GULF SHORES, Ala. —  The WI Sno-bird Club met at the Orange Beach Community Center (OBCC) on Wednesday, January 19, with the Gulf Shores Junior Naval ROTC honor squad opening our meeting with presentation of the flags.  Cdr. Bruce Candless then spoke briefly about the Gulf Coast coupon books that the members sell to raise funds for their field trips.  Our club will pre-order books this year to be sure our members have enough for next season.

     Then Mike Reynolds, Director of the Share the Beach Loggerhead Turtle Preservation Project spoke about this volunteer activity on AL's 47 miles of Gulf Coast.  He reviewed the life cycle of these ancient amphibians which nest on the Gulf Coast and spend most of their adult lives in the Sargasso Sea which is in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean.

     Then he explained the volunteers' work from May 1st to October 31st to be sure the turtle hatchlings get to the water and not the streets.   This past year they even moved the almost-ready-to-hatch eggs via FedEx to Cape Canaveral, FL, to keep the babies from getting caught up in the "mousse mats" of oil and seaweed in the Gulf - very fascinating information!

     Volunteers were scheduled to help with the Snow Bird Clubs' Brat Fest on Saturday, February 5 and the Pancake Breakfast on February 12.  Members signed up for special golf outings which are in addition to the usual Monday and Tuesday golf days.  Other fund-raising activities were also mentioned.   Door prizes  and book-puzzle exchanges are always part of our meetings, and we collect Campbell soup labels, Boxtops for Education, motel-sized toiletries.  Day trips, casino trips and club breakfasts are available with sign-up at the meetings.  Sheepshead card playing happens every Friday from 9 am to noon at the Gulf Shores Senior Center.

      Upcoming scheduled activities include:

February 2 - OBCC meeting at 8:30 am

              5 - BRAT FEST at Erie Meyer Center in GS for THREE fire departments            

              5 - TRIVIA NIGHT - funds for OB and GS libraries

              7 - Golf special day - RSVP

              9 - Club breakfast - RSVP

            12 - Pancake Breakfast at Erie Meyer Center for GS fire department

            16 - Meeting at OBCC at 8:30 am

            19 - Dog Track - RSVP

            21, 22 - Golf FUN days - RSVP

            24 - THURSDAY picnic at OBCC

            25 - Low Country Boil at Zoo - RSVP

March 2 - OBCC meeting at 8:30 am

          3 - Zoo fun day - RSVP                             

          8 - MARDI GRAS DAY

     Our next meeting will be on Wednesday, February 2, at OBCC.   We meet at 8:30 am for coffee, donuts and conversation with the meeting beginning at 9 am.  Orange Beach mayor, Tony Kennon, will be our speaker.   Everyone from WI is welcome to join us.   Please contact Kenn with any questions or comments:  251-967-2463 OR wissnobirds@yahoo.com.