The latest news stories across the state of Oregon from the digital home of the Oregon coastal cities, OregonBeachMagazine.com
Monday, February 7, 2022
Oregon Beach Weather
Today– A 20 percent chance of rain before 10am. Cloudy, with a high near 56. Calm wind becoming northwest 5 to 7 mph in the afternoon.
Tuesday– Mostly sunny, with a high near 56. North wind around 7 mph.
Wednesday– Sunny, with a high near 62. North wind 6 to 9 mph.
Thursday– Sunny, with a high near 59.
Friday– Sunny, with a high near 62.
New Research Shows Increase in Market Squid Due to Warming Waters
New research published by the American Fisheries Society in the journal Marine and Coastal Fisheries shows climate change-driven heatwaves are reportedly fueling a dramatic increase in the population of market squid along the Washington and Oregon coasts over the past two decades.
Based on the study, the population of the squid species (Doryteuthis opalescens) from California to the northern Washington market has significantly increased over the past 22 years.
The largest increase was seen in the states of Oregon and Washington, which saw a 39-fold and 25-fold increase in the population density of squid within the period.
The market squid Doryteuthis opalescens has the largest volume in California’s fishery industry. The scientists stated climate change is impacting the abundance and distribution of marine resources, as per the study.
“It appears these increases are strongly associated with marine heat waves and that the expansion is occurring across the entire northern California to Washington border but fastest in these northern strata,” according to Brandon Chasco, one of the authors of the new research and a scientist at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Northwest Fisheries Science Center.
Chasco and the other scientists of the new research found that there is a squid bloom or an uptick in the population density of Doryteuthis opalescens squid species when the Pacific Ocean is highly warm-especially if the marine heatwave occur in saltier parts of the water.
Changes in temperature, including marine heatwaves, are common off the US Pacific coast. Since 2014, there have been multiple incidents of marine heatwaves off the coast of Washington.
Although the occurrence of warming oceans is common in the region, the case of the rising population of Doryteuthis opalescens squid species off the US Pacific coast because of marine heatwaves is unusual. Rising ocean water temperatures are typically associated with a large number of dead fish.
In 2016, experts have blamed the El Nino weather phenomenon, the unusual warming of surface waters in the Pacific Ocean, for a large number of dead fish, whales, and clams seen off the coast of Chile’s Pacific beaches, as per NOAA.
Although multiple studies in the past have shown that climate change and global warming have been occurring, the effects of these phenomena are positive in terms of economic and ecological implications, according to the scientists involved in the new research.
The new research can serve as a tool for future research to explain the squid bloom event during marine heatwaves-as changes in weather may likely affect marine and aquatic ecosystems, as well as fishing opportunities in coastal communities, according to the research.
Furthermore, the scientists hope for more research when it comes to ocean temperature and its effect on marine ecosystems. Such research is necessary since it can help scientists to understand not only climate change-but also accurately predict marine heatwaves in the future.
MORE INFO on MARKET SQUID: https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/species/california-market-squid
Clatsop County Receives Two All-Terrain Vehicles From Office of Emergency Management
Oregon’s Office of Emergency Management has awarded six fire departments across Oregon with new high-axle, all-terrain vehicles. Clatsop County received two of them.
The Warrenton Fire Department and the Cannon Beach Rural Fire Protection District acquired the rigs in January through grants from the state’s Office of Emergency Management.
The vehicles are capable of accessing flooded areas, performing water rescues and fighting fires. Benches in the flatbed allow firefighters to relocate a large number of people in an emergency.
Both fire departments applied for the grants several years ago, but recent flooding and wildfire conditions made the vehicles all the more needed.
Cannon Beach’s fire district plans to utilize the new vehicle for multiple purposes, but it will primarily serve as a brush rig running out of the Arch Cape Fire Station. Since firefighters have easier beach access in Cannon Beach, Reckmann thought it would be of better use in Arch Cape.
The fire district plans to install a removable tank and pump system, as well as a water filtration system to pull from streams in the event of a water system failure.
Warrenton will also add a tank and pump system to its vehicle, Warrenton Fire Chief Brian Alsbury said, once the city is able to fit it into the budget. The vehicle will also be used for navigating sand dunes. The fire department has relied on mutual aid and Camp Rilea for help in the past.
While the vehicles, constructed by a company in Bend, will be under management by the fire districts, the state has the option to request them elsewhere if an emergency occurs.
Man Killed in Motorcycle Crash in Reedsport
A North Bend resident was killed in a motorcycle crash in Reedsport Saturday morning near the intersection of Riverfront Way and East Railroad Avenue, police said.
Reedsport Police responded to the motorcycle crash around 1:50 a.m. They said the motorcycle collided with a concrete wall at a high rate of speed.
The driver was identified as 53-year-old Russel Lee of North Bend. The contributing cause of the collision is still under investigation.
Labor Day 2020 Fire Survivors in FEMA Housing Granted 6 Month Extension
An extension granted by the state gives survivors of the 2020 Labor Day wildfires in Southern Oregon an extra six months of FEMA housing.
FEMA guidelines call for housing assistance only up to 18 months after a declared disaster, giving the survivors of the 2020 fires until mid-March to find new homes.
FEMA spokesperson Paul Corah said finding permanent housing for people is slow going in an area with low housing inventory.
Typically extensions are given in three-month increments, but the severity of the damage in the Rogue Valley prompted the six months. Of 190 units supplied to fire survivor families, 154 are still in use in Jackson County.
Housing programs in Marion, Lane, Lincoln and Linn Counties were given similar extensions.
Residents have been able to stay in the FEMA units while paying only utilities, but those who stay beyond April 1 will start paying a sliding-scale rent.
“FEMA’s working with the survivors about what that scale is. The minimum is $50,” Corah said.Corah said FEMA also has a sales program, allowing residents to purchase the units.
The Oregon wildfire season in 2020 destroyed more than 4,000 homes, killed nine people and tore through 1.1 million acres (445,154 hectares). Almost all the damage occurred over a dramatic 72-hour period. It was a wake-up call for the Pacific Northwest as climate change brings destructive blazes to wet places and urban landscapes.
Oregon reports 4,872 new confirmed and presumptive COVID-19 cases, 33 new deaths
PORTLAND, Ore. — There are 33 new COVID-19-related deaths in Oregon, raising the state’s death toll to 6,214, Oregon Health Authority (OHA) reported Friday afternoon
OHA reported 4,872 new confirmed and presumptive cases of COVID-19 bringing the state total to 654,343.
The new confirmed and presumptive COVID-19 cases reported today are in the following counties: Baker (23), Benton (98), Clackamas (377), Clatsop (25), Columbia (46), Coos (84), Crook (48), Curry (24), Deschutes (258), Douglas (79), Grant (15), Harney (24), Hood River (28), Jackson (240), Jefferson (40), Josephine (129), Klamath (133), Lake (5), Lane (517), Lincoln (120), Linn (262), Malheur (46), Marion (563), Morrow (8), Multnomah (524), Polk (169), Sherman (1), Tillamook (40), Umatilla (107), Union (43), Wallowa (5), Wasco (31), Washington (641) and Yamhill (119).
The University of Oregon extended their booster requirement for students and employees to Friday, March 18. Previously, the deadline was January 31. Another update is the temporary policy that allows instructors the option to request moving courses remotely that are experiencing 20 percent of more COVID-related student absences. This deadline has been extended to Monday, February 14.
Scientists Carefully Monitoring Oregon’s Volcanic Region
In a USGS Hazard Notification statement Monday, Cascades Volcano Observatory announced their scientists have tracked an increased rate of ground uplift in the Three Sisters volcanic region found in the southwest corner of Oregon.
Using satellite radar images and GPS units, USGS scientists have tracked an increased rate of uplift for a 12-mile diameter region, 3 miles west of the South Sister volcano. According to USGS, the data suggests the ground rose 0.9 inches (2.2 cm) from June 2020 to August 2021.
Scott Burns , a geology professor at Portland State University, told Nexstar’s KOIN that while episodes of increased uplift have been observed in this region before, the cause is what local scientists are excited about.
“The Three Sisters area is an area that we’ve been studying for the last 25 years,” Burns explained. “It’s very exciting because magma is moving up underneath the volcano … the last major volcanic eruption in Oregon, which was 2,000 years ago, was right there in that area.”
While the catalyst for the current uplift is unconfirmed, geologists have been able to credit previous soil shifts at the South Sister location to small pulses of magma accumulating approximately 4 miles below the earth’s surface.
According to Burns, increased uplift is not the only thing impacted by the observed magmatic intrusion. “We believe that the magma is rising about four miles below the surface. And, and so associated with that, a lot of times you’ll have very small earthquakes,” Burns said. “In December and in January, we had a series of very small earthquakes, showing that there is some movement of magma. The question is, what type of magma is it going to be, and what type of volcano?”
Before the recent increase, the USGS stated the rate of uplift at the South Sister location had reportedly slowed down since scientists first recognized the phenomenon in the mid-1990s.
“From 1995 to 2020, the area rose approximately 12 inches (30 centimeters) at its center,” USGS stated in a recent release. “Although the current uplift rate is slower than the maximum rate of about 2 inches per year measured in 1999-2000, it is distinctly faster than the rate observed for several years before 2020.”
Despite the excitement, USGS and Burns have said that the public is not in any immediate danger. The volcano status is currently listed as “green,” and there is no sign of an imminent eruption.
“While any magmatic intrusion could eventually lead to a volcanic eruption, an eruption would likely be preceded by detectable and more vigorous earthquakes, ground movement (deformation), and geochemical changes,” stated USGS. “In general, as magma moves upward during an intrusion, it causes continued or accelerated uplift, fractures rock to generate swarms of earthquakes, and releases significant amounts of volcanic gases, such as carbon dioxide. We do not detect any of these signs currently.”
Burns says a team of scientists with Cascades Volcano Observatory will continue to closely monitor uplift at the site and will be ready if a threat is detected.
“We have great maps for the whole Three Sisters area,” Burns explained, “So if [the volcano] does come back to life, we will know which people are going to have to get out of the way and be prepared for it.”
He continued, “The good news is we’re prepared for it … We’re still at ‘green,’ but things are coming back to life now. Mother Nature writes her own history book, so it will be interesting to see what she will come up with this time.”
Seven People Arrested in Salem Area Illegal Marijuana Growing Operation
Police in Keizer said Saturday they have arrested seven people in what they call an extensive illegal marijuana growing operation.
The operation was growing cannabis plants in six houses in residential areas of Salem and Keizer and children were living in two of the homes, the Keizer Police Department said.
Authorities seized 273 1-pound packages of marijuana, with a street value of about $278,000, and 4,085 plants.
The plants, once matured, could have yielded marijuana worth at least $8 million.
All of those arrested were charged with unlawful manufacture of marijuana, unlawful possession of marijuana and attempted delivery of marijuana. They have an initial court appearance March 3.
The arrests stemmed from an investigation that began in October when police were tipped off to possible illegal activity at one of the homes. An investigation found that marijuana was being grown there and at the five other homes, police alleged.
Police seized and destroyed a total of 2,100 pounds of processed marijuana and plant material from the homes.
The price tag for already expensive goods may be going up with a new bill proposed in Oregon.
Lawmakers are currently discussing hundreds of bills, and one of them would tax certain luxury items to help some low-income families.
From a snowmobile to designer clothes and handbags to a firearm– if House Bill 4079 passes, there would be a three percent sales tax on these kinds of items and more.
The money collected would then fund the Oregon Freedom Pilot Program, which is established in the Department of Human Services. The funds would be given to more than 2,000 people who have aged out of the foster youth program.
This includes low-income pregnant women. A recent study from the National Academy of Sciences cites poverty as a risk factor for lower brain activity in infants. Low-income families would receive a monthly stipend of $750 for three years.
If the bill passes, it will go into effect starting Jan. 1, 2023. Currently, Oregon lawmakers are in session and plan to adjourn on March 7.
Bootleg Fire Confirmed Lightning Caused and Cougar Peak Fire Human-Caused
Some people in Klamath and Lake counties have heard rumors that the Bootleg Fire was human-caused. After talking with fire officials, these rumors are false. The Bootleg Fire was caused by lightning in the Fuego Mountain area. A lightning storm occurred in the area about two weeks before the Bootleg Fire was spotted.
The US Forest Service says holdover fires are fairly common and can last for several weeks. Fire investigators even looked at the possibility that the fire was a flare-up from the Fuego Fire but found that the Bootleg Fire’s origin point was too far away.
While the Bootleg Fire has been officially ruled as naturally caused by lightning, there is a fire from last summer that is considered human-caused: the Cougar Peak Fire. Fire investigators are still looking for any leads on who or what caused the Cougar Peak Fire and ask that if you have any information about what started the fire to call 541-947-2151.
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
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/