Bill Toone has led a transformative life, and one that has transformed him. From Madagascar to Michoacan, Costa Rica to Camaroon, Paraguay to Papua, this conservation biologist has witnessed incredible wildlife spectacles that taught him that people and their environments are inextricably joined. Come to Rotary Tuesday, May 23, when Toone will present From Condors to Monarchs: Eco-Solutions. The meeting will be free and in English at 12:30 p.m. at Hotel Mision, Salida a Queretaro 1.
Toone is the founder and executive director of Ecolife Conservation, which is dedicated to a world in which humans and nature live harmoniously through simple, sustainable solutions that match technology with education. He previously worked in the California condor program, taking the first egg from the wild and releasing the first of the condors back to the wild. This earned him publicity all the way up to the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson, and the filming of wildlife documentaries with Olivia Newton-John.
Performing conservation work in some of the most remote regions of the world, including Honduras and Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda, he not only witnessed incredible wildlife spectacles, but also came in close contact with some of most poor, and poorly understood, populations of people.
Working in Madagascar to help create a national park, Toone’s integration into a primitive village included befriending the family of a little five-year-old boy named Elian. Elian’s family begged him to take the boy with him so he could find a better future in the United States. Toone could not do this, and was shocked and saddened when soon thereafter the village and everyone who lived there were swept away by a typhoon. The result was Toone’s new look at conservation through the eyes of a humanitarian.
Toone’s presentations provide insight into our natural world, offering hope for a planet in which humans, plants and animals can provide mutual assurance of wellness and security. “People and their environments are inextricably joined,” said Toone. “One cannot work to save endangered species or endangered places without working as well to protect and improve the lives of the people who live near them,” he concluded.
Rotary is where neighbors, friends and problem-solvers share ideas, join leaders, and take action to create lasting change. For more information, contact President Nate Fultz at [email protected] and see RotarySMAMidday.org.
- What: Rotary Presentation
- Title: From Condors to Monarchs, Eco-Solutions
- Date, time: Tuesday, May 23, 12:30 p.m.
- Where: Hotel Mision
- Address: Salida a Queretaro 1
- Extra info: 415 112 3413 – SMA; 925 476 8117 – US/Canada
- Cost: Free
By Robin Loving
