10/10/2022
Past President Carly Robbins presided over the meeting.
Past President Carly Robbins and Past President Tom Schallert presented a check to the Humboldt Trails Council for $40,000 paid for by Sign Smith funds. The money will go towards the purchase of a flail mower that will be used to keep trails mowed for walking. This was a team effort with a number of contributors. Tom displayed a sandwich board that has logos of all participants on it. The sandwich board will be visible when the mower is in use to educate the public and provide visibility for the participants. An image of the flail mower was also provided.
Speaker:
Our speaker was Michael Davies-Hughes – Superintendent of the Humboldt County Office of Education (HCOE). We learned about what was happening countywide in the school system. HCOE serves over 17,000 students across 32 different school districts.
October 3, 2022
This was an off site meeting held at the Sequoia Park Zoo. Kate Witthaus presided over the meeting. Sadly we were informed that President Jerry Reece passed away on October 1 from cancer.
After a little Rotary business and lunch, which was provided for $15 by Ecos Café at the Sequoia Park Zoo, Zoo Director Jim Campbell-Spickler and David Reed, Executive Director, led our group through the Zoo and up onto the Sky Walk. There were a lot of oohs and aahs and everybody was holding on to the railings. 
September 26, 2022
Kate Witthaus presided over the meeting. The flag salute was led by Past President Dr. Kim Bauriedel. The thought of the day was provided by Mindy Sehon.
Guests included Frank Nelson with Humboldt Waste Management Association and our exchange student, Hillla who talked about her experience swimming in Maple Creek over the weekend with her host family.
REMINDERS
- The deadline to apply for Sign Smith grant is 9/30. Please let any non-profits know who need funding for a particular project.
- Foundation Dinner North is on 10/15 from 5:30 – 9pm. Tickets are $70 and raffle tickets are $20 each or 6 for $100. You can win a trip to Puerto Vallerta or a handmade Madrone bowl and more. Talk to Kim Bauriedel or Pat Folkins about tickets.
- Lynn Dugaw read a letter from our outbound exchange student Naomi who is in Denmark and is starting to settle in and feel less homesick.
- Blood Bank donations are needed. For each donation in October the Blood Bank will pay to have a tree planted in Uganda.
- Walk to End Alzheimers – sign up with Ross Rowley at Fortuna Sunrise to join the Redwood Region team.
- Southwest Rotary is having a fundraiser on 10/6…. “Best of the Wurst”. This Dine-in or drive-through dinner features grilled bratwursts, sauerkraut, German potato salad and a giant pretzel. $30 at the Elks Lodge. No cash. Debit or credit cards only.
- A reminder that Monday we will be meeting at the Zoo with an off-site meeting. Please join us. Information will be emailed out.
RECOGNITIONS
- George Owren was recognized for visiting with a son of his grandsons from Russia.
- Sean McLaughlin was recognized for his efforts in building broadband in Fairhaven.
- Carly Robbins was called upon because the Food for People building is moving forward and looking great.
RAFFLE
Silver dollar coin: Alissa Woods, McDonald’s Gift Certificate Scott Thompson, $10 went to our exchange student Hilla, Greg Williston won a gift certificate to the Cutten Chalet, & the chance to win the gold coin worth $409 was not successful today and this reporter missed the name of the person who didn’t win.
SPEAKER
Our scheduled speaker, Mary Ann Hanson with First 5 Humboldt was not present so Carly Robbins was called upon to talk about Backpacks for Kids.
This program was first founded in 2009 by then member, John Bradley. Food for People manages the program.
The goal is to help kids who don’t typically have access to food at home by providing them with a bag of food to last over the weekend. During the week they have access to free breakfast/lunch at school. Kids who don’t have proper nutrition don’t do as well in school and tend to have behavioral issues. The other Eureka Rotary Clubs partner with us on this program as does Soroptimist. Bags are packed every Thursday at Old Growth Cellars. We meet at 4pm and pack about 130 bags which are then delivered to various schools. The first day for this school year will be next Thursday 10/6. Just show up and you’ll be put to work. All funding for this program is local so any support you can give is greatly needed. Each year for the past few years the Time-Standard has donated a full page ad to the program and various sponsors can sign up to sponsor a square. You’ll receive your business logo in the printed ad as recognition of your donation. You can donate online at foodforpeople.org
September 19, 2022
The meeting was presided over by Past President Nancy Dean. The flag salute was led by Gregg Gardiner. Carly Robbins provided the thought of the day and reminded us to enjoy the little things in life.
Guests included Pat Folkins wife, Sheila; Scott Pesch
BUSINESS:
- Southwest Rotary Club of Eureka will be holding a fundraiser, “Best of the Wurst” on Thursday October 26th at the Elk’s Lodge.
- Food for People’s fundraiser with the Times-Standard is still going on. You can sponsor a square to help support Backpacks for Kids. During the month of September club member Craig Hansen has generously offered to match all donations.
- Foundation Dinner is coming up Saturday, October 15th. There’s a Mardi Gras theme. Kim talked about the Foundation Raffle. Talk to Kim or Pat Folkins to buy tickets or for more information.
- Walk to End Alzheimers – 1 mile walk coming up on Saturday October 8th.
- The Blood Bank will plant a tree for every new blood donation in October.
RECOGNITIONS:
Brad Mettam – will be retiring November 30th!
RAFFLE WINNERS: Silver Dollar- Annalise von Borstel, McDonald’s Gift Certificate- Chuck Ellsworth, $10 cash- Nancy Dean, The Chalet Gift Certificate- Alissa Wood. Draw the joker to win a gold coin value $444- Ken Stodder drew but sadly was not a winner this week.
SPEAKER: Linda Wise General Manager of Recology & Eel River Disposal in Eureka and Arcata was our speaker. Linda said they have 124 employees and provide trash pickup, recycling, transfer stations and more. SB 1383 was a law passed by the voters that requires organic waste diversion and sets parameters for edible food recovery. Organic waste in landfills emit 20% of California’s methane. A climate pollutant 84X more potent than carbon dioxide. Implementation starts January 1, 2023. Everyone (residents and businesses) will have a green container that will be used for green waste and food waste. You will have a bucket that all food waste will go into and be dumped into the green waste bin. Costs will increase some. Businesses that produce small amounts of food waste and have very few employees can fill out a waiver. Visit gozeroeureka.org/sb1383 for more details.
September 12, 2022
The meeting was presided over by Past President Nancy Dean. The flag salute was led by Mari. Carlton Nielsen provided the thought of the day and encouraged us all to share with others about Rotary.
Guests included Erin Dunn, Ross Rowley, Amanda Moxon (President of Old Town Rotary), Greg Foster with Arcata Sunrise Rotary and Frank Nelson from Recology,Mari past Rotaractor and soon to be Eureka Rotarian.
BUSINESS:
- Past President Nancy Dean presented Past President Carly Robbins with a plaque commemorating her year as president.
- Food for People’s fundraiser with the Times-Standard is still going on. You can sponsor a square to help support Backpacks for Kids. During the month of September club member Craig Hansen has generously offered to match all donations.
- Foundation Dinner is coming up Saturday, October 15th. There’s a Mardi Gras theme. More info to come.
- Humboldt’s 16 exchange students met at the Boy Scout Camp for a weekend with no internet and got to know each other. Naomi- our outbound student to Denmark is having a great time. Check out her blog.
- Hilla our exchange student from Denmark was at the meeting today and stood up and said a few words. She received some welcome gifts from the club including a basket of goodies and a City of Eureka banner. Mayor Susan Seaman was on hand to help present the gifts.
- Walk to End Alzheimers – Ross Rowley and Amanda Moxon introduced this program. They are working on forming a Redwood Region Team. Teams exist in over 600 cities. There’s a 1 mile walk coming up on Saturday October 8th. Information on how to join is on your table.
- The Blood Bank will plant a tree for every new blood donation in October.
- Polio Plus – Pakistan had two more cases this year. Please consider donating $100 to Polio plus. Check it out on rotary.org.
RECOGNITIONS:
- Alissa, Annalise, Jera and Carly were recognized for their recent outing to the Tavern – a new restaurant they recommended to everyone.
- Scott with Nordic Aquafarms was recognized for moving to his new office in Samoa
- Fred Van Vleck recently attended the annual Visible Learning Conference.
RAFFLE WINNERS: Silver Dollar- Hilla, McDonald’s Gift Certificate- Hilla, $10 cash- Erin Dunn, The Chalet Gift Certificate- Erin Dunn, Draw the joker to win a gold coin value $444- Hilla drew but sadly was not a winner this week.
SPEAKER: Sarah Duncan is the Mental Health And Wellness Crisis Counselor at Eureka City Schools. She is working with the students to create a safe calm space for students. They have agreed on a floor plan and furniture and are now waiting for funding for the furniture/equipment. Sarah personally saw 749 unique students last year and this year has interns working with her to help with the need. They do a lot of check-ins with students that result in referrals for assistance depending on the need. They currently serve about 15 students a week. They are starting the program at Eureka High School and Junior High Schools but eventually the program will be available at all Eureka City School campuses.
August 22, 2022
The meeting was presided over by Past President Mindy Sehon. The flag salute was led by Ted Loring. President Jerry Reese was in attendance and received a warm welcome from the club.
Guests included Klark Swan’s friend Marie who is a past Rotaractor and hopefully a soon to be Rotarian. Klark also introduced the five kids she brought to Rotary ranging in age from Kindergarten to 5th grade.
Our exchange student Hilla is in Humboldt County but was attending her first day of school today so was unable to come to the meeting
The Elk’s Lodge cook your own steak dinner for the Coast Guard was last Thursday. Thank you to everybody who helped at the dinner!
Backpacks for Kids fundraiser is still going on. You can buy a square to help sponsor backpacks.
Sign Smith grants applications close September 30th.
Rotary Dues invoices were emailed. If you haven’t received please check your junk mail.
This Friday 8/26 you are invited to the Humboldt County Fair for a horse racing mixer. Meet at 2pm at the Beer truck in the field in front of the horse paddock.
RAFFLE WINNERS:
Silver Dollar- Becky Reese, McDonald’s Gift Certificate- Natalie, $10 cash- Ken Stodder, Phatsy Kline Gift Certificate- Annalise von Borstel, Draw the joker to win a gold coin value $444- Klark’s daughter Charlie drew a 3 of diamonds.
SPEAKERS:
Alexis Kelso Senior Transportation Planner with Caltrans talked about the strides Caltrans is making with increasing safety. Each day 10 people in California die in road accidents. Their goal is that by the year 2050 that number will be 0 people. Caltrans is also addressing equity in California and Climate Change.
Clancy De Smet Senior Environmental Planner with Caltrans talked about the Eureka/Arcata corridor. In anticipation of sea level rise Caltrans is raising the heights of the earthen berms and addressing the issue in other ways. Right now it is estimated that by 2030 water will be on the road during high tides unless changes are made. There’s more information at northcoastclimateaction.org
Jeff Pimentel Project Manager for the Eureka-Arcata Corridor Improvement Project at Caltrans talked about the various projects that have been completed and others that are coming up…. Many of these projects are dealing with improving safety for drivers and pedestrians.
Jeff said that Caltrans will be holding pop-up demonstrations along Broadway. These test demonstrations will include the temporary installation of materials like vertical cone-like delineators and paint to analyze proposed improvements before possible construction. Go to broadwaypopups.com for more information and to take the survey.
A question and answer followed aided by Past President of Rotary Club of Eureka and Deputy District Director at Caltrans, Brad Mettam.
August 15, 2022
The meeting was presided over by Past President Klark Swan. Following the flag salute Darus Trutna provided the thought for the day. Brad Mettam introduced his guests, Jaime Matteoli and Julia Peterson who are also our speakers today.
Our exchange student Hilla is in Humboldt County. She has been exploring the local art scene with her host family. Our outbound exchange student, Naomi is in Denmark and Swan has been in touch with her to offer support.
The Elk’s Lodge cook your own steak dinner for the Coast Guard is happening this Thursday, August 18th. We only have a few people signed up to help– if you can help please sign up. Cost is $60 to have dinner and purchase a dinner for a Coastie.
RAFFLE WINNERS: Silver Dollar- Danny, McDonald’s Gift Certificate- Darus Trutna, $10 cash- Blaine O’Shaughnessy, Phatsy Kline Gift Certificate- Steven Lafferty, Draw the joker to win a gold coin value $444- Carlton drew a 5 of spades.
RECOGNITIONS: Klark recognized a number of people who all had to pay up. Kate Witthaus- recently went to Equador and climbed a volcano over 19,000 feet high. Darus Trutna- Had a family reunion at his cabin in Willow Creek. Phillip Nicklas and his wife are having a 3rd child and it’s going to be a boy!
Jim Sessa was fined because Coast Central Credit Union won NCJ Best of Humboldt award for Best Financial Institution and recently had a company picnic for all of their employees and families. Turns out they won a bunch of other awards from the Times-Standard and Del Norte Triplicate. The Rotary fines just kept mounting. Jim donated $100 to Backpacks for Kids.
Annalise von Borstel also won the NCJ Best of Humboldt for the 3rd year in a row. Carly recently attended 2 Rotary events in one evening first at the Ingomar and then at Martinis By the Bay. Turns out Klark was there too so she fined herself. Nancy Dean has traveled to the Arcata Airport four times to pick up a total of 14 exchange students with 2 more still to arrive.
Blain O’Shaughnessy’s son recently turned 2 and had a big party at Freshwater Park filled with people Blain’s wife knew but he didn’t.
Ken Stodder fined himself $100. He recently celebrated 50 years in Rotary Club of Eureka and 63 years total in Rotary. His grandson recently opened his own business, Stodder Electric. Tuesday his first great grandson was born and this Wednesday he will celebrate 49 years of marriage with his wife!
SPEAKERS: Jaime Matteoli, Corridor Manager at Caltrans talked about Last Chance Grade. Emergency repairs related to the 2021 landslide have been completed. Caltrans will continue to provide upkeep on the roadway. Long Term solutions to the issue are still being explored. Starting with a list of 7 possible bypass routes they have narrowed it down to 2. All 5 Native American tribes has been very involved in the solutions & are in favor of having a bypass solution. The project is complicated by the many environmental issues the projects has including old growth redwoods, coastal habitat, tribal lands, etc. It’s a very complex project that has to adhere to both Federal and State laws. Right now they have a target date for completion of 2037 assuming the project is funded.
Julia Peterson, Caltrans District Clean California Manager talked about the Clean California initiative. Governor Newsom devoted 1.1 billion dollars to cleaning and beautifying California as well as increasing jobs. 18 million was provided to District 1 (Humboldt, Del Norte, Lake and Mendocino Counties for their projects). Examples of projects include Adopt a Highway- Over 800 new adopters statewide so far. Free Dump Days for large objects – over 2,482 vehicles were dumped so far. There are funds for Encampment Litter Services. Beautification projects in Manila have been completed, the recent murals on the Samoa Bridge piers were an example of monies used for this purpose. Now being planned are restrooms at Berry Summit.
August 8, 2022
The meeting was presided over by Past President Mindy Sehon. Scott Thompson led the flag salute and Annalise von Borstel provided the Thought of the Day.
There were a lot of guests and this reporter couldn’t keep up but here’s what I got:
Linda Wise introduced Frank Nelson, Operations Manager of Recology. Ross Rowley of Fortuna Sunrise, Scott Adair, Humboldt County Director of Economic Development; Dianna Rios and Taylor also with Humboldt County’s Economic Development Department (and our guest speakers). Klark Swan’s guest, Marty a past Rotaractor. Ian Schatz. Cindy Denbo and Mary both with the Rotary Club of Southwest Eureka.
Cindy Denbo and Mary invited the club to Rotary Club of Southwest Eureka’s Martini’s By the Bay on Thursday, August 11- 5-7pm. Buy tickets today or online. They left us with this poem by Ogden Nash.
A Drink with Something In It
There is something about a Martini,
A tingle remarkably pleasant;
A yellow, a mellow Martini;
I wish I had one at present.
There is something about a Martini,
Ere the dining and dancing begin,
And to tell you the truth,
It is not the vermouth–
I think that perhaps it’s the gin.
Klark Swan and Ian Schatz let us know that our incoming exchange student from Finland, (Hilla) arrives tomorrow at midnight at the Airport. If you’d like to join them in welcoming her please do. Ian Schatz will be her first host family but they still need more host families for the rest of the year. Our outbound exchange student, Naomi has left and is on her way to her exchange.
A dog showed up and made the rounds of our various dog lovers. Chuck Ellsworth appeared to be the dog’s favorite person.
Coast Guard Dinner cook your own steak is happening Thursday, August 18th. There’s a sign up sheet at the meeting to help. Cost is $60 to have dinner and purchase a dinner for a Coastie.
The fundraiser for Food for People is going well but they still need additional sponsorships. Go to Food for People’s web site to sign up.
Sign Smith Grants deadline is coming up. Know of a non-profit that could use a grant? Applications are available at rotary1.org.
RECOGNITIONS
Alicia Cox was recognized as her daughter was recently married.
Jay Reed recently visited Costa Rica
Scott Thompson was recognized for his hard work in getting the permit approved for Nordic Aquafarms.
WINNERS
Winners of the drawing included Linda Wise – silver dollar, Mike Martin – McDonalds Gift Certificate, Unknown- $10 cash, Phatsy Kline – Lynn Dugaw, Drawing for the gold coin- Ian Schatz drew a 2 of hearts.
SPEAKERS
Dianna Rios (along with co-worker Taylor and Director Scott Adair) introduced Humboldt Rising (humboldtrising.com). A developing strategy to insure future prosperity in Humboldt County from 2023 – 2027. Counties are required to have these strategies in place in order to quality for many federal funds.
The first step is to go out into the communities and listen to what prosperity means to a variety of individuals. They plan to have a rough draft finished in March 2023.
Starting 8/24 and ending 9/9 there will be roadshows in a variety of communities inviting community members to come and provide their thoughts. Participants will divide into small groups for discussion. You can also leave comments on the web site. The rough draft will be reviewed by the various communities for accuracy prior to being finalized. They need people to comment and provide input so please either attend a meeting or comment online.
July 25, 2022
Guest Speaker:
District Governor, Jennifer Strong
Topic: Time is the only commodity that once we spend it, we can’t get it back.
How do we make Service Feed Self. She spoke about the difference of being a Rotarian and why we are Rotarians. She shared her “why” and asked President Elect, Annalise von Borstel to share her story as well. This showcased how the little moments hold big spaces in our hearts. Annalise was gifted a sun catcher and reminded that “the light shines in you”
Pledge: Pat Folkins
Thought of the Day: Jay Reed
Club Business: Guests- Charlie Swan (daughter of Past President, Klark Swan) >>>(guest of President Elect, Annalise von Borstel)
Announcements: We had an excellent showing for our Madaket Cruise social 20 members and guests came along for a beautiful sunshine day!
The Centennial meeting is on the 4th Monday of the month. via zoom
Exchange Students:
We took a short video wishing our Inbound Exchange Student, Hilla, a happy birthday. We will be meeting them in person soon! We also said goodbye to our Outbound Exchange Student, Naomi, who is leaving in just a few days to Denmark! (pictured with DG Jennifer)
Shout Outs: Steve Lafferty and his company helped Past President troubleshoot a massive IT hiccup at Food for People and saved the day! Way to go Steve!!
Neal Carman’s oldest son is finally getting married! 🙂 Neal donated $100 in his honor to Polio Plus. Thanks Neal and Congrats!!
Debby Storre had a lobster and oyster filled visit with her son in Nova Scotia! Bring us some next time, Debby!
Although we have yet to have a winner pull the Joker out of the deck of cards to win the gold (actual gold!), Past President, Kim Bauriedel, gave us all a good laugh by trying to convince us the Jack of Clubs was “close enough.
Past President, Klark Swan, gave it her best go at auctioning off the traveling basket that DG Jennifer brought from Peteluma Sunrise, but she was quickly saved from herself when Past President, Pat Folkins stood up and made the initial (and final) bid of $500!!! Wow, Wow, WOW! Thanks Pat! He then also convinced Past President, Carlton Nielson to buy a second basket for the same cost!
July 18, 2022
The meeting was presided over by Past President Carly Robbins
Thought of the Day:
Chuck Ellsworth elicited chuckles with a funny anecdote about his grandson. The lesson was, “Be careful what you wish for!”
Guests:
We welcomed a number of guests today, including former Rotaract Christine Tyson, our outbound exchange students, and Amanda Moxon, the new President of Old Town Rotary.
Club Member Recognitions:
Jera Newland was promoted to a Blue Badge member! Jera is recognized for her enthusiastic participation in our club, including Board of Directors service, arranging the catering for club lunches, and organizing fun fellowship events. We are lucky to have Jera!
Mike Martin recounted his recent fossil hunting and metal detecting trip.
Greg Williston was congratulated on his recent retirement after 20+ years with SHM Engineering. Greg will celebrate with a trip to Ireland next week!
Jason Chand recounted his wife’s fantastic scuba diving adventures around the globe. Jason got to stay home and do absolutely whatever he pleased.
Klark Swan’s daughter performed in her first ever musical performance. She played Mr. Warbucks in a production of Annie. This sounds adorable and we demand pictures!
Arny King finally got to take his family to Disneyland after postponing the trip due to COVID. It was everything they hoped for and more.
Club History:
Dr. Kim gave us a short history of our Burl newsletter, which originated in 1942. He presented our immediate Past President Klark Swan with a bound copy of all the Burl newsletters from her presidency. Thank you Dr. Kim!
Who’s who in Rotary?
Carly announced that our new District Governor is Jennifer Strong from Rotary Club of Sebastopol, and new International President Jennifer Jones, who hails from Canada and is the first female in Rotary history to hold the position!
Upcoming Events:
Don’t miss the Madaket Cruise social on July 21 or the Crabs ballgame social on July 24!
Coming Soon: Volunteers and Sponsors are needed for the Coast Guard dinner at the Elks Lodge
October 15: the Foundation Celebration will be held in Fortuna
May 4, 2023: the District Conference will be held at Konocti Harbor Resort in Lakeport.
May 27, 2023: the International Conference will be held in Melbourne, Australia
Program: An Airport Update
Today’s program was brought to us by County Supervisor Virginia Bass and Humboldt County Director of Aviation Cody Roggatz. Virginia and Cody gave us an update on the history, current situation, and plans for our County airports, focusing on our largest airport, the California Redwood Coast Humboldt County Airport, or ACV.
ACV has been through many trials and tribulations, including a 95% decrease in passenger traffic during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. The airport saw flights decrease to only 1 or 2 per day, with an average of only 5 passengers on each plane. They are also facing the effects of an industry-wide pilot and mechanic shortage.
However, they have also made great progress. Passenger seat capacity has increased to 150% of prior years. A microgrid has been installed that generates enough energy to power the entire airport as well as some homes in the area. 5 million dollars is being invested in hangar improvements, and a 20 million dollar runway and electrical installation project at ACV is in the works. They are also making parking lot improvements that we all look forward to.
Thank you very much Cody and Virginia for the presentation.