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President Rachel Woods greeted everyone on Wednesday, October 11th by ringing our Rotary Bell and then asking Pastor Bill Heermann for a prayer. Pastor gave thanks for the day even though it was so very windy, the food; and asked for guidance as we Rotarians go about our days in the Wagner Community.

The guests were three more Seniors from the Wagner Community School. The Seniors are asked to give their names and their parents’ names, a list of their current class subjects and their future plans. Lael Youngs parent is Francis Young, and he is hoping for a track scholarship. If that doesn’t become a reality, he will think about joining the National Guard or going to a Tech School. Lael is a passionate runner, and he does both long and short distances with the WCS Track Team. Avari Bruguier’s parent is Misty Wiaceti, and she is looking into attending college in Kansas and would like to play volleyball also. Eve Zephier’s parent is Jody Zephier, and she has already committed to Mounty Marty and to playing volleyball. She is presently planning on Rad Technology.

Our eagerly anticipated singing session was another accompaniment with Bluetooth technology by Gerrit Juffer. We sang several verses of “Clementine” with a few glitches in which verse we were singing.

Rotarian Ken Cotton spoke about Room 711—Rotary’s Birthplace. The number 711 has an incredibly special significance for Rotary. Room 711 of the old Unity Building, formerly located at 127 North Dearborn Street in downtown Chicago, was the birthplace of Rotary. It was in that historic room, which was the office of engineer Gus Loehr, where Paul Harris first met with several friends to discuss his new idea of a club for professionals and businesspeople.

After extensive research, a few Chicago Rotarians restored the room to its 1905 authenticity. For years, Room 711 was preserved as a miniature Rotary Museum by members of the Paul Harris 711 Club, which provided funds for leasing, maintenance, and preservation. In 1989, when the Unity Building was about to be torn down, 711 Club members carefully dismantled the landmark room and placed its contents in storage. There it stayed until 1994, when Room 711 was recreated and located at RI World Headquarters in Evanston, where this piece of Rotary’s heritage is preserved permanently.

Sergeant at Arms Jordan Weber was in a “fining mood” and promptly fined Gerritt Juffer $5 for the mismatch of verses in singing Clementine; $2 to Jamie for leaving the meeting and then coming back; $2 to Scott McAdaragh for the ketchup bottle almost empty; $2 to Bill Frei for getting ready for winter; $3 to Jerry Weber for claiming to be a food critic; $2 to Craig for another poor Husker win; $3 to Bryan Slaba for turning up the heat in the meeting room; $2 to everyone collecting Social Security and getting the upcoming raise; $2 to Rachel for her watch. Happy Fines of $5 came from Kathe Henke who announced that Linda Soukup would never be able to catch up to her age as she is one year older; Linda Soukup offered up $7.80 for her birthday and challenged all the Rotarians to wear something pink to the next two October meetings as October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

Jerry Weber held the winning ticket for a chance at the Queen of hearts. There was some murmuring at the tables about that one table always pulling out the winning ticket. Jerry only drew a two of Hearts much to everyone’s relief. Secretary/Treasurer Craig Krsnak informed Jerry that he had just lost $76.00 Jordan’s attendance Team had one miss for the day with a total of three misses and Jamie Soukup’s Team had two misses with a total of three misses also.

Football Book winners were Steve Cotton sold by Ken Cotton and Curt Kaberna sold by Amanda Bechen.

Rotarian Jerry Weber introduced Eric Brumbaugh to the club for his program speaker. Eric is the Charles Mix County Wildlife Conservation Officer for the State of South Dakota. This position was formerly held by Jeff Martin who is still in the area but received a managerial position of a wider area including Charles Mix County.

Eric was born and raised in Texas, moved to Idaho where he received his college education. He did several internships and authored research papers for Idaho’s Fish and Game department. Eric always loved fishing and hunting and had a love for law enforcement. He applied to several states for a job in his field and was asked to come to South Dakota for an interview. He was asked to join the program and was thrilled to accept the position. He believes South Dakota works extremely hard at putting resources into the wildlife program and habitat preservation.

He applied to attend the Police Academy at Pierre, SD and after graduation moved to Chamberlain and eventually to Platte, SD where he and his wife live. He loves traveling around the county, visiting with landowners, and observing the wildlife habitat.

Eric answered several questions from the club members concerning hunting on tribal lands, public and private lands. He recommended getting a hunting app on your phone which has a great deal of information about hunting on any piece of property in the state.

The State has held a Predator Tail Program in recent years where an individual registers within their county and receives $10.00 for every tail they turn in. You don’t need a hunting license on your own land, and you are eligible for payment of every predator tail you turn in. Brumbaugh stated that the State of South Dakota sent out over $70,000.00 last year for predator tails.

It is evident that Eric is enthusiastic about his job. He believes hunting is a legacy that is handed down through the generations from grandfathers to sons, to grandsons. Hunting is in decline throughout the United States. Many states are actively trying to protect hunting rights and hunters. He enjoys going to high schools to talk to students about hunting and gun safety.

He also answered questions about the Zebra Mussels in South Dakota, pheasant surveys, the environment of the river, paddle fish and other broad questions about hunting and fishing.

If you are interested in having Eric speak at your school or organization, you can contact him at 605-337-2587 or eric.brumbuagh- rodriguez@state.sd.us