New Member Induction!
Welcome to the club Amanda Weedman
 
 
Announcements/Business:
  • We had a Bloody Good Party last Friday,  At least 5 Rotarians donated blood at Vitalant in Denver and a nice group for the socially-distanced party at Marlis and Steve’s home.  The weather cooperated, Tom's pizza was fabulous and fun was had by all.  Good to see everyone in person!
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  • The Club Pass-the-Gavel event could be similar to Friday’s gathering at Marlis’ home.  The date and specifics will be sent out soon. 
  • Yvonne reports that she contacted a peach orchard in Porter, Oklahoma.  She has had their peaches and says they are very good.  We would have to pick them up; a 13 hour drive there…but an easy drive!  They would be ready by the end of August.  She doesn’t know the price/case.  Dean and Angela will move forward to get more information.  Ed is willing to help also.
  • Wes: report on Foundation and fund-raiser.  We are planning to do a drive-in concert August 15th at Beaver Ranch.  He has an application into JeffCo.  JeffCo will allow up to 100 people at an outside event.  We will get a special permit, since folks will be in their cars.  There is a meeting on Thursday, 6pm.  He will send a link.  Committees and chair-people are defined.  We need more helpers!  Please attend the virtual meeting on Thursday to help!
  • Leonor:  thanks to all who have collected fabrics and t-shirts for ties.  5380 masks have been sewn.
  • MRC looks forward to having us back in person when the time is right.  Things are going well there.
 
Program:  Evergreen Audubon and Nature Center
Brad Andres, President
 
This has been a great spring for winter finches, probably partly because we were all spending more time at home with COVID-19.  Brad gave us an excellent report on the birds in our area, when they fly in, their eating preferences and even the types of nests they make.  He told us about the evening grosbeak, pine grosbeak and cassein’s finch.  We learned about early nesters like the red-cross-bill, great-horned owls, flickers and woodpeckers, pygmy nuthatches, and “water oozle”.
 
The Evergreen Nature Center opened in 2008.  It is a seasonal operation, closed in winter.  Their mission is: "To foster contagious enthusiasm and life-long respect for the natural world by providing fun and inspiring educational experiences for people throughout the Bear Creek Watershed."  There are 2 paid staff and many volunteers, and they served 12,448 visitors last year.
 
Nature Center programs: 
  • Monitor nest boxes in open-space parks—there are about 50 boxes in Evergreen parks; they house Mountain and Western blue-birds, tree swallows, violet-green swallows, house wrens, mountain chickadees and nuthatches.
  • They built nest boxes to sell as a fundraiser—this year it was on-line with home delivery.
  • They are doing a Student Bird Art Contest---this was done virtually this year.  The art work will eventually be displayed at the Nature Center.
  • There are spring after-school programs, which were done virtually this spring.
  • The half day summer camps, story time with Evergreen Library and large community and school group visits are on hold at this time of COVID. 
  • They are now starting small group events that provide social distancing. 
  • The Nature Center is not yet open—they may go to small group reservations (with masks). 
Brad reported on the decline of birds in North America.  Since 1970, 1 in 4 birds are gone—2.9 BILLION.   Most are grassland birds (Meadow Larks and Lark Bunting).  The use of the land for farming, and insecticides are a big factor in the decline.  Aerial insectivores have lost their insect food source.  Climate change has changed the vulnerability of various species. 
What can we do?