And the Winners Are . . .

Rotarians Ronald Jensen from the Murray Club and Dwayne Woolley from the West Jordan Club will be the guests of Utah District Governor Gil Trujillo and Rotary’s First Lady Pat Trujillo at their home in St. George on a weekend of their choosing.

As the first to pre-register for the Utah District Conference on May 13-15, 2010 in - where else? - St. George, Jensen and Woolley and their spouses will enjoy a leisurely few days with their feet up, soaking in the swimming pool - or touring the area with Gil behind the wheel seeing all the beautiful sites already listed on http://www.utahrotaryconference.blogspot.com./ It is likely, the Trujillo's guests will also enjoy some of Gil’s famous international cuisine. Congratulations to these two "plan ahead" Rotarians!

Meet the New Governor and His Lady

After three years of moving up the ranks of leadership in Rotary’s Utah District 5420, Gilbert Trujillo of the Bloomington suburb of St. George, has been inducted into the state’s top spot as 94th District Governor overseeing the activities of Utah’s 44 clubs and more than 2000 members.

As the fifth district governor selected from among the nearly 90-members of St. George Rotary Club, Trujillo will direct Utah Rotary District 5420 to meet the goals of Rotary International as he encourages all Utah Rotarians to more fully engage in service in their club, community, state and in the world. He also hopes to coordinate an international project involving all 44 clubs working together for greater impact; develop a workable plan for the active recruitment of young men and women leaders into Rotary clubs around the state; continue in support of RI’s global partnership goal to eradicate polio in the world; and, encourage Rotarians throughout the Beehive State to dig deep into their pockets to fund water projects to bring clean drinking water to many of more than 2.6 billion people in 3rd world countries who currently live without this precious commodity.

Trujillo also wants to promote micro-credit programs in impoverished populations worldwide enabling people to make a living with an investment of as little as $30; and to continue supporting literacy programs in the state and worldwide.

“The problems associated with illiteracy affect those in developing counties as well as wealthy nations with universal education,” notes Trujillo. “Literacy is a stepping stone out of poverty and can help people provide an income to improve their lives and the lives of their children.”

The Utah District Governor’s Rotary career began in 1989 as a charter member of the Delta Rotary Club where he served as president (1990-91) and hosted Rotary youth exchange students from the Philippines, Brazil and France.

After retirement from General Telephone and Telegraph (now Verizon Wireless) in 1992, Trujillo and his wife Patricia relocated to St. George where he was recruited for membership in the St. George Rotary Club, also coming up the ranks of leadership, including service as president. He also served as team leader for a Group Study Exchange to Argentina, a unique cultural and vocational exchange opportunity for people in the early years of their professional careers.

In recent years as Rotary has grown statewide, the 72-year-old Bloomington resident was selected to serve as an Assistant District Governor which gave him experience and the courage to throw his hat in the ring for his new role as District Governor.

As District Governor, he has the option of having his home club host the annual Utah Rotary District Conference which is expected to bring approximately 500 Rotarians and spouses to the area for three days in May, 2010.

Trujillo is a native of Taos, New Mexico. In addition to his legendary Rotary mindset of “service above self,” Trujillo enjoys cooking international cuisine. Gil and his wife Pat are parents to seven, grandparents to 19 and also have 3 great-grandchildren. The bilingual former Marine’s 30-year career with GTE took him and his family to live in faraway places around the world, including Great Britain, Germany, Italy, Spain and Greece. Currently, he is the owner/manager of Rent-A-Video in downtown St. George.

Our Greatest Snow on Earth!

Snow Canyon State Park, with its splendidly eroded red and white Navajo sandstone contrasted by large masses of black lava, has been a favorite backdrop for Hollywood movie hits such as Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, The Electric Horseman, and Jeremiah Johnson and for countless TV commercials.

Named for Erastus and Lorenzo Snow, two early settlers to the area - rather than for the fluffy white precipitation which rarely falls there - Snow Canyon State Park also attracts hikers, rock climbers and photographers to its extinct cinder cones, lava tubes, and lava flows where the terrain is easy to climb and provides numerous vantage points for photography. In addition, sand dunes are scattered around the edges of the valley, and several locations on the enclosing cliffs have examples of ancient Indian petroglyphs. Discovered in 1850 by local cattle ranchers and originally named Dixie State Park, the canyon was designated as a Utah state park in 1959.

Wildlife in Snow Canyon includes three endangered species: the Gila monster, peregrine falcon, and desert tortoise. Small fences to keep the ground-dwelling creatures from accidentally wandering onto roads can be seen across Snow Canyon and along many highways in the St. George area. Other notable wildlife include the giant desert hairy scorpion, coyote, Mojave sidewinder, red-spotted toad, Utah banded gecko, and the side-blotched lizard, among many others.

Located only a few minutes from downtown St. George, Snow Canyon State Park is one of Washington County’s most popular tourist attractions and a must-see for Rotarians visiting the area during the week of the Utah Rotary District Conference on May 13-15, 2010.

America's Favorite National Park

In 1882, Clarence Dutton, an associate of explorer John Wesley Powell, wrote, "Nothing can exceed the beauty of Little Zion Valley. In its proportions it is about equal to Yosemite, but in the nobility and beauty of the sculptures, there is no comparison. No wonder the fierce Mormon zealot who named it, was reminded of the Great Zion, on which his mind was bent - 'of a house not built with hands, eternal in the heavens'."

In 1909, the designation of Mukuntuweap National Monument by President William Howard Taft, came as a big surprise to most Washington County residents. The name of Mukuntuweap was unpopular locally and hard for visitors to say, so in 1918, the acting director of the newly created National Park Service changed the park's name to Zion and in 1919, the U. S. Congress changed the monument to a national park. Thus began a process which would eventually give Dixie its international reputation for scenic beauty and its largest industry - tourism.

Located at the junction of the Colorado Plateau, Great Basin, and Mojave Desert regions, Zion National Park's unique geography and variety of life zones allow for unusual plant and animal diversity. Numerous plant species as well as 289 species of birds, 75 mammals (including 19 species of bat), and 32 types of reptiles inhabit Zion’s 229-square miles (145,598 acres) of desert, riparian, woodland, and coniferous forest.

Zion National Park also includes the 1.1 mile Zion Mount Carmel Tunnel which was constructed in the late 1920's. At the time the tunnel was dedicated, on July 4, 1930, it was the longest tunnel in the United States. The Zion Tunnel's purpose (along with the Zion Mount Carmel Highway) was to create direct access to Bryce Canyon and Grand Canyon from Zion National Park.

In June 2009, a survey by TripAdvisor named Zion National Park as the #1 favorite national park in the country. The travel group questioned 3,000 vacationers all across America about their favorite parks and they put Zion on top.

Even if your plans will not allow you to spend extended time in Zion National Park, consider driving through on your way to or from the Utah Rotary District Conference, May 13-15, 2010. It may be a little out of your way, but is well worth the effort!

The Desert Blossoms as the Rose

The story is told that Wilhelmina Cannon, a homesick young pioneer woman and new bride, longed for the green hills and trees of her home in the eastern U. S. As she prepared to leave her home and husband behind in the harsh desert of SW Utah, David Cannon begged her to reconsider. "Show me one thing of beauty in the whole area and I’ll stay," responded Wilhelmina. David delivered on that challenge with a handful of sego lilies, plucked from the sparse, dry terrain around St. George. Wilhelmina’s heart was softened and they remained to become leaders in the community and parents of a prominent family.

Finding beauty in an area known for its "brackish water, blowing sand, pesky insects and unbearable heat" has been, over nearly 150 years, a challenge for many. But seemingly as a reward for perserverance, every spring and summer, the unforgiving desert produces a splendid show of wildflowers and for a short period, perennials are in brilliant color!

The normal colors of the desert - with little rain and extremely high temperatures - are browns, mauves, pastel greens and grays; but during the springtime, the dull desert palette becomes filled with brilliant shades of orange, magenta, yellow, white and red.

Although it is an annual event, the desert’s wildflower season is never the same from one year to the next based on weather conditions. If the winter has too much or little rain, or if the temperature is too warm or cold, the seeds of desert annuals will remain dormant or bloom in fewer numbers. Only when the conditions are near-perfect will the desert produce a spectacular show. A decade may pass with less than fruitful wildflower displays, but when the conditions are just right, the wildflowers fill the landscapes in a phenomenal riot of color.

You may have to look closely when visiting during the Utah Rotary District Conference May 13-15, 2010, but take a minute as you pass through our magnificent desert to find "just one thing of beauty." You may be pleasantly surprised at what you'll see all around you.