Munn, Munes Magnificent; Trobaugh Terrific! The Only Thing Missing was Hot Dogs.
Although President-Elect John Munn has run a few meetings during his Veep days, he really came alive with passion, vigor, and pizazz while filling in for President Ellie. With the aplomb of a man juggling chainsaws and kittens and not breaking a sweat, P-E John kept our gathering on time and efficient! It also didn't hurt to have "Machu Picchu McClellan" back in the saddle...
General Ed had more time for "Fun n' Fines" than usual, and made good use of it. We had some wedding anniversaries (Sheri H, Marie B), travel (Tom M, Becky N), and failure to appropriately celebrate National Hotdog Day. George Lin and his cousin Mei bid us a fond farewell until next visit, after getting to play golf at Chambers Bay and the American Lake Veterans Golf Course in the company of fellow Rotarians.
Our program was a very informative presentation by the Chief Biologist at the Billy Frank Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge, Ryan Munes. Although Ryan has just six months tenure in Nisqually, he has served all over the USA at some of our most significant wildlife preserves. Ryan's focus in our local refuge is on wildfowl, salmon, and the endangered Oregon Spotted Frog. He explained some of the Refuge's history, and how the tribal, federal, state and local jurisdictions have collaborated to return the area to its former saltwater marsh environment. Ryan emphasized that the Refuge is NOT a zoo or a national park, but instead a place where wildlife can be studied and maintained in a purely natural habitat. By the way, if you ever happen to be invited to Ryan's home, please don't bring a potted Yellowflag Iris as a gift.
Today's raffle featured a demonstration of prestidigitation worthy of David Copperfield, pulled off by Georgene Mellom! Tom Faubion innocently asked Georgene to draw a ticket out of the container; she averted her eyes and blindly reached into the hopper. When Tom read the winning number, it turned out to belong to...you guessed it, Georgene! The magic trick had its limits, though, as Georgene didn't draw an ace. $300 bucks rolled over into next week's pot!