Home Page | Rotary Club of Glenwood Springs

Donate to a Rotary Cause

Chinle

https://www.facebook.com/search/top?q=rotary%20club%20of%20glenwood%20springs

https://www.facebook.com/RotaryClubofGlenwoodSprings

Amazing Water Engineering

As John Sikora, AECOM Water Resources Engineer, shared his presentation about construction of the Colorado River Connectivity Project in the Upper Colorado River system, members were stunned by the enormous complexity of the project and the intelligent engineering that went into its design and creation. This specific diversion project at Windy Gap was built to pump water into Lake Granby when it is "called for" by existing water contracts with communities up River as well as on the Front Range. As I understood John's detailed and technical presentation, this diversion enhances the aquatic habitat for fish and all other animal species that are part of that food chain.

The nature of water management has changed in the past 30 years as water engineers have learned more about what makes a healthy ecosystem that will thrive and grow, as well as provide water for human users. Now we know that sediment is important to a river's health so there must be ways to address allow sediment to pass through the water that exits a dam, not be trapped by it. With the aid of sophisticated computers that provide hydraulic modeling, engineers can test out their designs and modify them to address potential problems BEFORE they build them. And earth moving and construction equipment that is GPS enabled allow the plans to change during construction and immediately be transmitted to the equipment to achieve immediate results. That's huge cost savings in time and money, as well as getting the build right the first time!

The $33 million project was supported by a huge number of municipalities as well as some private corporations; a real example of cooperative support! In addition to building the diversion "river" that replicates natural river behavior, the AECOM team also restored over 90 acres of land, planting 15,000 trees and shrubs to ensure the health of the entire ecosystem. Early evaluations of the new channel by CPW staff show evidence of stone flies upon which the trout and sculpin feed, as well as the eagles and hawks returning to his impressive space.

Thanks to Joe Mueller for bringing John and helping us learn about how effectively water is being managed in collaboration with the environment. And to John for helping make complex engineering more understandable. Any errors in this summary are my own and not those of the presenter!

Shulet in Concert

Steve Shute and Jim Drolet (cleverly named Shulet by President Nick!) presented a delightful concert on Friday, September 20 at our regular noon meeting. Participants enjoyed a concert filled with old favorites and learned about how these talented and modest men came to love music and sing so well. Both spent hours of solo time working on their respective ranches and farms as young men listening to music and singing their songs into the quiet of those landscapes.

These two harmonized so beautifully and sang songs that we all know and love. Steve noted how music is a common language that speaks to all of us regardless of our backgrounds, beliefs, politics, economic status, etc. I hope we can hear from this duo again as the music was truly a wonderful gift and a delightful way to spend time together.

Play List

Rocky Mountain High - John Denver
Margaritaville - Jimmy Buffett
The Boxer - Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel
City of New Orleans - Steve Goodman
My Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys - Sharon Vaughn (made famous by Willie Nelson)
The Dance - Steve Arata (made famous by Garth Brooks)
Country Road - Bill Danoff, Taffy Nivert and John Denver.

Betty Robinson Scholarship Winner

At our meeting on Friday, we were reminded that our club's generosity goes beyond “our” giving. Many of our club members are philanthropic in other ways that may or may not get noticed. We were also reminded of how one's actions can impact so many.

President Adams rang the bell, 4 minutes late, to start the meeting. We said the pledge, sang a song recommended by Heather Exby (If You’re Happy and You Know It), and then had words of inspiration from Pat Peel. In line with our speaker for the day, Pat drew her inspiration from Florence Nightingale.

After some brief announcements we enjoyed our meal and fellowship before Jim Drolet led us in happy bucks. We had 4 guests present and they too joined in the activity. Two of our guests, who later spoke, pointed out how pleasant it was to be in a place where people were so positive.

After wrapping up happy bucks, Ken Robinson introduced our speaker(s) for the day. The speaker, Lindsey Moser, is the recipient of the Betty Robinson Memorial Scholarship, established by Ken and his late wife Martha. The scholarship is named after Ken’s mother to provide funding to advance skills in nursing. Ken’s mother earned a BSN in 1947. Lindsey is a registered nurse, and the scholarship will help her earn a BSN (bachelor of science in nursing).

Lindsey spoke of her past and how the scholarship came at a time when she really needed it. Her nursing also included nurturing her family. Her perseverance through tough times and her commitment to education was a remarkable testament to how one's generosity can be paid forward to so many. Lindsey currently works in the Wound Care unit at Valley View and is pursuing her BSN.

Following Lindsey, we heard from Dawn Sculco, Chief Nursing Officer, at Valley View. Dawn spoke about the need for nurses and how scholarships for advanced training keep Valley View at the forefront. After Dawn, we heard from Autumn Porter, Gift Officer, at Valley View. Autumn spoke about Lindsey and giving.

Though he started the meeting late, President Adams, through our speakers, ended the meeting on time. Each speaker was presented with a four-way test coin and the club recited the four-way test. The lucky ticket winner was Nick Adams and the meeting was adjourned at 1:15PM.

Our speaker this week is Kevin Flohr, CEO of Glenwood Hot Springs Pool.

Short-term Exchange

Past President John Wells presided over a great lunch meeting while President Nick was away in Paris (I guess he was doing his own mini exchange!).

Young woman,Addison Godes, with microphone talking about her exchange to Italy

We were fortunate to learn more about Rotary's short-term exchange program through a presentation from Addison Godes (Glenwood Spgs, Colorado, USA) and Elisa Baggetta (Ivrea, Piedmont, Italy). These lovely young women shared their insights and highlights of their experiences visiting each other's countries and families this summer. Addison traveled to Elisa's town and enjoyed 6 weeks with her family and friends touring Northern Italy and learning about the culture and way of life. And now Elisa is in Colorado learning about the US, enhancing her English language skills, and pushing herself beyond her comfort zone.

Young woman, Elisa Baggette, looking at a Rotary coin given to her by Rotarian John Wells who is standing next to her.

Both women found surprising aspects of the others' country that challenged their assumptions and experiences. Ah! That's what exchange is all about!

The short-term exchanges are gaining in popularity with more and more young people showing interest and applying. These exchanges are essentially family-to-family and provide a meaningful experience for students without the commitment of an entire year away. They are a nice compliment to Rotary's long-term exchange program.

Later this year we will hear a presentation from Tanner Merritt when his Brazilian exchange partner, Gill, comes to Glenwood for his exchange experience. And Bronze Ufrig from Carbondale will tell us about his year in Japan. You won't want to miss these programs!

Many thanks to Jackie Skramstad and John Stroud, District chair of Youth Exchange,(Carbondale) who coordinate our youth exchange programs and have worked for many years providing our young people with unique and life-changing experiences for their hard work and dedication to something bigger than themselves.

Update on Alex: This year's exchange student from Ukraine has been able to arrange an additional year of exchange to the Czech Republic. This will help him continue to walk in peace and keep him out of harm's way as the fighting in Ukraine continues.

Strawberry Days Parade