On Tuesday, Oct. 10th 2017, Eric Forster, project manager at the City of Bend, will be speaking to us about the 27th Street sewer line project.

On Tuesday, Oct. 3rd 2017, Gary Judd will be speaking to us about what’s going on at the Bend Municipal Airport. Gary has been the manager of the airport since March 2009. Prior to that, he was the manager at the Grant County Regional Airport in John Day.

Located on approximately 420 acres five miles northeast of Bend, Oregon, the Bend Municipal Airport (KBDN) caters to the needs of general aviators, hosts two flight training schools, and is home to numerous businesses. Their combined operations make Bend the third busiest airport in the state in terms of takeoffs and landings.

The Bend Municipal Airport wants to update its master plan to keep up with the growth of Bend. This update includes a grant from the Oregon Department of Aviation that will help kick-start the planning efforts.

On Tuesday, Sept. 26th 2017, Ed Weiser of SCORE will be speaking to us about mentoring for small businesses.

SCORE mentors, comprised of active and retired business men and women, provide clients with free and confidential business counseling. SCORE provides one-on-one mentoring for people planning to start a business, and for those already in business who are looking to improve their performance.

On Tuesday, Sept. 19th 2017, Tom Cocanower will be giving us an update on the Rotary Foundation.

On Tuesday, Sept. 5th 2017, Erik Lukens, editor of The Bulletin, will be speaking on Newspapers and Democracy.

As well, our new inbound Rotary exchange student, Isaac, from Chile will be giving a brief presentation.

On Tuesday, August 29th 2017, our guest speaker will be Brian Hudspeth, Development Manager, Bend Parks and Rec, talking about the Riley Ranch Nature Reserve.

Background: Located in northwest Bend along the east side of the Deschutes River, Riley Ranch Nature Reserve is comprised of 184 acres which were formerly used as a ranch and purchased by the District in three acquisitions in 2010 and 2013. Appearing relatively untouched in some places, the land features open meadows, juniper and pine forests, unique lava flows, cliffs and the river’s rocky canyon.

On Tuesday, August 2nd 2017, we will not be having a formal lunch meeting, as we’re expecting significant traffic issues due to tourists in Bend for the eclipse. Instead, we’ll have an informal “round table” meeting for whomever wishes to attend. We’ll have sandwiches available.

On Tuesday, August 8th 2017, our guest speaker will be Congressman Greg Walden.

U.S. Rep. Greg Walden represents the people of Oregon’s Second Congressional District, which includes 20 counties in central, southern, and eastern Oregon. Walden and his wife spent more than two decades as radio station owners in the Gorge. He’s also a licensed amateur radio operator (W7EQI). He put that small business and technology experience to work as chairman of the Energy and Commerce Committee’s Subcommittee on Communications and Technology. His work in support of Oregon’s rural farm and ranch economy has earned him local and national recognition. He’s helped write and pass bipartisan legislation to expedite treatment of fire-prone forests, and continues to work across the aisle to find natural resource solutions. The House has also passed bipartisan legislation Walden has championed to fix broken federal forest policy to restore forest health and put people back to work in the woods, as well as legislation (now law) to bring more water and power to Central Oregon for job creation.

On Tuesday, August 1st 2017, our guest speaker will be Rotary District Governor Claudette McWilliams.

Claudette joined Rotary in 1999. Since that time she has served as club president, AG and Executive AG in addition to her service on numerous club and district committees, including the Nominating, Credentials and Elections, Membership, Strategic Planning and DRFC Committees. She is a Charter Interact Club Advisor, graduate of the District Leadership Academy and a PETS Instructor. Claudette is a multiple Paul Harris Fellow, who was selected as Rotarian of the Year by her club. She is a recipient of RI’s Four Avenues of Service Award.