JAN 8, 2013 ROTARY IN REVIEW:
Naturalist Jim Gilbert

President DAN MCKEOWN opened the first meeting of the second half of the Rotary program year at 1:30 sharp with about 100 in attendance.

SCOTT NELSON and ANN FRISCH greeted all arrivals, and District Governor JOE KOVARIK with Past President BOB JONES at the piano led everyone in song. STEVE NYHUS provided the invocation, and Past President CAROLYN BRUSSEAU helped everyone to welcome three guests of Rotarians.

President Dan extended condolences to Past Presidents KEN CRABB and DOUG HARTFORD who were present, and who each lost their mother just before Christmas. Congratulations were extended to MARK HENNEMANN and MARK WEBER for professional successes.

Past President DOUG BRUCE returned to the podium to present the final results of the 2013-14 club officer elections. All newly-elected officers and directors were present, and stood to join Captain JIM KOSMO and Judge JOHN GUTHMANN who will lead them as President and President-elect.

ANN FRISCH said a few words about the Rotarian Action Group for Peace, and encouraged everyone to join the group. MICHAEL-JON PEASE introduced new member STEPHANIE LAITALA. District Govenor Joe made a Paul Harris Fellow presentation to Club 10 Rotarians (and husband/wife) AL UNIACKE and SUE HAMMERSMITH. All three providing compelling evidence of the difference we make when we support Rotary financially.

Happy dollars brought lots of important and personal news of the Rotary family, and a nice cash haul.

JIM MILLER introduced our speaker, JIM GILBERT – well known outdoors author, radio personality, retired high school science teacher, and Environmental Studies faculty member at Gustavus Adolphus.

Jim’s program was very well received, striking a personal chord with likely everyone in attendance. His comments were almost “stream of consciousness,” and are presented as such in the following paragraphs.

This morning’s sunrise was a beautiful treat – blazing colors for 30 minutes straight.

This is a certain season, with unique joys, but one season slides into another with overlapping joys. The days grow longer – 13 minutes in the last 19 days. There are twelve inches of ice, and twelve inches of frost. It is a real winter.

We measure the seasonal changes in bird species, light, shadows, red oak leaves on the snow and seed catalogs on the counter. The spring peepers, tree frogs, bears, chipmunks, and so many more are either solidly frozen or soundly asleep, waiting for their measure of change.

We venture out into the winter – and we each have our own experience depending on what level of excitement or investment we want or can make. The booming, rumbling, and cracking of ice can be heard from the land . . . or from beneath our feet.

Jim invited anyone to share the experiences that he had so carefully reminded them of – and there were many who spoke of encounters with wolves, turkey, deer, birds, observing circle of life moments in the wild, or a holiday gift of a lunar halo.

John Andrews, Scribe