The meeting was called to order at 7:00 p.m. Officers in attendance were Greg Fan, Vice Commodore; Bob Naeger, Purser, Tyrone White, Boatswain; Christy Long, Fleet Captain; Harmon Everett, Newsletter Editor; and Alice Nissen, Recorder. Tom Douglas, Conservation Chairman, was in attendance. Twelve attendees in person and three attendees via Zoom for a total attendance of 15. Last meeting minutes were approved.
Bob gave the purser report and stated we are in the black.
Harmon gave the safety minute and encouraged us to always bring a spare paddle.
Tom gave the conservation report and talked about the picture he had taken of the lotus plants on Lake Miller that ended up on the cover of “Texas Native Plants,” magazine; San Marcos Can Ban; fresh water mussels and the six species that are endangered; Constantin Platon’s trips on the upper Buffalo Bayou; meeting for “Bacteria and the Beach” on 7/18; and the 15-year-old stormwater permit that needs updating. For detailed information on these topics, refer the conservation forum on our website.
Tyrone gave the boatswain report and stated there were five new members last month, two renewals, for a total membership of 149. Facebook increased to 1014 members. Tyrone welcomed visitors.
Christy gave the fleet captain report. We had several trips last month: Cadron Creek in Arkansas, Lake Charlotte/Mud Lake, Colorado River, San Marcos River, Lake Charlotte and Colorado River Smithville to Plum Park. Two trips were canceled because of flooding. Upcoming trips include Lake Ouachita, Colorado River, Trinity Bay. Trip coordinators Y-T-D are Kent Walters, 7 trips; Harmon Everett, two trips; Joe Coker, three trips; John Bartos one trip; Bruce Bodson, one trip; Alice Nissen, one trip; Christy Long, four trips, Tom Douglas, one trip. Year-to-date we have had 20 trips, with 60 participants (including 7 nonmembers), for a total of 1,284 miles. Two canceled trips.
Tonight’s speaker, Joe Coker, talked about “Things that Bite.” From beginning to end, he had all of us on the edge of our seats. If you missed this talk, you missed a great one. It’s a huge topic to fit in an hour, but Joe managed to enthrall us with facts, pictures, stories and helpful advice. Some highlights that I picked: Critters are displaced by high water such as wasps, who will chase you for long distances if disturbed. Joe advised getting in the water until they are gone. Bees are less aggressive but release more venom than wasps. Invasive fire ants from Africa are very aggressive with painful bites. Various spiders were discussed including the black widow whose venom is 15 times stronger than a rattlesnake and can be fatal. There are 88 species of mosquitos in Texas. They are active at 68 degrees plus. They carry serious diseases such as White Nile virus, Zika virus, encephalitis and Dengue fever. They are attracted to CO2, type O blood, body heat, stinky feet, sweat, lactic acid, ammonia, salt, hormones, dark colors. Gnats are annoying but do not bite. Chiggers and ticks are widespread. Check yourself after being outside. He showed pictures of spiny and hairy varieties of caterpillars that have painful stingers. There are only four venomous snakes in Texas: coral snake, rattlesnake, cottonmouth snake and copperheads. Alligators are found in fresh water. March and April they are active and aggressive. May and June is mating season and they are groggy by day and active at night. July through August, females are nesting. September through October, babies are hatching, and females can be protective and defensive. Females are about 6 feet long and males about 9 to 14 feet long. Thank you, Joe, for another fascinating and educational presentation.
The meeting was adjourned at 8:55