Oakland Rotary News

Ruth Stoup presented two thoughts for the day; The first from Mahatma Gandhi: "The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others" and the second from Howard Zinn: "Small acts, when multiplied by millions of people, can transform the world."

President Dudley led the group in the recitation of the Rotary Vision Statement.

Pat Williams introduced new member Ama Torrance. Ama is an artist specializing in sculpture. She keeps active through tennis and pickleball and both her father and brother are Rotarians. Ama was then inducted by President Dudley and warmly greeted by the virtual audience. Welcome Ama!

• Wildcat Canyon Hike. Past President Robert Kidd reported that the first leg of the Rotary hike from Richmond to Castro Valley is fully booked but that future legs of the hike are open for signups: Tilden in April; Redwood in June; Chabot in July.
• In Person Meetings. President Dudley announced that in-person meetings in the California Ballroom will restart on March 10th (along with Zoom broadcasts). Proof of vaccination will be required (no booster necessary) and KN-95 masks are strongly encouraged.
• International Women's Day. Rotary District 5170’s celebration is scheduled for March 13th at the San Jose Summit Center. The featured speaker is Zoom COO, Aparna Bawa. Register on the District 5170 website.
• Oakland Marathon and Running Festival. On March 20th, the club will work at two of the water stops. Water stations are open for five hours and each will have two shifts for volunteers.
• District 5170 Conference. The conference will be held at the Blackhawk Museum and San Ramon Marriott from April 22 – 24. Register on the District 5170 website.
• Blood Donation. Sign up to donate blood at the Red Cross website. Please let Jesse Bowdle know if you have given blood.
• Carbon Footprint Survey. The Environment Committee invites all members to take a brief survey to determine your carbon footprint. All participants will be entered into a drawing for a wine tasting at Brooklyn West Winery (thank you Stew Epstein).

C J Hirschfield introduced Terry Smith, co-founder of Pollinator Posse. Pollinator Posse is an Oakland-based nonprofit that focuses on outreach and education, habitat creation, and community science in support of pollinators. California pollinators include 1,600 species of native bees, 300 species of syrphid or hover flies, and butterflies. 

Western Monarch butterflies stay on the California coast instead of migrating to Mexico. Historical population numbers were 4-10 million but 2018 and 2019 counts showed them dropping to 30,0000. The 2021 survey showed an increase to 248,000. This is not a recovery but buys time for the Monarchs.  The decrease in population is caused by climate change, pesticides and herbicides, and habitat loss. Terry recommended that we become stewards of our local ecosystems and create diverse habitat gardens which include native plants. The Pollinator Posse website - pollinatorposse.org - provides plant lists. 

Recent Pollinator Posse projects include Pollinator Posse Day (declared by Mayor Schaaf); the Pipevine Swallowtail Project; Tees for Bees (hitting seed balls into a golf course rough); Air BeeNBee structure at Lake Merritt; and the Autumn Lights Festival at Lake Merritt. Pick up your free milkweed seeds at seven Oakland library branches (including Rockridge) and start planting.

President Dudley adjourned the meeting at 1:30 pm as he reminded us to Serve to Change Lives and Don’t Keep Rotary a Secret!