At our Oktoberfest themed meeting, thanks to Chef Anne, the Santa Monica Pacific Palisades Lions members came together to also celebrate three birthdays, with members ranging in age from 34 to 91!
We were fortunate to have Madeline Rauhe and Robert Castaneda from the Santa Monica City Urban Forrest team as guest speakers, explaining the changes we have been seeing on residential streets, parks and throughout the city. One the most distinctive traits of Santa Monica neighborhoods are the single species tree-lined streets. Looking down each street you see rows of palms, Ficus, acacia, or other trees, changing street by street.
Unfortunately, this has resulted in Ficus dieback, a fungus affecting our older Ficus trees, and spreading rapidly from tree to tree. With no cure, the trees must be removed. This has led to the Forrest Team developing a new strategy of planting different tree species next to each other going down streets, isolating any disease unique to that tree and stopping the spread across a neighborhood.
Another recent development has been an increase in beetles killing leaves of eucalyptus trees across Santa Monica and adjacent cities. The Forrest Team is part of a collective working with UC Davis on combating these and other risks to our dwindling vegetation in Santa Monica. If you have any concerns about your trees, please notify the Forrest Team so they can quickly assess the situation and suggest appropriate action. On a positive note, we will be joining them and other service clubs and local organization for our annual Santa Monica Tree Planting in April. Keep reading our column for our announcement of the date and location.
In addition to our guest speakers, Lions continued planning for the coming year with new members stepping up to lead activities. Our evening of Topgolf in El Segundo with be spearheaded by Lions James and Nick, while the candle making at the Candle Bar in Santa Monica will be a joint effort of Lions Jane, Nick and James. Dates and times will be announced, and we hope you join us.
The holidays are always busy for SMPP Lions. We will be participating in the Salvation Army Bell Ringing again on Tuesday, November 26 at the Bristol Farms Santa Monica on Wilshire from 7am–5pm. We are providing holiday baked goods to the Fisher House on the Westwood VA Campus again the first week of December. To donate baked goods and join us delivering them, please contact Susan DeRemer. Our annual Holiday Party will be Sunday, December 8, from 3pm–6pm at Tony P’s in Marina del Rey and will be led by Co-Presidents Pam and Derrick, and Lions Gail and Manuela.
We capped off our evening by passing the gavel to Co-President Pam Andrews. She has been our treasurer for many years, and we look forward to her leadership over the next three months.
If you are interested in joining any of our activities or being our guest to check out a Lions dinner meeting, please let Kingsley know at (310) 454-2960. Our next dinner meeting is Wednesday, November 6th, at 6:00 pm at the SM Elks Lodge.
