MEETING RECAP - 16th October 2017
Submitted by Will Arscott
Polar Bears with Susan Blum
The meeting was presided by President Mark Gryba
Greeter - Gary Emde
Cashier - Avis Hardy
Visitors and Guests - Gary Rusu
Set-up - Al Morton
Grace - we sang the Rotary grace.
O Canada was sang a little limply in the absence of Wayne M. though we had a good crowd.
Visitors and Guests - Gary Rusu
Eric Anderson Rotarian from Red Deer South who is moving to Saskatoon and looking for a local club. [Please be on your best behaviour as he seems like a really nice guy and prospective member.]
Jennifer Okoi - friend of Eric Anderson
Meaghan Hardy - daughter and guest of Avis Hardy.
George Charpentier - guest of Will Arscott
Announcements
The duty roster for meetings through to Christmas was circulated. There are not that many regular meetings left but there are spots available. Please take a spot or two so the same people don’t get the opportunity for service each time.
President Mark reviewed our future meetings:
Oct 24th - World Polio Day with speaker TBA
Oct 30th - we serve breakfast and lunch and the Friendship Inn. We still need several more volunteers. Dave S has the roster so please help us complete. Family members or non-Rotarians are most welcome.
Nov 7th - (TUESDAY) Five Club Meeting. In lieu of our Monday meeting there will be a five club meeting on Tuesday at the Bessborough. The meeting will start sharp at noon and the cost is $40. It will be a served luncheon. Dave S has the tickets for sale until Jack B’s return.
Nov 13th - there will be no meeting due to the Remembrance Day holiday.
Nov 20th - Foundation Dinner. This is an evening meeting. Mike Giesbrecht. will have tickets at the next meeting.
Dec. 4Th - Club elections. Some people are considering joining the board but if you have any desire to serve please contact Paul Gauthier.
Rotary Leadership Seminar will take place over three Saturdays. This provides a very good way to get further into Rotary. Emails have been sent but to refresh: You do not need to be able to attend all three. If you miss a meeting it can be caught up another year. Please take in one or more as you are able. Dates:
October 28th in Prince Albert
Nov 4th in Saskatoon at the Parktown
November 25th in Saskatoon at the Parktown
More information is available on the District 5550 website.
Grocery Cards: Gary Rusu assured the club that the pantry has been re-stocked with cards of all denominations ahead of the Christmas season. Please plan to do your shopping with our cards this year. We all consume groceries and this is as easy and as profitable a project as we have.
King George Christmas Market - Joanne F. Announced that this will take place at the school on December 21st (Thursday). We need help to set up on Wednesday and help throughout Thursday. On the table were sheets describing the items we need for gifts. Please take the time for you and yours to help with this. Joanne suggested setting up a drop box at your place of work.
Salvation Army Bell Ringing - this will start December 2nd. Please sign-up. A sheet will be around at next week’s meeting.
Health of the Club
Will Arscott spoke briefly on the passing of John Schoen. John was a WWII vet who had been a member of our club. John worked for and ran several local businesses over his long career. He is best known as the conductor of the Saskatoon Concert Band and founder of the Saskatoon Philharmonic Orchestra. These legacies of John’s last in Saskatoon. John was introduced into our club by Quentin Agnew.
Sergeant at Arms - Jim Weber
Jim began be calling up five volunteers. A few of us are developing early curvature of the spine from trying to duck down every time Jim asks for volunteers. Anyway, Jim got five of our members up and challenged them to answer two questions:
- Why did you join Rotary?
- What has Rotary given you?
Gary Rusu:
- joined to get to know people in the business community.
- stays for the many friendships he has developed in Rotary.
Heather Clysdale
- joined because husband Assem was a Rotarian.
- enjoys meeting Rotarians in other places.
- proud to part of the eradication of polio world-wide.
Mike Giesbrecht
- joined because he was invited by brother-in-law Scott Byers.
- stays because he is impressed with RAP and likes to be part of giving to the community.
Joanne Fisher
- like Gary R she joined to get to know business people. She was encouraged by her employer, a bank, to join.
- she really enjoys her project at KG school.
Gary Kerr
- joined because Jim Weber is such an aggressive recruiter.
- has enjoyed being part of exchanges to other parts of the world.
Finally President Mark took a turn
- joined because the other partners in his practice were Rotarians.
- stays because he has met other people he would not know otherwise.
This was a great exercise. We are not sure how much money was paid in fines but it is great to remind ourselves that our members have joined for various reasons and stay for various reasons.
Happy and Sad
- H President Mark fined himself for not wearing a tie to last week’s meeting. He noted that more of our members wore ties this week. He enjoyed his trip down to Oregon to take his son to chiropractic school but there was too much driving particularly mountain driving.
- S Gary Kerr for the Roughriders managing to snatch defeat out of the jaws of victory.
- S Jim Weber for events in Husky game with only 11 seconds left.
- H for Hilltops hanging on for win.
- H Heather Clysdale for husband Assem getting a trip to Portugal in November S that she will be unable to go.
POLAR BEARS - Susan Blum
Susan was introduced by Dave Sundby. She is a recent member of our club and a member we are most delighted to have. Currently, Susan is Director of Research at Saskatchewan Polytechnic.
Susan explained that she spent a total of nine years studying polar bears. Three of those years were as the polar bear biologist for the government of Nunavut. She was the first female polar bear biologist to work in the field.
Polar bears circle the high arctic so they are present in all the countries that border the arctic. All countries are involved in monitoring the population as bears will move between political jurisdictions. Every two years there is an international meeting to consider the changes and management of populations.
Susan’s interest was studying the build-up of toxic chemicals from the south in polar bears particularly chemicals related to PCPs. These are chemicals produced by industry and are present throughout the world. They are a particular problem in arctic regions. These region’s temperature acts to distill the chemicals out of the atmosphere and then they enter the ecosystem with nowhere to go. Most of these chemicals are introduced to the arctic through the atmosphere although a small amount comes from the ocean as a result of river drainage throughout the world. Polar bears are at risk with regard to these chemicals due to their place at the top of the food chain. The chemicals come up through ice algae, amphipods and ringed seals to the bears. The chemicals are fat soluble and bears consume fat. Over time these chemicals will build up in the fat on the bears.
Polar bears are the largest bears and a relatively recent species. In the western arctic they are still able to mate with brown bears (grizzly) and produce fertile offspring. They are well adapted to hunting on the arctic ice. They have an incredible sense of smell and can sniff out a seal den under the ice from kilometres away. The bears have a special fur and do not have blubber similar to sea mammals. They have raiser-sharp claws that can catch a seal. The bottom of their paws have hair so they can be completely silent on the ice.
Their diet is extremely high in fat. When the food supply is good they will eat only the fat parts of their prey. When food is scarce they eat more of the carcass. When they are on the ice they gain weight for the long summer fast on land. Over a good hunting season their body weight will increase dramatically. The summer fast can last up to seven months. They also fast during gestation and lactation. The stored lipids of the mother are the primary food source for cubs.
At the current time the health of bear populations vary. Some populations are doing well and others are not. Their range is tied to the edge of the sea ice. Because of this, global warming is a unique threat to the bears. The edge of the ice has already moved north with the 2 degree temperature rise we have experienced. The problem is that the bears den and mate on land. Susan showed us a map of how the sea ice would look after a five degree rise in temperature. The problem is that the ice moves away from land making it impossible for the bears to come ashore and mate. It also means the ice is less solid.
Susan also showed us some bear transmitter collars and ear transmitters and some pictures of her at work on the ice. Given the living conditions and hours, being a polar bear biologist is not a good profession for someone in their fifties with a family.
President Mark thanked Susan for her talk.
Adjournment
