Erin reminded us that Smokey the Bear was first created in 1944 in an effort to prevent forest fires. She spoke about the effect of wild fires on wild life. She explained that each species of wild life approaches the survival of a forest fire differently.  Many animals that survive the fire die in the aftermath because the environment has been destroyed. Erin said that today the fire season is longer, fires are more severe (hotter) and last longer. She told us about the need for thinning but that it was a complicated topic due to environmental factors, political factors, and monetary factors.

Erin is obviously very enthusiastic about her work and gave us an excellent presentation. You can see the presentation HERE.

 

Dr Happel started with a few observations - 1. There are no free lunches; 2. A good heart is not enough for success; 3. Moral capitalism is better than socialism; plus a few others.  He believes that tariffs are not good and that inflation is beginning to rise.  He said that the U.S. will survive because we have always been clever and adaptable.  Consumer confidence is high and the economy should expand at a rate of 3.9%. Dr Happel gave us his scenario if Trump wins and if Biden wins. Short term he is worried about tax increases but doesn't think we will decline into a double digit recession.  He believes that the U.S. will "go after" China regardless of who is president. His presentation was well received and led to many questions from our members. His presentation can be viewed HERE