Point Clear Rotary Club

🔔 A Quick Reminder to Stay Connected

This is a friendly reminder to check in online and make sure you’re plugged into our club’s digital touchpoints. Taking a few moments to review updates, announcements, and upcoming events helps ensure everyone stays aligned and informed.

This week is a great opportunity to try it out, as Katie will be out next week. Staying connected online will help maintain continuity and keep communication flowing smoothly while she’s away.

As we continue to strengthen our communication infrastructure, please take a moment to confirm your email address at the check-in desk when you pick up your name badge. Accurate contact information enables us to deliver timely, high-impact updates that keep our membership aligned and informed.

Protecting the Mobile-Tensaw Delta: Coal Ash and Our Community

This week, the Point Clear Rotary Club is proud to host Diane Thomas, PhD, co-founder of the Coal Ash Action Group, for a timely and compelling discussion on environmental stewardship and regional waterway protection.

Dr. Thomas brings lived experience and long-term engagement in advocacy around coal ash — a toxic byproduct of coal-fired power generation — and its potential impacts on one of our region’s most treasured ecosystems, the Mobile-Tensaw River Delta. Known as the “American Amazon” for its remarkable biodiversity, this watershed supports fisheries, wildlife, heritage sites, and the cultural identity of coastal south Alabama.

Here are key topics Dr. Thomas will address:

• The ecological and public health context of coal ash:
Coal combustion residuals can contain heavy metals such as arsenic, mercury, and chromium. When stored in unlined ponds adjacent to rivers or wetlands, these contaminants can migrate into groundwater and threaten water quality — concerns that are central to debates about coal ash lifecycles statewide.

• Regional implications for the Mobile-Tensaw Delta and Mobile Bay:
At the James M. Barry Electric Generating Plant north of Mobile, more than 21 million tons of coal ash are stored in an unlined lagoon next to the Mobile River. Studies and environmental reporting indicate that groundwater and surface water contamination is documented there and at other sites. Uncontrolled release events — through structural failure or extreme weather events — pose risks to ecosystems, local economies, and downstream communities.

• Community-driven advocacy and solutions:
Dr. Thomas and her colleagues have helped elevate public awareness through grassroots effort and the documentary Sallie’s Ashes. Their work underscores the power of civic engagement and science-based communication in shaping environmental policy and corporate practices affecting public lands and waterways.

• Current developments and forward-looking approaches:
Recent reporting highlights industry and regulatory discussions around recycling portions of coal ash waste, evolving closure strategies, and ongoing legal and policy efforts surrounding long-term management of coal residuals.

This presentation dovetails with Rotary’s commitment to thoughtful civic participation and informed public discourse on issues that shape both environmental health and economic vitality in our region. We look forward to Dr. Thomas’s insights and the constructive dialogue this topic promises.

One of the secrets of life is that all that is really worth doing is what we do for others.

Lewis Caroll

Upcoming Speakers:

Fab 12 – Mike Barry hosts Kerri Benson : Children’s Hospital of Birmingham

Feb 19 – Bill Booher

Feb 26 – Burt Sonenstein hosts, Judy Niemeyer, CRS @ Ashurst & Niemeyer

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📋 Club Member Directory

Per member request, we’ve included a list of current club members below. This list can also always be found and updated in DACdb for your convenience.

Allegri, Chesley R	A	Bagwell, David A.	H
Anderson, Diane C.	A	Baugh, Kathy	H
Barry, Michael E	A	Brandon, Patric J.	H
Booher, C. Wm (Bill) Jr.	A	Braswell, Louis E.	H
Bunch, Wayne	H	Britton, Dan	H
Cain, Lee Ann	A	Burkett, Thomas E.	H
Cameron, Sam	A	Cameron, David C.	H
Cane, P Grey III	A	Carley, Gerald G	H
Carey, Katherine B	A	Crawford, Henry	H
Cassady, Max	A	Fellers, Paul H. Jr.	H
Catrino, Georgianna	A	Fleury, Hubert A.	H
Cerf, Larry	A	Haley, Pat III	H
Ciaccio, Philip	A	Howell, John B.	H
Cowart, Yann D	A	Jones, Harvey E.	H
Currie, James F.	A	Kingrea, Richard	H
Daniell, David	A	Lane, Fleetwood T.	H
Daniell, James R.	A	Lo Porto, Trisha	H
Daniell, Rita	A	Lott, Frank	H
Day, Ashley	A	Lyon, Richard	H
DeLapp, James A.	A	Maples, Richard	H
DeVaney, James O III	A	McGilberry, Joe H.	H
Dohn, Carolyn	A	Meehan, Irene A.	H
Dorriety, CFA, William G.	A	Meyercord, Champ	H
Douglass, Scott	A	Nelson, Craig	H
Fenn, Scott	A	Pike, Isadore	H
Funchess, Steve	A	Platt, Rod	H
Funderburg, Joseph N.	A	Redditt, Grey Jr.	H
Gasbarro, Anthony	A	Rowe, Benjamin T.	H
Hadley, Howard	A	Sahlstrom, Richard C	H
Hale, Ross P.	A	Skinner, Edwin C.	H
Hamil, Anthony K.	A	Smith, Henry Maclin	H
Hanafourde, David G	A	Stein, Susan W.	H
Helms, Charles C Sr	A	Stewart, C. Richard	H
Hogg, Thomas M	A	Strange, Joe O.	H
Hope, Mary Shannon	A	Swanzy, Clay Jr.	H
Kaiser, Herbert E.	A	Tonsmeire, Arthur C.	H
Kendall, Martha Wentz	A
Kirkpatrick, Richard Mark	A
Lewis, T. David	A
Longfield, Steve	A
Lott, Thomas	H
Lupton , George M III	A
Matus, John A. Jr.	A
McGuire, Timothy E	A
McNair, William R.	A
Nelson, David William	A
O’Connor, Kerry J.	A
Orcutt, Paul W	A
Payne, Nathan	A
Poser, Walter	A
Radcliff, Self	A
Rivers, James P	A
Ross, Jenny	A
Ross, MD, David C.	A
Schemmel, Jeff	A
Sibal, John	A
Smith, Prentiss	A
Sonenstein, Burt	A
Strachan, Gregory E	A
Trice , Elizabeth Barry	A
vanLingen, Pete	A
Webb, Phillip	A
Weber, Alvin Jay	A
Weeks, Leslie G.	A
Ewell, Stephen A	A