Welcome to the Sunrise Spirit –
the Weekly Newsletter of The Rotary Club of Arcata Sunrise
We hope that you will attend one of our lively Friday meetings,
whether or not you are interested in joining Rotary.
Usually, we meet on most Fridays at 7 am in the Plaza View Room at Arcata’s historic Jacoby Storehouse,
however, while we are under the Shelter In Place order, we are meeting online.
Please visit the RCAS Website for the meeting links.
The Calendar …
RISE: “Rotary Involvement Strengthens Everyone“
Watch here for events as they return to our Calendar …
Recognitions & Announcements
Our April 10th meeting lacked an update from Exchange Student Thomas, but there were Recognitions. President AJ said that his newest co-worker is a 14-year old lab mix. Scott Heller won the award for Best Background from the previous week’s meeting, and we got a glimpse of Ed Christian’s rather complex work-from-home setup. AJ continued to encourage us to support our local businesses in all possible ways, and Susan Diehl-McCarthy has vowed to make fabric masks bearing the RCAS logo! On that topic, we played a game of “Who’s Behind the Mask?”
AJ and the RCAS Board opened a discussion of what to do with the portion of our dues that cover our meeting fees (since we probably won’t be meeting at the Plaza View Room for the rest of the year, at least).
There was a photo of Ray Noogle/Noggle as Bigfoot at the Bigfoot Taproom, but neither fabled beast was online to defend himself. We applauded Ceva Courtemanche for her donation to Miranda’s Rescue. And Andreas Krause’s “Stimulus Check Challenge” was revisited – donations to the RCAS Foundation will help us continue our commitment to Backpacks for Kids.
We will meet (virtually, and possibly virtuously) on Friday, April 17th, but not on the 24th. That week (April 20-24) will be devoted to our Fireside Meetings. The small group sessions will provide incoming Club President Maggie Kraft with an idea of where our members stand on various aspects of Club and Foundation activities.
Due to the timing of the Firesides, our Final Friday will be held on May 1st, or as it shall now be known, “April 31st”!
Research, Education, and Water Flow
On April 10, 2020, our Featured Speaker was HSU Assistant Professor Jasper Oshun, who discussed a student-led water development project in the Andean Puna ecoregion of South America. The project is funded by Geoscientists WIthout Borders, an organization that supports humanitarian applications of geoscience throughout the world. Jasper said that this project has three interconnected benefits – the benefits to the community, a better understanding of the geoscience of the area (particularly the water yield), and the mentorship provided to the students involved.
The Zurite District of Peru is west of Cusco, and it occupies the alluvial fans at the base of mountains that rise to 4,500 meters. The project sought to determine how to maximize the water yield from the Ramushaka Watershed to best benefit the inhabitants.
Jasper said that over 25 students – from Humboldt State, Rutgers, the University of Texas Austin, and other universities – have participated in the project, and it has been meaningful for them and for the residents of the Puna region. The canals that were completed just last month (March 2020) benefited over 100 families.
Don’t miss a minute!
(Click here to view the video of the full meeting.)