Attendance: The Rotary meeting was attended by Keith White, Elizabeth Grabe, Paul Christiansen, Sarah Straka, Peggy Zalucha, Steve Salerno, Bob Johnson, Tammy Wedig, Dana Fager, Frankie Wallitsch, and Gary Tree.

We were also pleased to welcome our student Rotarians Tim Kruse, Molly McCue, Zandra Heilmann, as well as Green Team guests Brad and Lorna Brookins.

 

The meeting began with a warm introduction of our guests—Tim Kruse, Molly McCue, and Zandra Heilmann.

Members were reminded that the Interact club leaders are interested in hosting speakers with a passion for service. They would like to host one/two speakers a month (first Friday from 9-10).

We have already confirmed Susan/Franke for November and Katie Hartman for December - the students would welcome potential speakers for January 9, Feb 6, March 6, April 3, and May 1.

 

Happy Bucks: Dave shared that he had just returned from a family vacation to Norway, describing it as a “full court press” type of trip—intense but memorable!

 

Business and announcements: members were encouraged to engage with their respective committees to determine chairpersons and begin planning budgets.

Zandra will be giving a presentation in two weeks. Additionally, the next board meeting is scheduled for October 1st at 7 a.m. at Sjolinds. If any members have items they would like added to the agenda, they are encouraged to speak with Brent, or any of the board members. 

This very large brown belted bumble bee (gyne) is feeding in a local pollinator garden patch in preparation for her role as a future queen.
 

Guest Speaker: We also welcomed Katie Hartman Grone from the Green Team. Katie, a Master Gardener who works with UW Extension and teaches English at Madison College, is a strong advocate for pollinators. She shared an exciting community initiative aimed at getting as many residents as possible to plant one square yard of pollinator-friendly plants. The ultimate goals are to establish a pollinator corridor across the village, spark local excitement about pollinators, build community, and make use of existing residential space for environmental good.

One idea discussed for this initiative is to prepare planting areas by laying down black trash bags over one-yard squares during summer 2026 to kill the grass using solar heat (no digging necessary). These bags would be removed in late fall, with seeds planted shortly after. In the spring, participants will be invited to share photos of their pollinator plots.

There are several ways Rotary can support this effort: by participating individually, helping spread the word, making helpful community connections, providing financial support, and donating supplies. Questions were raised about the proximity of these plantings to roads, but prairie plants are well-suited for difficult environments and can withstand road salt. Concerns about students fear of bugs were also acknowledged as something to be mindful of when choosing locations.

 

Presentation can be found here.
Members of our club are currently working to form a community corps group. Rotary serves as a support structure for the Green Team. Liz encouraged members to consider reading the club's copy of  ESRAG's  The Seven Steps to reduce carbon footprint within the club. Brad and Lorna Brookins were introduced as members of both the Green Team and the EcoTeam of the local gardening club.

Liz also shared a Green Team pamphlet and encouraged members to participate in a local bicycle survey via QR code. The team promoted the “WeBee” app, which allows users to conduct a five-minute survey to count bees in their area—an important part of citizen science and local biodiversity tracking. As Lorna reminded the group, the work we do to protect pollinators also supports other species, like birds, that rely on insects as a food source.

Finally, everyone was encouraged to follow the Mount Horeb Green Team on Facebook for updates and opportunities to get involved.