Today's Events:

President Mike Mills presiding

* * * A N N O U N C E M E N T S  * * *

President-Elect Bill Enright attended the President-Elect Training Seminar (aka PETS) last weekend.It was very intense and thespeakers were truly engaging. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Mike Mills will be running a golf tournament for the next 11 days (missing next Tuesday’s meeting) in order to watch first-hand the best golfers in the world – including THE Tiger Woods defending his title.  World Golf Championships-CA Championship Dates March 17-23, 2008

Gates open to the public: March 18-19 7:30 am - 7:00 pm March 20-21 9:00 am - 7:00 pm March 22-23 7:30 am - 7:00 pm

One of the PGA TOUR’s top events, the CA Championship at Doral, makes its home at Miami’s Doral Golf Resort and Spa. The Doral Golf Tournament attracts some of the world’s finest golfers to the famed Blue Monster Course, one of Doral Golf Resort and Spa’s five championship golf courses. As reported by the World Golf Championships last year, PGA TOUR golfers rated two of the three hardest holes played on the tour were at Doral. "The par-4, 18th ranked as the hardest hole on TOUR, playing at 4.625 during the 2007 event, and the par-4, 3rd ranked as the third most difficult with a 4.567 scoring average." (Source: www.worldgolfchampionships.com/ 2007/tournaments/)

Dicitonary Project  (if I had one maybe I could spell): 

The club will be buying all of the 3rd graders in 4 elementary schools + atlases for all 6th graders in South Miami. 

Jennifer Dewsnap has 14 questions for our geography contest.  Each child will get a giveaway for entering our contest and be eligible for a grand prize

Donna Gaines: 

Friday, April 11^th @ 7 pm

Ed Fischer’s Home

A Barbeque Party

Free for members / $15 each guest.

Get Ready for a Rotary Infusion!

2008 District 6990 Assembly

Saturday, April 19

Signature Gardens, Kendall

WHY ATTEND?

Informed leaders make for more successful Rotary Clubs!

BONUS SPECIAL:

How to become more skilled in public speaking; Toastmasters International

March Programming Committee Member Otto Fuentes introduced

Keith Douglas, Executive Director

Florida Keys Land and Sea Trust

Crane Point Nature Center, Mile Marker 50

Open 9am – 5pm everyday but Christmas. 

$8 general pass / $25 for an annual pass. 

Keith Douglas is a native of Philly.  Representative of the City of Brotherly Love, he helps his fellow human beings.  He’s spent twenty years working for the Boy Scouts of America.  He’s been a county mayor and he’s currently owner of  the Douglas Marine Company.  His wife is a nurse and they have two daughters. 

Keith Douglas began his presentation by blowing the conch shell which is traditional in the Marathon Club.  Each meeting, the furthest visitor to their club has to respond in kind.

Keith dropped little tidbits about our own members: 

·        Otto’s been recommended for the Knights of Malta – a Catholic Church order. 

·        Roy’s been made an honorary conch citizen Keith dropped little tidbits about the Keys:

·        The mid Keys bridge is slated to be finished by May 2008. 

·        By Card Sound state and local agency are trying to evict those living by the bridges. 

·        2010 deadline to fix the wastewater problem

·        Affordable housing is a major issue.  Employees are bused into the Keys for the service industries.   Residents are leaving due to the expenses. 

·        It’s been said that the Keys are 7 nations, 2 tribes and some of them are cannibals. 

He then showed a short film about the Crane Point Nature Center, a private organization working to protect the Keys.  It is 63 acres of history, wilderness and beauty located 1 ½ drive South of where we are meeting.  

The FL Keys Lands and Keys Trust – which became Land and Sea Trust  was created in reaction to rapid development.  They first determined what land needed to be acquired for protection.  In 1989, they acquired Crane Point.  It was intended to focus on outdoor education and to Preserve an oasis to represent what was the original FL Middle Keys. There are 150 or so native trees.  

The Native Americans lived around this area with established fishing camps and fresh water solution holes.  Acidic rain water desolved the limestone and rain collects in these pits. 

George Adderly came from the Bahamas and cleared the land and built a tabby (concrete) home.  Made a living collecting sponges and preaching from his home.  Sailed to Key West to sell his sponges.  When the Henry Flagler RXR came down in 1912, life changed.  To get a RXR stop he traded easement rights through his property.   The overseas highway replaced the RXR after the 1920’s hurricane destroyed it.

The Cranes moved down in the 1950’s and became environmentalists as they learned of the birdlife and fishing.  As hammocks were destroyed in a sea of development, the Land and Sea Trust was established in the 1970s and bought the land for $1.2 million. 

After Wilma, the property was under 3 ft of water.  Local citizens completely restored the signage and the look. Their future plans all revolve around outdoor education.  They are looking for partnerships. For example, all of the FIU music faculty came down to meet in the Crane House.  Restoration of the house for retreats, building dormitories and rentals of the facilities is an ongoing capital project.

From the nature center, it is a short drive to the turtle hospital and to dolphin rescue.  Keith’s goal is to have the middle Keys be the epicenter of outdoor research.

Crane Point is on the scenic waterway’s trail stop.  Kayakers can come into the property from the waterway.   Once per month a Harvard astonomer has an evening program. 

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