The latest news stories across the state of Oregon from the digital home of the Oregon coastal cities, OregonBeachMagazine.com
Tuesday, November 29, 2022
Oregon Beach Weather
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY ISSUED: 2:01 AM NOV. 29, 2022 – NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE
...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 10 AM PST THIS MORNING... ...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 4 PM THIS AFTERNOON TO 1 AM PST WEDNESDAY... ...GALE WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 10 PM THIS EVENING TO 4 PM PST WEDNESDAY... * WHAT...Steep northwest seas 10 to 12 ft at 14 seconds this morning. Late this afternoon through tonight, southwest winds increasing to 30 to 40 kt with gusts up to 50 kt and seas becoming very steep and wind-driven at 11 to 15 ft. * WHERE...All areas. * WHEN...A Small Craft Advisory remains in effect until 10 AM PST this morning. The next Small Craft Advisory is in effect from 4 PM this afternoon to 1 AM PST Wednesday, with a Gale Warning in effect from 10 PM this evening to 4 PM PST Wednesday. * IMPACTS...Strong winds and very steep seas could capsize or damage vessels. Low visibility conditions are expected. * View the hazard area in detail at https://go.usa.gov/x6hks
Port Orford’s Port to Spend More than $2,000,000 for Upgrades
The Port of Port Orford is issuing its Request For Proposals (RFP) for its High Capacity Crane Replacement Project. The Port is planning its $2,300,000 crane replacement project with $1,600,000 from Connect Oregon and a loan of $694,000 from Business Oregon.
The Port invites qualified bidders to submit project bids to the Port for consideration before the deadline at 4:00pm, Pacific Time, January 2, 2023. A copy of the RFP is at https://portofportorford.org/rfp-crane-replacement-project/.
The Port says this project is part of its redevelopment plan which also includes plans for a high-capacity pump ashore seawater delivery system, a Dock Road strengthening and slope stabilization project, and a Seafood Hub.
It says the Oregon Transportation Commission approved a $1,600,000 grant for the Port’s crane replacement project toward the total project cost of $2,300,000 paired with matching funds the Port secured from Business Oregon as a $694,000 low interest loan.
Port Manager Pat Cox said, “We’re excited to secure these funds to upgrade this critical infrastructure for our district citizens and tenants. The implementation of two modernized cranes will provide double the current lifting capacity. This upgrade will result in reduced wear and tear on the equipment, resulting in longer life for the cranes, and the redundancy of having two identical cranes will enable a continuous maintenance program and enhanced safety.”
The Port says its crane replacement project involves two 50-ton cranes used to launch vessels going to sea and retrieve them when they return. The project also includes new product handling hoists and other seafood product handling equipment. The Port says it, “lands an average $5,000,000 in ex-vessel value seafood each year, contributing an average of $7,000,000 to Oregon’s economy, and employing approximately 30% of the local workforce in commercial fishing, processing, and related jobs.”
It says, “High capacity cranes are required due to the Port’s open ocean configuration, which necessitates the unique high dock, aka ‘dolly dock.’ One benefit of this configuration is the absence of a bar crossing, which allows more safe days for those working at sea. The two new cranes will provide the redundancy needed to ensure all vessels can be retrieved during deteriorating sea conditions, improving safety for ocean going vessels of all kinds.”
The Port Commission says it chose to pursue funding to replace existing, aging cranes after years of increased major maintenance and interruptions of vital operations, “leading to lost economic opportunity of as much as $2,000,000 during the past five years, and increasing safety concerns.”
The Port says it will contract with a construction project management firm to manage the project, which will include meetings with stakeholders and tenants concerning the dock reconfigurations required for the new equipment.
Sea Of Lights Display Reopens At Oregon Coast Aquarium
Newport’s Oregon Coast Aquarium will be illuminated by colorful lights strung up alongside the various aquatic exhibits for the first time in three years.
The annual event, Sea of Lights, had been canceled twice due to the pandemic, but visitors will now be able to view the indoor galleries and touch pool lit up with vibrant hues in the spirit of the holiday season. Children in attendance will also get the opportunity to line up and take pictures with Santa Claus.
“We are so excited to host Sea of Lights again,” said Courtney Klug, Communications and Marketing Specialist at the Oregon Coast Aquarium. “It’s something that the community sorely missed. And we got so many questions over those two years with people talking about taking their kids to see Santa, how it was such a highlight of the season. So we are ready. We are absolutely thrilled.”
Sea of Lights will be held the first three Fridays and Saturdays in December from 5:00pm to 8:00pm. (12/2, 12/3, 12/9, 12/10, 12/16, & 12/17)
The aquarium, which is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year, is located at 2820 SE Ferry Slip Rd in Newport. MORE INFO: https://aquarium.org/sea-of-lights/
Oregon’s paid family and medical leave program will begin collecting money to fund the new initiative from workers and businesses with 25 or more employees on Jan. 1.
Starting next year, workers will pay 0.6% of their gross wages every paycheck and big employers will contribute an additional 0.4%.
For a worker who earns $5,000 in monthly gross pay, the worker will pay $30 a month into the paid leave fund and the employer will pay $20. If they work for a company with fewer than 25 employees, they will pay $30 a month and their employer will pay nothing. Employers with fewer than 25 employees will not be required to participate in the program, but they can opt in if they wish to access grants to cover the costs such as overtime or a temporary replacement worker.
All workers in the state except federal employees, independent contractors and people who work for tribal governments who earn at least $1,000 in a year and pay into the program will be eligible automatically for coverage, even if they work for a business with fewer than 25 employees. But they won’t be able to access the new benefit until at least September.
For the first eight months of 2023, the state will build up a fund that it will tap starting in September to pay benefits to workers who take time off to care for a new baby or other loved one, to address their own medical needs or for other specific circumstances covered by the program created under House Bill 2005 in 2019.
Once benefits start flowing, workers will be able to take up to 12 weeks of paid leave annually, and in some cases a total of 14 weeks if they are pregnant, have given birth or have health issues related to child birth, according to the state.
The state program Paid Leave Oregon, which is housed at the Employment Department, launched a campaign earlier this month to educate employers about the program using paid radio, social media and digital media ads.
A public information campaign targeted to workers will not launch until “after January,” communications officer Angela Yeager said during a Nov. 2 meeting of the paid leave program’s advisory committee.
Oregon will join 10 other states and Washington, D.C., in offering some sort of paid leave program.
Oregon workers were originally supposed to start receiving paid leave benefits in January, 3½ years after lawmakers passed the law to create the program. But state leaders made key decisions that delayed the program. Meanwhile, Oregon workers will miss out on approximately $453 million in benefits they would likely have tapped if the program had started on time.
The program will cover leave for the birth or adoption of a child, for serious illness or injury, for taking care of a seriously ill family member and for survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking or harassment, according to the state.
Paid Leave Oregon has an employer tool kit online to help employers understand the program.
ODOT Short On Snowplow Operators
The Oregon Department of Transportation is short on snowplow operators but says it’s still prepared for possible winter conditions this week. ODOT spokesperson Angela Beers-Seydel says the shortage is a concern, especially if conditions are anything like the winter of 2019.
If snow does hit, Beers-Seydel says roads may not be plowed or sanded as often as they have been in the past.
That’s why she says drivers should be fully prepared for possible inclement weather before they hit the road.
“You should check those tires right now; check those windshield wipers, check the fluids in your car,” she says. “Make sure you have blankets and supplies so you’re ready if you get stopped somewhere for a long period of time.”
Beers-Seydel says anyone interested in becoming a snowplow operator can check ODOT’s website.
Oregon grant program aims to reduce wildfire risk, protect lives and property
SALEM, Ore.—A $20 million landscape resiliency grant program is making Oregon’s landscapes more resistant to the threat of wildfire by treatments done through unique partnerships with private landowners and other local, county, state, and federal agencies.
Oregon’s 2021 Legislature invested nearly $195 million to address Oregon’s wildfire crisis through Senate Bill 762. Of this $195 million, $20 million created a two-year landscape resiliency and mitigation grant program that the Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF) has been administering.
“Projects like this are a major step towards protecting communities and natural resources in Oregon by making forests healthier and more resilient in the face of changing climate and wildfire environment,” said Cal Mukumoto, Oregon’s State Forester,” said Cal Mukumoto, Oregon’s State Forester.
Just over 200,000 acres of Oregon landscapes are planned to be treated by June 2023 when the program ends. These projects in some of the highest-risk landscapes will greatly reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfire in those treated areas. Not only will it make the forestland around communities and resources safer, but it will also encourage forest health, resiliency, ecosystem health, and shared stewardship.
Recently, a small group of experts that helped ODF design project criteria met on a cold sunny day in Sisters to see this program unfold.
“We went to see five different projects—five different stories of what landscape resiliency looks like,” said Jeff Burns, ODF’s All Lands Initiatives Unit Manager. “These five projects boasted just shy of 2,000 acres of fuels mitigation and resiliency work. However, the real highlight of the tour was the focus on what our partnerships and relationships can achieve together. The support and collaboration of these diverse groups are key to the success of getting this work done on the ground in such a short period of time.”
The tour highlighted innovative technology such as air curtain burners, fuels mitigation creating in-stream habitat, fuels reduction with an element of wildlife habitat management, slash burning, and mastication groundwork.
Some of the projects visited included:
- The Upper Deschutes Watershed Council removed trees on 58 acres that provided approximately 750 trees to be used for in-stream work and habitat restoration.
- The Ponderosa Land & Cattle Company project that included 727 acres of roadside brushing, thinning, mowing and mastication for fuel breaks. It also treated 590 acres of unit mowing, mastication, thinning and ladder fuels.
- The Black Butte Ranch project highlighted the use of an air curtain burner that can be used to dispose debris from their project of 79 acres of roadside brushing, thinning, stump grinding, limb removal, and mastication. Two other private landowners had projects concentrated on thinning and pruning pine trees, removal of juniper, mastication of ladder fuels such as bitterbrush, and burn piles.
- The Ludwick Property Project treated 170 acres
- The Glynn Property Project treated 200 acres.
“Access to programs like this enable ODF to work closely with our public and private partners to support communities, local economies, and natural resources while making them safer from wildfires,” Burns said. “At the end of these projects, we hope we can show a level of success that will encourage future funding for this type of work.”
For more information visit ODF’s Landscape Resiliency Grant Program website.
For the first time in two decades, the Oregon Senate will have a new president
Rob Wagner, D-Lake Oswego and the current majority leader, on Friday won a private vote of the 17 incoming Senate Democrats. He’ll take the reins from retiring Salem Democrat Peter Courtney, who has served as Senate president since 2003 and has been a legislator for 38 years.
“Senator Wagner is a good choice for the next Senate President,” Courtney said in a statement. “He’s smart and can handle this responsibility. He will serve the Senate well. I look forward to helping him make a smooth transition into the coming session.”
Wagner will join current Senate Minority Leader Tim Knopp, R-Bend, and House Speaker Dan Rayfield, D-Corvallis, who won re-election to their respective caucus leadership teams last week. House Republicans won’t elect their caucus leaders until Dec. 6.
In a statement, Wagner said he would ensure the Oregon Senate will be a “force for positive change into every corner of the state.”
“I look forward to working with my colleagues to build on our culture of inclusion and openness – across the aisle and across the state – to make sure that Oregonians across the state feel represented and supported by the work we do,” he continued.
He won’t formally become Senate president until the Senate convenes in January and votes publicly on its next leader. All 17 Democrats have sworn to support him, making that vote a formality.
That’s a necessity, as Knopp and Senate Republicans objected to Wagner’s selection. Knopp noted in a statement that Democrats narrowly eked out a majority in the state Senate, winning fewer than 3,000 combined votes in the Ashland-based 3rd Senate District and Gladstone-based 20th Senate District. Knopp said that proves voters wanted bipartisan collaboration.
“Senator Wagner has shown he is untrustworthy, deeply partisan and doesn’t have the necessary skills to run the Senate in a bipartisan fashion,” Knopp said. “There are no votes in the Senate Republican caucus for Senator Wagner. If Democrats are intent on uniting Oregon to fix our problems, Republicans are all in. If Democrats want to run a progressive agenda to pay back their supporters, they can expect total opposition.”
Beginning in January, Democrats will hold 17 of 30 seats in the Senate and 35 of 60 in the House – slightly down from the 18 and 37 they now occupy. They slipped below the three-fifths supermajority needed to pass any bills raising taxes.
Man Running Along Railroad Tracks In Oakridge Struck By A Train And Killed
On Friday, November 25, the Lane County Sheriff’s Office says it was informed that an adult male had been struck by a train along the Union Pacific rail line by Salmon Creek Road in Oakridge. The sheriff’s office says Oregon State Troopers were first on the scene and attempted life-saving efforts including CPR.
The man was identified as 57-year-old Derek Lee Berling of Oakridge. Preliminary investigation indicates that Berling was running westbound along the railroad tracks prior to being struck. He was reportedly wearing headphones and did not respond when train operators sounded a horn multiple times. Despite conducting an emergency stop, train operators were unable to stop the train in time to avoid a collision.
Enjoy the darker hours at the Museum with the December return of Winter Nights
BEND, OR — The High Desert Museum is bringing back Winter Nights every Thursday in December. For those looking for a unique evening out, the Museum will remain open until 7:30 pm with seasonal themes, a chance to see new exhibitions, activities for families and students and reduced admission rates.
In Winter Nights, the Museum offers people a break from the busy work week with a festive night out when they normally may not be able to visit. In addition, the Museum presently has one new exhibition and will open a second one on December 17.
For this year’s Winter Nights:
December 1: Welcome to Winter – Rimrock Café will be open for folks to grab dinner or a treat and enjoy a wine tasting. The Museum store will also be open with discounts for all: Museum members will receive 20 percent off on most items and others 10 percent. Visitors will find kids activities, a free gift-wrapping station and a special tote-bag thank you for Museum members.
December 8: Sugar Cookie Shindig – Enjoy engaging activities for kids including High Desert-themed storytime, snowflake making and sugar cookie decorating. The Museum store, Silver Sage Trading, will also be open with discounts for all and a gift-wrapping station, and Rimrock Café will be ready for diners.
December 15: College Night – Students with college identification will receive free admission! Kids activities will still be happening, and the Museum store will also be open with discounts for all and a gift-wrapping station. Visitors can also enjoy a tasting of locally made hard ciders and try their hand at sugar cookie decoration.
December 22: Solstice Social – Explore the newest High Desert Museum exhibit Under the Snow. A meal, snack, beverage and beer tasting await in the Rimrock Café, and the Museum store will also be open with last-minute gift shopping, discounts for all, a gift-wrapping station and kids activities including story time and paper snowflake-making.
December 29: Après Snow – Get cozy after a day of snow play—explore temporary exhibits and get a tasty meal and beverage from the Rimrock Café. We will welcome Lava Terrace Cellars for wine tasting and families can still enjoy kids activities. The Museum store will also be open with discounts for all.
There is always something new to explore at the High Desert Museum with up to nine new exhibits every year. December is no exception: The newest exhibition opens Saturday, December 17, Under the Snow. The exhibit reveals the hidden world beneath the snow, called the subnivium. In this environment, animals create a matrix of tunnels to survive the winter’s frigid temperatures and hide from the predators that lurk above. Using interactive graphics, visitors will meet the species that depend on the snow, including a resilient mammal named Pika, an observant owl called Great Gray and a fruiting fungus known as Fuzzy Foot. Learn more at highdesertmuseum.org/under-the-snow.
Winter Nights visitors can also explore the original exhibit In the Arena: Photographs from America’s Only Touring Black Rodeo. Through the lens of San Francisco Bay area photographer Gabriela Hasbun, the exhibit documents the exhilarating atmosphere of the Bill Pickett Invitational Rodeo—the only touring Black rodeo in the country—and the showstopping style and skill of the Black cowboys and cowgirls who compete in it year after year. Learn more at highdesertmuseum.org/in-the-arena.
Admission for Winter Nights is $10 general admission and $6 for ages 12 and under. Museum members are always free. Visitors who arrive earlier in the day may stay for Winter Nights without paying additional admission. The outdoor exhibits are closed during Winter Nights. Regular winter hours are 10:00 am – 4:00 pm. Learn more at highdesertmuseum.org/winter-nights.
ABOUT THE MUSEUM:
THE HIGH DESERT MUSEUM opened in Bend, Oregon in 1982. It brings together wildlife, cultures, art, history and the natural world to convey the wonder of North America’s High Desert. The Museum is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization accredited by the American Alliance of Museums, is a Smithsonian Affiliate, was the 2019 recipient of the Western Museums Association’s Charles Redd Award for Exhibition Excellence and was a 2021 recipient of the National Medal for Museum and Library Service. To learn more, visit highdesertmuseum.org and follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
Oregon State Parks offers $5 off annual parking permit purchases in December
SALEM, Oregon— Give the gift of the outdoors and save this season with the Oregon State Parks 12-month parking permit sale through December.
The permit hangtag once again features whimsical designs from Portland artist El Tran. Holiday shoppers can buy the annual parking permits for only $25, which is a $5 savings starting Dec. 1 and running through Dec. 31. The pass is good for 12 months starting in the month of purchase.
Purchasing passes is easy. Buy them online at the Oregon State Parks store. Parking permits are also sold at some state park friends’ group stores and select local businesses throughout the state. For a complete list of vendors, visit stateparks.oregon.gov.
Parking costs $5 a day at 25 Oregon state parks unless you have a 12- or 24-month parking permit or a same-day camping receipt. The 24-month pass is $50 and is also available at store.oregonstateparks.org. The permits are transferable from vehicle to vehicle.
