Oregon Beach News, Monday 1/31 – 1st Month of Crab Season Surpasses All Last Year, Possible Great White Shark Spotted Off The Coast Near Coos Bay

The latest news stories across the state of Oregon from the digital home of the Oregon coastal cities, OregonBeachMagazine.com

Monday, January 31, 2022

Oregon Beach Weather

Today– Showers likely, mainly between 11am and noon. Snow level 2200 feet. Partly sunny, with a high near 47. West wind 5 to 7 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%.T

Tuesday– A 40 percent chance of showers, mainly after 7am. Snow level 1900 feet. Partly sunny, with a high near 47. North wind 5 to 10 mph.

Wednesday– Mostly sunny, with a high near 47. East northeast wind around 6 mph.

Thursday– Sunny, with a high near 52

Friday– A slight chance of rain after 11am. Partly sunny, with a high near 52.

1st Month of Crab Season Surpasses All Last Year

By Oregon Small Business Association Foundation: The first month of the commercial Dungeness crab season in Oregon has surpassed the yield of the entire season last year.

The season opened on time Dec. 1 for the first time in seven years, despite worker shortages and rough weather.

Already in one month, the fleet has caught 12.8 million pounds of Dungeness crab worth $63.3 million, nearly $3 million more than the entire harvest from December 2020 through August 2021, which totaled $60.6 million.

Officials estimate the Dungeness crab fishery brings $126.5 million into the Oregon economy each year.

Possible Great White Shark Spotted Off The Coast Near Coos Bay

 The Coos County Sheriff’s Office received a call from the Coast Guard regarding a possible great white shark sighting Friday.

According to a social media post from the sheriff’s office, a 12 foot great white shark was spotted about 100 meters off the shore of Horsfall beach in Coos Bay.

Oregon reports 7,222 new confirmed and presumptive COVID-19 cases, 19 new deaths

PORTLAND, Ore. — There are 19 new COVID-19 related deaths in Oregon, raising the state’s death toll to 6,086 the Oregon Health Authority (OHA) reported at 12:01 a.m. today.

OHA reported 7,222 new confirmed and presumptive cases of COVID-19 as of 12:01 a.m. today, bringing the state total to 620,652.

The new confirmed and presumptive COVID-19 cases reported today are in the following counties: Baker (32), Benton (172), Clackamas (584), Clatsop (50), Columbia (110), Coos (115), Crook (62), Curry (39), Deschutes (401), Douglas (191), Gilliam (3), Grant (15), Harney (27), Hood River (37), Jackson (359), Jefferson (35), Josephine (128), Klamath (191), Lake (6), Lane (734), Lincoln (88), Linn (331), Malheur (92), Marion (809), Morrow (15), Multnomah (927), Polk (164), Sherman (1), Tillamook (28), Umatilla (162), Union (76), Wallowa (8), Wasco (85), Washington (938), Yamhill (207).

Health officials say Oregon hospitals are near their COVID-19 breaking point as the state is expected to reach peak hospitalizations in coming weeks. Fueled by the highly contagious omicron variant, hospitalizations could soon surpass the pandemic high, officials said Friday. As of Thursday there were 1,130 coronavirus-related hospitalizations.

The record is 1,178, from Sept. 1. In addition, last week health officials reported that Oregon surpassed 6,000 coronavirus-related deaths. Nearly 75% of adults in Oregon are fully vaccinated, however, less than half have received their booster shot.

A report released by the Oregon Health Authority on Wednesday shows that more than 70% of COVID-19 cases last week were among unvaccinated people. Breakthrough cases — fully vaccinated people who test positive for the coronavirus — accounted for about 29% of last week’s cases.

The Oregon Health Authority says it expects to file “permanent” rules on Friday for mask requirements in K-12 schools, as well as vaccination requirements for educators and staff. Friday’s announcement does not include the statewide indoor mask mandate.

State epidemiologist Dr. Dean Sidelinger said in a briefing that officials are still going over public comments before proceeding, which will most likely happen in the next week or two. Permanent rules can be repealed by state agencies, which happened in 2021 before the Delta variant began to surge. By definition, temporary rules are only valid for 180 days. The statewide indoor mask mandate, a temporary rule, is currently set to expire February 8.

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Oregon State Parks Saw More Than 3 Million Campers For The First Time In 2021

Oregon state park campgrounds were packed in 2021, as locals and tourists alike left the comforts of their homes to sleep under the stars, among evergreen forests and beside the gentle roar of the ocean.

The Oregon Parks and Recreation Department reported a total 3,026,756 camper nights last year, far outpacing the pandemic-impaired numbers from 2020, and eclipsing the 3 million mark for the first time, the department said.

In state park parlance a “camper night” is one camper spending one night at a campsite. A family of four spending two nights in a tent, for example, would equal eight camper nights.

And since virtually every campground saw a dip in numbers during statewide park closures in 2020, it’s more useful to compare the recent numbers to those in 2019, when state park campgrounds were in the midst of a huge surge in popularity.

Most of the growth in 2021 came on the Oregon coast, where there was a 9% increase in camper nights over 2019 – the only region in the state with an overall increase last year. More than a third of that increase came from the massive campground at Fort Stevens State Park outside Astoria, which alone saw 343,485 camper nights last year, far more than any other.

Parks department spokesman Chris Havel said the data show a continued trend of mid-week camping in the summer, as well as weekend and holiday camping in the fall, winter and spring. The numbers also continue a significant uptick in state park camping that began in 2012, a trend that park officials see as a win.

“Hooray for people continuing to realize enjoying the outdoors is good for body and mind, and good for both the individual and the community.” Havel said in an email Wednesday. “As people continue to look for places to experience in our centennial year, we hope they branch out to look for places new to you, and take the time to prepare well.”

The Oregon Parks and Recreation Department will be celebrating its 100th anniversary in 2022, marking the occasion with special events that might draw even more people to parks across the state. The centennial celebration of the National Park Service in 2016 led to record numbers of national park visitors that year.

At state park campgrounds on the Oregon coast, securing campsites might be competitive for the centennial this summer – at least if last year’s numbers are any indication. Almost every state park campground on the coast saw more camper nights in 2021 than in 2019, and while the most popular campgrounds got a little more popular, the biggest increases by percentage were at two of the smallest places: Umpqua Lighthouse and Humbug Mountain state parks

Smaller campgrounds in eastern, central and southern Oregon also saw big increases last year, continuing a trend from 2020 that saw more people looking for more remote getaways amid the pandemic. Some of the least-visited state park sites in recent years saw huge jumps in camper nights in 2021, including Red Bridge State Wayside and Hilgard Junction State Park outside La Grande, as well as the tiny, remote Minam State Recreation Area along the Wallowa River, which saw an eye-popping 254% increase last year, going from 5,498 camper nights in 2020 to 19,460 in 2021.

Willamette Valley campgrounds, meanwhile, saw their camper nights down compared to 2019, almost across the board. Increases at the popular L.L. Stub Stewart State Park, as well as the state park campgrounds of the Columbia River Gorge, were outweighed by decreases at places like Milo McIver, Willamette Mission and Detroit Lake state parks.

Some decreases were due not necessarily to unpopularity, but to campground closures that followed wildfires, windstorms and flooding – events that have become a more frequent threat to campers in recent years.

Money that has been earmarked for Oregon state park improvements will go to both adding new campsites and moving existing ones out of harm’s way, as campsites in some parks are currently threatened by eroding cliffs, rising rivers and wildfires. In 2021, the state Legislature approved a $50 million bond to upgrade Oregon’s state parks over the next two years, a plan that will include new campsites at some of the state’s busiest parks, in addition to infrastructure and other projects.

That may help alleviate crowds in the state’s busiest campgrounds, but not if crowds continue to grow apace, an issue the parks department said it is keeping an eye on.

“It’s a concern,” Havel said of the overcrowding at campgrounds. “Planning, designing, and building new sites takes a couple of years, in some cases more time than the three year limit on the bonds, so we’re still in pursuit of a long-term solution.”

Two People Killed In Plane Crash At Salem Airport

Two people died in a plane crash at Salem Municipal Airport on Saturday afternoon, according to police. 

Police identified the pair on Sunday as Daniel and Cynthia McKenna, ages 66 and 61, from Boring, Ore.

Around 3 p.m., Salem police and fire crews responded to the airport, also known as McNary Field, where an aircraft had crashed near the end of a runway. 

Witnesses told authorities the pilot was trying to land when the plane crashed, killing both people on board. It’s unclear who was flying the plane when it crashed. 

Police said the Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board are handling the investigation.

Agriculture Bills Head to Legislature

Last week week the Oregon legislature published the set of bills that will be introduced for consideration in the upcoming short legislative session. In addition to monitoring a couple of major bills impacting timber (Private Forest Accord) and agriculture (overtime), OFS has identified several bills of interest to our membership and mission. The House Agriculture, Land Use and Water Committee has introduced a bill that would allow the agency to establish new pesticide license categories by rule rather than statute (HB 4062).

A couple of bills seek to provide preferential state support for organic production (SB 1532 and HB 4048). Other bills we will be tracking include one initiating a study and metrics for carbon sequestration on natural and working lands (SB 1534), and the Governor’s environmental justice bill (HB 4077), which would fund the development of an environmental justice mapping tool which would become part of the decision-making process for state agencies.

As noted, a major focus for legislators will be on HB 4002 and overtime for agricultural workers. Currently, advocates of the bill are insisting on phasing in a 40 hour threshold, and behind-the-scenes reports are that the Labor Commissioner, Val Hoyle indicates she will do the same in rulemaking in the coming months if the legislature doesn’t act. Ag organizations are working around the clock to express the potential devastating impacts to Oregon’s agricultural and rural economies.

Session starts next Tuesday (February 1st), and will move quickly towards the March 7th deadline for adjournment.

Pair of Bald Eagles Nesting Again Near Downtown Eugene

The bald eagles are back in the heart of Eugene in recent weeks as a pair has been spotted again setting up a nest located in a cottonwood tree along the Willamette River west of the Campbell Community Center on High Street.

This pair has been studied and the female has a distinctive beak that appears to be chipped on the right side. The deformity does not seem to affect her ability to care for herself as she and the male have been observed raising young in the area for a few years.

Seriously declining during much of the 20th century, the Bald Eagle has made a comeback in many areas since the 1970s. Big concentrations can be found wintering along rivers or reservoirs in some areas. The average lifespan of bald eagles in the wild is around 20 years. It is wonderful that they have become a common sight again in the Willamette Valley.

MORE INFO on BALD EAGLES: https://www.audubon.org/field-guide/bird/bald-eagle

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Klamath County Sheriff’s Office Asks for Public’s Help in Search For Trucker Suspect

The first real clue to come in on all the missing person cases in the area. Help Klamath Falls Oregon Sheriff Office ID this trucker. He was the last to see this woman alive and could be the key to not only solving this woman’s disappearance but a number of the hundred other women missing in PNW. IF you have any information, please call (541) 883-5130

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A 17-year-old was reported missing in Salem and detectives say the teen might be the victim of an online catfishing scheme.

Ezra Mayhugh, 17, was last seen on October 15, 2021 after being dropped off in downtown Salem by a friend, the Marion County Sheriff’s Office said. He was reported as a runaway the following day when he did not return home.

Investigators say he might be in Washington or California. They hope to reunite Ezra safely with family members.

He’s described as about 5-foot 11-inches tall, weighing 130 pounds, with blonde hair and brown eyes.

If you have had contact with Mayhugh since October 15 or have other helpful information on his whereabouts, the sheriff’s office asks you to contact Detective M.J. Sphoon at 503-588-6808 or to submit a tip by texting TIPMCSO and your tip to 847411.

https://www.facebook.com/pg/Have-You-Seen-Me-Southern-Oregons-Missing-People-161249961222839/posts/

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