THIS FRIDAY

Dave Torrell, Curator for the University of Washington Athletic Hall of Fame and Club Historian and Past President of Sahalee Golf & Country Club in Sammamish. Dave will talk about the 2010 Senior Open at Sahalee Country Club, the execution of the event and its economic impact on the club; also, how the business model for such an event is implemented and the results that were obtained. In addition, Dave will discuss the University of Washington Athletic Hall of Fame in Hec Edmundson Pavilion, the process that led to its implementation, including the design and content of the facility, and the ongoing process of keeping it up to date.

Opener

President Chuck Kimbrough opened our meeting with a rousing "GOOD MORNING BELLEVUE BREAKFAST ROTARIANS!" Christine Addison gave a beautiful prayer, followed by our Pledge of Allegiance.

Susan Amini then recognized our guests and visiting Rotarians: Frank Young, Chuck Doland, and Theresa, all from Bellevue Noon club. We are happy to hear that Theresa has applied for a transfer to our club.

"Giving Tree" a Huge Success

Christine Addison reported that the "Giving Tree" was a huge success, with three carloads full of gifts were contributed by our members. These gifts were distributed to three different agencies: KITH, YMCA, and Hopelink.

Christine also said, "We provided the lion's share of the children's holiday gifts. Thanks to all of you who participated."

Clothing Donations for Foster Children

Foster children have so many needs, particularly for clothing. Madeline Gauthier shared with us that DSHS funds only $100 per year for clothing for each foster child, so it is critical to have clothing donated to meet their needs.

Lynne also mentioned that JCPenney gives coupons to its credit card holders about five times a year. Using the coupon, the buyer can have $10 off any item of $10 or more. That means that an $11 item can be purchased for just $1. Lynne encouraged us to be aware of the coupons as they come in the mail. Then, as a group, we might meet and shop (followed by beer or chocolate!), donating the clothing to Tree House several times a year.

In the meantime, she continues to collect clothing you would like to donate, and thanks each of you who have already contributed for this great cause.

Madeline Gauthier Awarded Rotarian of the Month

For all the work she does with foster children, Madeline Gauthier is very worthy of this coveted award – recognition of her contributions to service in the community.

Lynne made the BBRC Foster Children Adoption Party a huge success. In it's third year, this event has gone viral since it was started by Lynne and Past-President Margie Burnet, with other Rotary Clubs creating an opportunity in their own areas.

Our deepest thanks go to Madeline for all her contributions to the community.

Student of the Month: Ganaa Balgan

Brian Hardy introduced Ganaa Balgan, his mother, and also his school counselor, to the club. Ganaa is a student at Sammamish High School who excels in both academics and athletics. He takes three AP classes and is also active in swimming and tennis.

Ganaa wants to be a Husky and has been accepted to enter classes there.

Partners For Work: The Vocational Service Committee

The BBRC recently adopted District 5030 Project "Partners For Work." Jan Nestler and Chuck Doland (from the Bellevue Noon club) reported that our partnership is with AtWork!, a nonprofit agency which helps people with disabilities be productive, integrated, and contributing members of their communities by learning marketable skills. Jan encouraged us all to be advocates for disabled people and their abilities to work when given the opportunity. View the District Partners for Work video here.

Chuck Doland explained that Partners for Work (PFE) is a Rotary District 5030 project that creates employment opportunities for people with developmental disabilities by utilizing Rotarian business leadership as a vital link between job candidates and paid work. PFW was developed by the Auburn Rotary Club in 2003 and has expanded throughout Western Washington as a viable program that assists employers in gaining access to this talented, untapped workforce.

The target population is people who are over 18 years of age who have developmental disabilities and want to work. These individuals have learned valuable skills to offer the workplace, yet their employment rate (30%) is very low, and many cannot meet the established job requirements set by human resource departments within businesses.

Rotarians are often the top people in their companies and play a key networking and leadership role in helping open the door towards paid work. Partners for Work has helped create 13 jobs in District 5030 thus far!

In our district, people can be found working within a variety of occupations and industries. Employees from Partners for Work are office assistants, warehouse/manufacturing stocking associates, membership/service assistants, and utility/janitorial assistants.

Chuck Doland commended Jan and the BBRC for getting involved with this great effort in the District.

Bellevue Run Update

Wendi Fischer announced that she has provided a list of 10K Teams, each listed with the organizations they intend to contact and get sponsorships or runners (or both). Your team leaders will share this list with you.

Katherine DeStephano is the go-to person to help you set up your teams online and get them ready for people to register. Contact her at katherine@hellyhansengear.com.

BBRC Martini Party

Paul Chapman reminded us about the Martini Party this Saturday, the 22nd, at 6:30PM, at his home. There will be appetizers, a professional bartender (so drink and drive responsibly), and music by John DeWater. Should be lots of fun!

PROGRAM

"Grizzly Bears in the Cascades," Dave Knibb, Lawyer, Forester, and Author of "Grizzly Wars: The Public Fight over the Great Bear"

Dave Knibb

Rourke O'Brien introduced our speaker, David Knibb, who has written the book "Grizzly Wars: The Public Fight Over the Great Bear," along with co-author, Lance Craighead. David is a friend of our own Mark Hough and an attorney by profession, but also has a great love for the subject of the book.

David has spent a lot of his adult life in the Cascades and has encountered many bears there. He said he has spent more time in the Cascades than the Bellevue Square. He indicated that everyone has a strong feeling about the Grizzly bear population, some motivated by fear and others by the desire to preserve this animal by providing an endangered species designation with recovery outlets. The Grizzly bear has recently been nominated for "threatened species" (not endangered as yet).

Knibb's book chronicles the "slow motion race" to recover Grizzly bear populations in distinct areas of the West over a period of about 30 years. "It is a story of a power struggle and death threats" Knibb said.

The Fish and Wildlife Commission have created four evaluation recovery areas in the Northern Rockies, all on Federal land: in Central Colorado, along the Continental Divide; south, in Yellowstone (where there are 600 grizzlies); in Bitterroot (where there are no grizzlies); and in the Cascades (where there is a remnant number of Grizzlies). The only successful area of recovery so far is in Yellowstone, where the Grizzly bear has been delisted from a threatened species category.

Knibb continues to ask the question: "Are they (the Grizzlies) still there?" In October 2008, a grad student backpacker reported the likelihood of evidence of Grizzlies. An expert reviewed the evidence and said it looked promising. A cross-country skier sited tracks so the Forest Service set up cameras. There are still sighting reports, but authorities continue to be uncertain that Grizzlies are in the Cascades.

There have been a number of sightings in the Lake Chelan area and CleEllum, where people saw bear tracks. Experts have tried to estimate how many bears there are, and authorities have concluded that there are 10 to 20 bears in Concordia. Canada estimates there are 17 to 23 adult Grizzlies in the Northern Rockies.

U.S. Forest Service biologists have set up fenced captive areas where, if a bear comes through, they will have to cross a barbed wire enclosure to get to food that attracts them (a combination of cow blood and fish). In this way they can analyze the hair caught on the wire to determine what kind of bear was there. They also put cameras around the area to capture the activity.

In all of these attempts to identify where the Grizzlies are, Knibb said that even if they don't show up (by tracks, hair, or cameras), it doesn't mean they're not there.

Knibb mentioned that his book was an attempt to create information about what has happened to the Grizzly bears and what may happen in the future. "Many things are still unknown on this project," said Knibb. "Time is spent on it to save animals that share in this world together."

Web Fun

Puns for Educated Minds
Courtesy of Ann Norman

The fattest knight at King Arthur's round table was Sir Cumference. He acquired his size from too much pi.

I thought I saw an eye doctor on an Alaskan island, but it turned out to be an optical Aleutian.

She was only a whiskey maker, but he loved her still.

A rubber band pistol was confiscated from algebra class, because it was a weapon of math disruption.

No matter how much you push the envelope, it'll still be stationery.

A dog gave birth to puppies near the road and was cited for littering.

A grenade thrown into a kitchen in France would result in Linoleum Blownapart.

Two silk worms had a race. They ended up in a tie.

A hole has been found in the nudist camp wall. The police are looking into it.

Atheism is a non-prophet organization.

Two hats were hanging on a hat rack in the hallway. One hat said to the other: "You stay here; I'll go on a head."

I wondered why the baseball kept getting bigger. Then it hit me.

A sign on the lawn at a drug rehab center said: "Keep off the Grass."

The midget fortune-teller who escaped from prison was a small medium at large.

The soldier who survived mustard gas and pepper spray is now a seasoned veteran.

A backward poet writes inverse.

In a democracy it's your vote that counts. In feudalism it's your count that votes.

When cannibals ate a missionary, they got a taste of religion.

If you jumped off the bridge in Paris, you'd be in Seine .

A vulture boards an airplane, carrying two dead raccoons. The stewardess looks at him and says, "I'm sorry, sir, only one carrion allowed per passenger."

Two fish swim into a concrete wall. One turns to the other and says, "Dam!"

Two Eskimos sitting in a kayak were chilly, so they lit a fire in the craft. Unsurprisingly it sank, proving once again that you can't have your kayak and heat it too.

Two hydrogen atoms meet. One says, "I've lost my electron." The other says, "Are you sure?"A The first replies, "AYes, I'm positive."A

Did you hear about the Buddhist who refused Novocain during a root canal? His goal: transcend dental medication.

And then there was the person who sent ten puns to friends, with the hope that at least one of the puns would make them laugh. No pun in ten did.