President Lynn King called the meeting to order and welcomed members and guests.
The prayer was offered by Kevin Courtney who also led the pledge to the flag.
Announcements:
High School Clean up is scheduled for May 22 at 9:30. This effort is coordinated by Cory Malphrus. Text him to let him know if you will help at this hands on service project.
Founders Night is June 19th. The club is hosting this, providing food, beverages, music and location - Spring Lake. Past President Steve Stauffer is heading this up.
President Elect Kristin Keller attended the area President 2021-22 meeting at Dot Jeger's home. Paul Walter (DG 21-22) was there. Kristin met the other area Presidents and got her manual - she is ready to lead us to a successful year.
Suzi Oliver, Sergeant at Arms, asked John Cunningham to introduce his guest. His guest, from Ontario, shared with us the problems of travel between Canada and the US because of COVID 19.
Suzi collected Happy $$$
Speaker:
Sally Krebs, the Sustainable Practices Coordinator Hilton Head Island was the speaker
Sally has a Zoology degree from Rutgers and has been the Natural Resources Administrator for the town of Hilton Head Island before her current title.
She spoke about the Audubon International Sustainable Communities Program. Sustainable means meeting the needs of the current generation without destroying natural resources for the future. The Town of Hilton Head achieved this certificate because of its commitment to creating a sustainable future by developing and implementing sustainable management practices around the three pillars of sustainability: healthy local environment, quality of life for citizens, vital economy. She talked about various parts of focus. Urban forestry canopy analysis is one that has many benefits. Migratory birds is another huge area of interest. Some of the birds migrate 18,000 miles per year. Many of the birds that are observed are banded with numbers on the bands. Attempts to read the numbers from 100 to 300 feet away provides a challenge. Some of the birds are endangered and information that is collected is used in recovery of the species.
Nesting turtle is another focus. It is loggerhead season right now. Ms. Krebs said we haven't had our first nest yet, however since her speech we have had our first nesting. It takes a loggerhead 25 to 30 years to mature. The turtle must survive for that length of time which is quite a fete. It is estimated that only 1 in 10,000 make it to sexual maturity. Hilton Head has various other turtles that nest here as well. They record the data and create nesting maps. Port Royal is a large nesting area because there aren't many people nor lights. Transportation is another area and a trolley was started in 2018. There is a tracking app. In 2018 there were 5500 riders and in 2019 there were 13,000 riders. She also talked about the bike paths. Other ways the community is helped is educational slides are made for the hotels. This educates our visitors about our environmental concerns, like the sea turtles. They also work with the marinas to help protect the manatees. She mentioned the oyster shell bagging and reef restoration that the Outside Foundation does. There is also a clean up twice a year, creek clean up. In summary, why is this all important - Quality of life - quality air, water, etc. for today and the future.
**photo credits - Lynn King