club Social at Kiwanis Salmon BBQ at Hilcrest Park
April 20, 5pm: Auction Committee Meeting followed by Club Business and Update Meeting, followed by Board Meetings
May 1-3, District Conference at Harrison Hot Springs