Rotary Club of Owego, NY ROTATELLER
Tuesday, March 1, 2005 Gary Williams, Editor

VISITORS AND GUESTS:

• Jennifer Lynch
• John Danton
• Joe DiCosimo
• Paul Stear, Jr.

ROTARY ANNIVERSARIES IN MARCH:

Sharon Schecter, Maria Fronek, April Swaney

MUSIC:

Orv led us in "R-O-T-A-R-Y"

NEW MEMBER ORIENTATION:

Will be held at the same time as the luncheon meeting on March 15.

INTER-CITY MEETING:

Will be held on that same day in Binghamton. Orv will represent us.

BREAKFAST MEETING:

The Breakfast Group decided last week that they will start meeting on every Thursday morning. On the third Thursday of the month, the meeting will be combined with the Board of Directors. Mike Wold will be speaking this week and will also be inducted.

TEAM TRIVIA:

Matt announced that the event will be this Friday. It was a lot of fun the last time we did it. Glenn, Wanda, Harry, and John Spencer were excellent. I regret that I have a prior commitment.

EXCHANGE STUDENTS:

Jose needs to be transported to Richfield Springs on Thursday, March 31, by 7:00 PM and be picked up on Saturday, April 2, at 11:30 AM.

FINES:

Vern asked Bob to fine everyone who did not mind the snow.

Bob Korba thanked the Club for the donation made in his mother’s memory.

HOST FAMILIES:

Laura passed around information on our in-coming student from Japan. Laura has arranged the first host family, but two more are needed. She will be attending OFA. Andres has moved in with the West family and that is going very well.

PROGRAM:

Matt introduced Barb Cole who spoke on Wildlife Rehabilitation. Unfortunately, our attendance was not great today, because it was an excellent program. Wildlife Rehabilitators are licensed by the Department of Environmental Conservation and the US Fish & Wildlife Agency. She tries not to get involved with certain animals. While most of the rehabilitation is with young, they also rehabilitate adults. Barb used the example of her first experience with a humming bird (which goes into torpor at night or they would starve to death by the morning) as an example of the importance of knowing what to do both for the benefit of the animal and everyone’s safety. She also shared that the vulture’s defense is to throw up (and it doesn’t smell like roses).

1. Safety, for example, herons go for bright, moving objects and will peck out eyes. Other birds also go for eyes. The red-tailed hawk can exert 500 lbs./square inch of pressure with its claws. Barb rehabilitated 207 animals last year. Generally, she had people bring animals to her unless they are dangerous.
2. Animals can transmit diseases. Rabies cannot be diagnosed without sacrificing the animal and there are many conditions which can mimic rabies. Birds do not carry rabies, only mammals. It is important not to be bitten or scratched by the animal. Due to less contact, birds do not transmit diseases as readily to humans. While there is a concern about West Nile, we do not get it directly from birds. It is carried by a mosquito that does not particularly like to bike humans.
3. It may not be safe for the animals. Song birds go from the egg to feathers in three weeks. They have a huge protein demand. Mother birds feed their babies every 15 minutes, for 16 hours a day. Even if we can figure out what to feed them and feed them often enough and long enough, we still don’t know what to do about their behavior. The population of song birds is crashing in our country. To rehabilitate animals they need to be kept both alive and wild. Tame birds will go after people. Birds of prey will go for your face if they see you as a mate or as an enemy. No wild animal’s milk is anything like cow’s milk. Barb has a permit to keep certain wild animals to help her try to keep babies from getting imprinted on humans. Cats kill at least 1 million fledgling birds a day. 1400 birds were killed in one night by a cell phone tower in Ithaca. They are attracted to the flashing light. Research is going on to try to change the signal to be effective, but less attractive to birds. Deer are moving into town to give birth, due to food and avoiding predators. They are expensive to feed. They can drink goats milk which is $4/gallon. They are a struggle to work with and can kick you to pieces.

The signs that an animal may need rehabilitation are:

1. Asymmetry
2. Eyes closed
3. Cold
4. Bleeding
5. Next to dead adult
6. Cat injuries: One puncture can lead to septicemia.

Barb showed us a barn owl as an example of how animals have unique features. Squirrels can smell a nut under two feet of snow. A pigeon can hear a volcano erupt in the South Pacific. A 35 lb. bobcat can take a 150 lb. buck deer.

To contact a wildlife rehabilitator, you can get their number from a vet, the police, Waterman Nature Center, or the DEC.

Besides a wonderful program, we had a very interesting discussion at our table about Iraq. People in our Club are very well informed. John Jones and Laura mentioned books. I will share two items. I just read a new novel, Prep by Curtis Sittenfeld. I wouldn’t recommend it but I really appreciated its sensitivity. It is about a girl going off to prep school and all of her insecurities. I read it because it is written by a daughter of one of my college classmates.

You may find the following excerpt from An Empire of Wealth by John Steele Gordon to be interesting.

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