Members were welcomed and the meeting called to order by President Kristin Keller
Ben Shelton offered the prayer and led the pledge to the flag.
Announcements:
Social - will be held September 13 at Spanish Wells Club. It will be a "wild" time with Venison and Pork from Jacob Hunt. Mark your calendar and watch for more details.
Lynn King shared that she was able to collect $250 just by putting out a jar for others to make a contribution to our Polio Challenge. VLR team - "Just Bern It" is on a roll!!
Lynn King filled in for Sergeant at Arms Suzi Oliver and collected Happy $$
Speaker:
Sally Krebs was the speaker. She talked about the reptiles of Hilton Head Island. There are about 34 species of reptiles on the island. Reptiles are ectotherms, their body temperature is gotten from the temperature of the air/surface/water. They must constantly move from cooler to warmer areas to keep their body at the right temperature to be active. They do hibernate in the winter. She explained what "keystone" species is - it provides services and habitat for all others. Alligator is one of the keystone species - they are environmental engineers - for example, during dry spells they will dig a hole to provide fresh water to others. She also shared information about turtles. The largest is the Leatherback which can be up to 8 feet in length and weigh up to 2 tons. There are questions if they are really reptiles because there are indications that they might really be warm blooded rather than cold blooded. There are many varieties of turtles: Green, Loggerhead, Diamond back Terrapin, Snapping Turtle, Mud Turtle, Box Turtle, etc. The largest snapping turtle is 125 pounds and spends a lot of time thermal regulating. Tortoises dig burrows and there are 101 different species that use these burrows. Lizards are another reptile abundant on Hilton Head Island. The biggest one is the Broad Head Skink. They are our friend because they love roaches! Snakes are another reptile that provide a service. The Yellow Rat Snake can get to be 7 feet long. Copperhead snakes are poisonous but are extremely docile and they will try to avoid you if they can. Other snakes you might spot are: garter, black racer, corn snake, scarlet snake, scarlet king, coral (very toxic venom)